I adore this channel. Mr. Murray-Smith is an absolute gentleman. Note how he indirectly touches on the concept of freedom by discussing matters which help us becoming as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to energy. His voice makes me still dream like a child, and now I have the resources to pursue some of these ideas. The water detonation engine is my favourite concept. When he spoke about detonating water like a thunder with a spark, he immediately reminded me of the work of Moray B. King. Thank you, kind sir, for helping us keep hope alive
I'm so excited for more of this. I had plans to build an affordable turbine steam generator but overcoming the load on the generator when charging batteries was going to be a challenge. I think this compressor type cylinder engine may be a simpler and cheaper solution. Thank you so much.
I'm also interested in this kind of idea. I came to the same conclusion... Turbines are very difficult to draw a load from, and gas engines/ compressors are available "off the shelf"
I am really excited about this conversion. I have only seen this done with the exhaust cam being modified by welding on a brazing rod to the round side of a cam then molding and filing that side to a "double" cam; with the modified side mirroring the original cam: from => to , like that. Given Robert's insight I can hardly wait to see how more intuitive and simple this can be.
Wait...concerning my comment above. Is this a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke engine? If it is 2 stroke then all that cam modification mess is null. I did not know about in-line 2 strokes! They don't let me out much.
1% of your scientific and engineering knowledge would make me a happy bunny. I started watching because I was interested in your indoor heaters and I'm getting there with my own take on a methanol one. Thank you so much for your down to earth videos 👌🏻
@@ThinkingandTinkering wish I'd worked with someone like you Robert years ago! I'd of picked your brain all day. You'd make an excellent teacher! But I'd of been truent back then anyway lol. Cheers god bless 👍🏻
The heavy flywheel, plate head and base plate are great. Can't wait to see the remainder of the project. I wonder if incorporating the carbon mesh in the intake can act as a separator for condensation
I’m excited to see how your engine works in the future. I’ll be ordering a Diesel heater from Vevor. I just scored 500 gallons of old Diesel!!!! Just need to wick the water out of Emulation…🤔
dewatering like biodiesel, skim off the top oil from a settled tank, heat it to boil off the water, and then use that cleaner oil, burn it to dewater the remaining oil, good luck!
Great video! 😀 A turbo-charger with a burn-barrel between compressor and turbine is multi-fuel capable and doesn't need water. Effiency probably can be increased by heating a jacketed pyrolisis reactor with the exhaust fumes of the turbine and use the syngas as fuel. The electric efficiency of car alternators is below 70%. So I suggest to use 48V/50A BLDC motors with a rectifier or magneto-hydro-dynamic generators.
Perhaps you could recycle an old espresso machine to run that beast. Just popped into my head over my morning coffee. Love how your show gets my mind running in morning
Good on yer Robert! One suggestion, lubrication. Steam tends to wipe the oil off the piston rings causing excessive wear. I'd put an in line oiler, such as is often used running air tools off an air compressor, feeding into in the steam in piping. I hope you design a flash boiler (Inherently safe[er] than a fire tube or water tube boiler as there's only a fraction of a cup of water in it to explode into steam if anything goes wrong.) to run it.
there's a potential problem with monotube (aka flash) boilers... the steam may get *very* hot... Like enough to make iron heads start glowing a little. At such temps steam has a fair bit of thermal dissosocation... And thus has somewhat of tendency to burn lubricating oil.
@@ThinkingandTinkering overheated steam is also better because you will lose heat to the motorblock, even with insulation wrapped around. If the steam condenses half the way into the stroke the volume and pressure drops a lot. Optimal point of condensation temp would be a few cm out the exhaust tube towards the tank with good old gravity helping the flow. Also need to prevent backflow through the exhaust pipe in a closed loop .. hm.
Talk about eagerly awaiting this one! Personally I like to opt for slide valves for simplicity, and they make me think of trains, in which case the opportunity to make a steam whistle incorporated into a pressure release valve is too good to pass up. 👌 I never got around to doing my '1 stroke' steam engine, but if I didn't have a recycle option for high pressure/low pressure pistons, I always wanted to try making an exhaust port at the bottom of the cylinder wall that was covered by the piston during the upstroke cycle. As said, I never got around to seeing if you could do it to fully evacuate the cylinder without affecting bore rigidity or lubrication, but if I ever get a spare engine with no hope of being petroleum-driven, I'd sure like to have a go!
you should mate - I was pondering a 2 stroke as a sleeve valve - but I think this is an easier conversion - still - I wouldn't mind giving it a go for sure
An alternative to exhaust port might be a bump valve opened when the cylinder gets near the bottom of it's stroke. Exhaust ports supposed to play havock with lubrication of piston rings
Will be interesting to see how it runs, those steam lines look small for steam delivery. Bigger is better. I’ve seen miniature steam locos that are starved and they just don’t deliver their potential despite a boiler able to make steam to fill the cylinders. Good luck with the project, enjoying every video 😊
as a gasoline mechanic when i think an engine was flooded i pull the spark plugs and then rotate the crank shaft, then use the starter to pump the pistons, effectively all the water gets ejected. if you left the fittings removable or put some bolts in the top plate you could manually move the flywheels to push out the water before starting it. potentially you could leave the bolts out, apply the steam and work the flywheels to eject the water and warm the engine for use. then replace the bolts to get it running. this would be fairly easy to add if it becomes required later.
Years ago an Australien University converted a Lister 2stroke Diesel to run on Steam. They had ballvalves on the head and a pin on the piston that pushed those steel balls up to let the steam flow in.
Interested to see what, if anything, you have planned for lubrication of the cylinder/piston/rings. Without it the cylinder/piston could erode away and/or seize, but with it I think you'll get oil coming out the exhaust valve. So any oil reservoir would need to be checked regularly and topped up, plus dealing with the milky greasy mess created by oil mixing with steam moisture.
@@ThinkingandTinkering Oh ok, thanks... I thought that at first, but then figured condensed moisture from the steam might mix with the oil in the sump. I guess we'll soon see, lol. I wish I could find a simple old book on constructing small steam engines... I'd love to find out if it would be practical recharging a motorhome battery bank using one around the size of a large suitcase. (Just stop in a park, throw in some dead sticks fallen from a tree, and recharge the battery bank with less noise than a petrol generator.)
Thing about valves, is no I don't own a lathe, and most important its going to wear and fail, but if its trivial to make I can have a spare. Last thought, want to collect the waste steam to condense in a bucket, as the trouble with steam engines is they need large amounts of pure clean distilled water. A commercial valve is attractive if its not to expensive to replace.
Thank you, much. You keep me reaching for the remote one video to the next. I have always been biased against the reciprocating piston in spite of its obvious utility, especially so when applied to home power generation. All that flapping and cycling does nothing for longevity of the system and will ruin a good afternoon nap. How can you possibly brainstorm without that? Would you instead consider using a gear pump/motor or even a small gear pump/motor in line (series) with a larger one to capture a bit more efficiency?
@@ThinkingandTinkering I'd hate to see the 2nd law of thermodynamics go out of style any more than it has already been headed lately. It's a gas-and-a-half.
I know you did the rubber based Stirling engine that vibrated. But did you do any Alpha or other style Stirling engines. Sure steam is strong and it has power and you can burn practically anything in the boiler. But for simplicity a stove with a Stirling attached is more my speed.
I have done other types of Stirlings mate and if the oppressor had separated cylinders it would have been my first choice but having the cylinders cast in the same body means getting the hot and cold away from each other is hard - I did think of sawing a gap between the two but that seemed a lot of work and may not have worked - if I come across a two cylinder compressor I will certainly make a Stirling from it
yeah. so i bought the carbon felt. fair enough in size and dispatch time. but be aware.the felt is extremely loosely "packed" in itself. (i mean very lightly compressed -5mm). The containment packaging is wonderful; thick cardboard and lots of clingfilm (saran wrap)., but what the problem is is that the smaller felt fibres are free to float in air. yes the clingfilm attracts minute particles using static, handling the stuff does free up more particles. like i said, lightly compressed (compounded?). ' Handling and Airflow Influenced Density' is probably the best way to describe it. H.A.I.D. : wear breathing and eye protection is my advice.
you are not handling enough to be worrying about it mate. If you were using it all day everyday and amidst tons of it - sure wear protection - but the amount you have and the hour or so you will handle it - well you will be lucky if it makes you sneeze.
i suggest use steam oil a type of lubricant specifically for steam engines and locomotives well you can also make your own lubricant using tallow oil or graphite power and i also suggest to attach a generator maybe a single phase induction motor and maybe implement form one of your videos about induction motor generators without magnet for efficient performance overall the engine has no issue at all even lubrication because the connecting rods and crankshaft has built in oil channels
the steam engine is coming along nicely. Any chance of an update on the magnetically displaced free piston Stirling engine coming soon? I've been trying to think how to easily attach the displacer to the retaining ring with springs but haven't come up with a sufficiently simple idea yet.
@@ThinkingandTinkering hi robert i was wondering if you could show in more detail how you changed the stirling engine to make it more efficient and sensitive to heat thanks i understand ur very busy
I am very sad this project never came to fruition! Seems no one on UA-cam has accomplished this either. I wonder if the valve was too difficult to design
You gotta suck! Squeeze, BANG! And BLOW! 😲 Along with add fuel to the suck,. Spark to the squeeze,. So you can get the BANG! And BLOW, So you can do it again!
I was just thinking using electric valves , is like using relays, they don't really last long getting actuated repeated like in that app, so I thought use 2, 3, or 4, per cylinder, use a controller, that can trigger one per rotation, then start with the first one, again, or build a electronic driver attachment, with a shift register, and MOSFETs, each time it's triggered it fires another valve, then starts over, fairly simple, this will have the valves lasting longer, possibly longer than if they were just replacements, since it allows time to cool between cycles, may only be 10% longer, but it's better than nothing, and if one fails, it will only develop a mis! Not a dead cylinder or a failure in a single cylinder, I have a couple lawnmower engines I'm thinking about converting, to build a steam generator, I'm thinking about using both intake and exhaust valves as exhaust, and use the spark plug hole as the intake, and possibly wrap the cylinder with copper tubing, as part of the exhaust, and insulate it, to keep it hot as possible, to keep the pressure up, cooling of the steam as it enters the cylinder can be a problem, if it cools excessively, I have thought about using a hydraulic cylinder as the piston, bolt the shaft to the piston, remove the rings, and replace the head with a sheet of rubber, to seal the old cylinder somewhat, so it can operate as a double acting cylinder, to perform much like a two cylinder boxer, without the balance advantage, especially if I can find a near 3" cylinder with a near 4" stroke, the engine only has a 2" +/- stroke, but I doubt I'll find a cylinder under 4" ,. I guess it could be cut and bolt a head on shortening it, however a much longer stroke would be better, I'd much rather build a engine with 3"-4" bore, with 6" to 8" stroke, it would probably peak at 1000 rpm or less, but the TQ would be much higher, especially if the steam flow can keep up with the cylinder displacement, all this could be machined with the proper tools, even a 2" bore with 4" stroke,. 2cylinder, double acting, so performance would be similar to a 4cylinder.. Maybe power the secondary of one cylinder , with the exhaust of a primary side of another cylinder, maybe design a valve system that does that, then gives it a shot of hot steam when it's about half down(or up the bore) to give a power boost, About the same time the exhaust valve is closing that is fed that cylinder, Maybe a small Tesla turbine could compete with this style engine, build it with only . 010"- .020" clearance between the disc, with 6, 6" disc, make it tight as possible, allow for expansion, or maybe a rotary vane motor, like used in pneumatic tools, using graphite bars or vanes to seal the rotor in the bore, a 6" rotor, about 1" wide, maybe seal the sides of the rotor with a nylon or ring possibly sealing against a graphite plate , making all this complicated, maybe just convert a mower engine, get a extra oil ring, widen the top ring land, and use a oil ring scraper to seal the gap in the top compression ring, possibly sand the sides of the rings with 2000 grit or higher sandpaper, to polish the sides, after going over then with 220 paper to get a cross hatch, it should look like a fresh built engine cylinder bore, the tiny scratches are to hold oil, preventing the rings from sticking, and possibly use a tiny round file to put a tiny groove in the ring lands to supply oil, only about . 002" the compression ring gap will supply oil also, with the extra oil rings in the compression rings, making the rings zero gap, with the oil rings in the middle, above the bottom ring, below the top ring, with gaps 180° from each other, there should be near zero water in the crankcase, Sorry, I do RAMBLE don't I,. So sorry to get carried away, But I have been planning this for a while, build a dc generator, steam powered, Using a alternator, with a brushed motor controller to power the brushes/ field coil, to regulate the voltage output, I also been planning a feedback regulator to control the output, allowing 12v and 24v output , and possibly 60v for 48v systems, it may require a different diode in the 3phase rectifier, I hope it would do between 35 and 50 or 60 amps, at 24/29v. It may require more engine to do that much power, they are designed to spin 4 to 60 x the engine rpm, so 2k rpm idle, peak over 20krpm 😲 sorry again for rambling!
solenoids are used in car engines all the time mate - free valve comes to mind as do diesel injectors - so I don't think longevity will be much of an issue myself
I was thinking, since you have the gear, to weld together a steel box, maybe with a bolt screwed in for access. Into which you could put various things and put them under tremendous pressure....
Greetings Mr Murray-Smith! I am very interested whether you have completed this steam engine. Are there any other videos coming about the completion of this project?
Hmmm. Nooow. If you were to use a single but triple sized large hole in the center for both in/out (each cylinder), and do the in/out separation outside with a t-junction you could put the engine upside down and during warmup/cooldown open both ports. (Edit: and get better flow/less pressure drop) The condensed water, with gravity and maybe with the help of a bump towards the center hole of the new plate, could flow out back to the reservoir/pump. Once the system heats up enough, close the exhaust valve and start pulsing it according to the piston position. Probably a bit before it reaches the highest volume/lowest point, so you dont start compressing the old cool steam. Also you might want to use overheated steam at 1.2 to 2 bar system pressure so you get more energy during expansion before the steam turns back into liquid. If its upside down any liquid will just leave with the "cold" and wet steam through the output valve. For the demonstrator it might really be easiest to use magnetic valves (solenoid actors) so you can put a bit of distance via linkage between the hot steam and the coil/electronics. To start the electronics use a hand crank generator (or power bank), when its running a old style bicycle dynamo on the flywheel ;-) And the you can simply move/clamp two magnets on the flywheel for variable timing and switch the valves via reed switch+mosfet. No arduino, just need to find a good position. The arduino (i would use a siemens logo! RC12/24) could be used to optimize timing for steam temperature and control rpm tho... If you bypass/remove the relais you can trigger the outputs up to 10Hz and it has high frequency inputs for the rpm and valve timing.
On the valve in and valve out, could you use a diaphragm so the air comes in and goes out directionally. So valve 1, piston 1 brings in the air, Valve 2, piston 1 sends out the air to piston 2 valve 1 and then sent out through piston 2 valve 2 back to piston 1valve 1, Repeating the process?.
Are you suggesting a double expansion engine? That would require two chambers of increasing displacement to accommodate the expansion of the steam from one stage to the next. The Titanic had a triple expansion system.
@@thisoldminewithlars5324 I have no idea, it was a thought that came to mind while I was watching, I don't have any of the tools or equipment to even try for myself so made a suggestion. I suppose you could use a 3rd and use that for pressure?.
Now my brain is running. The Titanic used 215 psi at the input cylinder and still had nine psi after the third cylinder which was used to drive a turbine. The turbine drove the center of three propellers but only could turn in one direction. A multistage steam engine is very efficient. You are thinking in the right direction.
@@thisoldminewithlars5324 Really it was a thought. how marvellous it turns out not only was it used in the titanic you happened to reply on the same subject. maybe have 3 pistons and the 3rd piston is a lot heavier than the other 2 which would need more pressure but once that pressure was built up then who knows?
id not bother with the plate on top just use the head and fill the sparkplug holes with chemicial metal and flatten it top drill the 4 holes reuse the head bolts,ive come up with a idea to reuse the gas from the outlets of a engine compress it down and blow it black into the head lower fuel use uses unburnt fuel in the compressed gas could mix it with methane or other gas as well
Maybe someone could summarize the video for me, because I spent the whole 6½ minutes with my eyes focused on the mug, praying that Robert would not crash it while moving all these metal and wooden parts around. 😀
Is that compressor one with the cylinders 180° apart or are they at 90°? A steam engine is best for self starting if at 90°. Air compressors work best at 180°. Two ball valves per cylinder with the right pushrods would work if the pushrods operated off the top of the pistons. Valves could be enclosed in a cover sealed so you did not have to worry about sealing the pushrods.
Hi, big fan of this channel. Could you please help me with something. I want to make an air compressor , or mor accurately , get steam , turn it into super heated steam and have it produce about 120 CFM at 8 bar. Could you point me in the right direction of choices you would make please.
Years ago I replaced a timing belt on a fiat punto, required the engine set to middle dead center, a little unusual but approached it in a similar way using meat skewers, regarding the valve I'm wondering if a turbo boost control solenoid might work, they come in 3 and 4 port set up but only require a small voltage to operate, obviously they need to handle fairly harsh conditions working with charged air from a turbo but I'm unsure how they would fair with steam, compressed air no probs and can get them fairly cheap
it's from Vevor - www.vevor.co.uk/air-compressors-c_10039/vevor-twin-cylinder-air-compressor-pump-suits-for-3hp-12cfm-industrial-1300-rpm-p_010403369304
My biggest concern about steam is safely producing it and not having to constantly monitor or adjust it. Certainly you could use an electric steam generator and accomplish that. But that sort of defeats the purpose if the goal is to produce electricity from steam. I'd like to burn wood waste and pellets as the energy source because my family has a farm and has plenty of wood waste to potentially use as energy. Wood that often gets burned in a pit anyways. Seems like a big waste.
@@ThinkingandTinkering it's the pressure of the boiler - which unattended is a serious issue. Pressure relief valves commonly stick also. Maybe we could create a boiler-less steam generator similar to a tankless water heater. And a Tesla check valve so no mechanical parts to fail. Or a hybrid with a small tank that pre-heats but doesn't raise the temperature all tge way to a boil. I spent time in a burn unit after my son got burned. He healed, but I witnessed some horrendous wounds and suffering children. Steam burns are indescribably bad.
Great project as usual. My one concern is the use of aluminum. My understanding is that aluminum can be eroded under certain conditions by steam. Years ago, I was playing around with very thin walled aluminum tubing, passing heated rubbing alcohol steam through it. Within seconds, the pipe seemed to disintegrate! I think it was the water vapor that did the damage. I switched to thin copper tubing. Anyway, I'm wondering if steam and aluminum is just a bad idea or is it that temperature and pressure play into this.
it's not the best for sure - but I may well run this on compressed air or steam I haven't really decided yet - maybe steam first and see how it goes and swap to compressed air if it is giving too much in the way of issues
I remember an article about 30 years ago in an Australian "Greenie" magazine, of an air cooled VW engine converted to steam. The engines have cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, a magnesium alloy crankcase (and forged steel crankshaft & connecting rods). They said something about erosion and steam which required fitting sleeves into the cylinder bores. I may be remembering wrong but I think I recall the sleeves, or maybe it was the head they used, was made of titanium!?
If steam condenses... Tiny water droplets form. If the steam is flowing fast relative to solid parts those water droplets act akin to sandblasting. The hotter steam is the more it dissociates into hydrogen, and oxygen. (that obsorbs extra heat without as much temperature rise). In effect behaves like it's a strong acid. Rairly great around aluminium/most of it's alloys. With steam Copper tubes can go brittle and may turn into dust too. Just takes a lot longer. Also if bits flake off inside tubes... Copper oxide is somewhat kinder to engine internals that aluminium oxide.
@@ThinkingandTinkering it might help raise money. DVDs or flash drives. Make them projects specific. Battery, solar, engine, ect. I understand that it takes away from projects but once it is set up it wouldn't be difficult to maintain. Any way I have binge watched a lot of your videos. Very interesting and going to try some of them.
I adore this channel. Mr. Murray-Smith is an absolute gentleman. Note how he indirectly touches on the concept of freedom by discussing matters which help us becoming as self-sufficient as possible when it comes to energy. His voice makes me still dream like a child, and now I have the resources to pursue some of these ideas. The water detonation engine is my favourite concept. When he spoke about detonating water like a thunder with a spark, he immediately reminded me of the work of Moray B. King. Thank you, kind sir, for helping us keep hope alive
I'm so excited for more of this. I had plans to build an affordable turbine steam generator but overcoming the load on the generator when charging batteries was going to be a challenge. I think this compressor type cylinder engine may be a simpler and cheaper solution. Thank you so much.
i'm interested in the idea of using solar reflectors to heat the water.
I'm also interested in this kind of idea. I came to the same conclusion... Turbines are very difficult to draw a load from, and gas engines/ compressors are available "off the shelf"
I am really excited about this conversion. I have only seen this done with the exhaust cam being modified by welding on a brazing rod to the round side of a cam then molding and filing that side to a "double" cam; with the modified side mirroring the original cam: from => to , like that. Given Robert's insight I can hardly wait to see how more intuitive and simple this can be.
Wait...concerning my comment above. Is this a 2 stroke or a 4 stroke engine? If it is 2 stroke then all that cam modification mess is null. I did not know about in-line 2 strokes! They don't let me out much.
1% of your scientific and engineering knowledge would make me a happy bunny. I started watching because I was interested in your indoor heaters and I'm getting there with my own take on a methanol one. Thank you so much for your down to earth videos 👌🏻
Wow, thank you!
@@ThinkingandTinkering wish I'd worked with someone like you Robert years ago! I'd of picked your brain all day. You'd make an excellent teacher! But I'd of been truent back then anyway lol. Cheers god bless 👍🏻
The heavy flywheel, plate head and base plate are great. Can't wait to see the remainder of the project.
I wonder if incorporating the carbon mesh in the intake can act as a separator for condensation
that's a nice idea mate - thanks for the tip
I’m excited to see how your engine works in the future.
I’ll be ordering a Diesel heater from Vevor.
I just scored 500 gallons of old Diesel!!!! Just need to wick the water out of Emulation…🤔
Score!🤜🤛
dewatering like biodiesel, skim off the top oil from a settled tank, heat it to boil off the water, and then use that cleaner oil, burn it to dewater the remaining oil, good luck!
wow - that is a score mate!!
Great video! 😀
A turbo-charger with a burn-barrel between compressor and turbine is multi-fuel capable and doesn't need water. Effiency probably can be increased by heating a jacketed pyrolisis reactor with the exhaust fumes of the turbine and use the syngas as fuel.
The electric efficiency of car alternators is below 70%. So I suggest to use 48V/50A BLDC motors with a rectifier or magneto-hydro-dynamic generators.
I've watched your video on 'How to become an Inventor ',trouble is I don't find the time,because I'm always watching your videos!
Perhaps you could recycle an old espresso machine to run that beast. Just popped into my head over my morning coffee. Love how your show gets my mind running in morning
I like that mate!
Good on yer Robert! One suggestion, lubrication. Steam tends to wipe the oil off the piston rings causing excessive wear. I'd put an in line oiler, such as is often used running air tools off an air compressor, feeding into in the steam in piping.
I hope you design a flash boiler (Inherently safe[er] than a fire tube or water tube boiler as there's only a fraction of a cup of water in it to explode into steam if anything goes wrong.) to run it.
that's a good tip! and I like flash steam too!
there's a potential problem with monotube (aka flash) boilers... the steam may get *very* hot... Like enough to make iron heads start glowing a little. At such temps steam has a fair bit of thermal dissosocation... And thus has somewhat of tendency to burn lubricating oil.
@@ThinkingandTinkering overheated steam is also better because you will lose heat to the motorblock, even with insulation wrapped around. If the steam condenses half the way into the stroke the volume and pressure drops a lot. Optimal point of condensation temp would be a few cm out the exhaust tube towards the tank with good old gravity helping the flow. Also need to prevent backflow through the exhaust pipe in a closed loop .. hm.
Talk about eagerly awaiting this one! Personally I like to opt for slide valves for simplicity, and they make me think of trains, in which case the opportunity to make a steam whistle incorporated into a pressure release valve is too good to pass up. 👌
I never got around to doing my '1 stroke' steam engine, but if I didn't have a recycle option for high pressure/low pressure pistons, I always wanted to try making an exhaust port at the bottom of the cylinder wall that was covered by the piston during the upstroke cycle. As said, I never got around to seeing if you could do it to fully evacuate the cylinder without affecting bore rigidity or lubrication, but if I ever get a spare engine with no hope of being petroleum-driven, I'd sure like to have a go!
you should mate - I was pondering a 2 stroke as a sleeve valve - but I think this is an easier conversion - still - I wouldn't mind giving it a go for sure
An alternative to exhaust port might be a bump valve opened when the cylinder gets near the bottom of it's stroke.
Exhaust ports supposed to play havock with lubrication of piston rings
This channel never ceases too amaze me, When’s the hover board prog going be 😂😊
lol - I am thinking about it - seriously!
Thank you ROBERT for sharing, waiting to see more progress in this project
cheers mate
This is brilliant! Have you created the next video in this series? Would love to see how you created the valve and what you used
Will be interesting to see how it runs, those steam lines look small for steam delivery. Bigger is better. I’ve seen miniature steam locos that are starved and they just don’t deliver their potential despite a boiler able to make steam to fill the cylinders. Good luck with the project, enjoying every video 😊
as a gasoline mechanic when i think an engine was flooded i pull the spark plugs and then rotate the crank shaft, then use the starter to pump the pistons, effectively all the water gets ejected. if you left the fittings removable or put some bolts in the top plate you could manually move the flywheels to push out the water before starting it. potentially you could leave the bolts out, apply the steam and work the flywheels to eject the water and warm the engine for use. then replace the bolts to get it running. this would be fairly easy to add if it becomes required later.
thank you mate - really good tip and a great share
Years ago an Australien University converted a Lister 2stroke Diesel to run on Steam. They had ballvalves on the head and a pin on the piston that pushed those steel balls up to let the steam flow in.
yep - we covered that in the valves video mate - it's called a bump valve
Interested to see what, if anything, you have planned for lubrication of the cylinder/piston/rings. Without it the cylinder/piston could erode away and/or seize, but with it I think you'll get oil coming out the exhaust valve. So any oil reservoir would need to be checked regularly and topped up, plus dealing with the milky greasy mess created by oil mixing with steam moisture.
just splash lubrication
@@ThinkingandTinkering Oh ok, thanks... I thought that at first, but then figured condensed moisture from the steam might mix with the oil in the sump. I guess we'll soon see, lol. I wish I could find a simple old book on constructing small steam engines... I'd love to find out if it would be practical recharging a motorhome battery bank using one around the size of a large suitcase. (Just stop in a park, throw in some dead sticks fallen from a tree, and recharge the battery bank with less noise than a petrol generator.)
Thing about valves, is no I don't own a lathe, and most important its going to wear and fail, but if its trivial to make I can have a spare. Last thought, want to collect the waste steam to condense in a bucket, as the trouble with steam engines is they need large amounts of pure clean distilled water. A commercial valve is attractive if its not to expensive to replace.
Brilliant looks professional can't wait to see the steam rollin out of it.
cheers mate
That is beautifully done! Nice wood mount too.
I just love a nice piece of wood mate!
Thank you, much. You keep me reaching for the remote one video to the next. I have always been biased against the reciprocating piston in spite of its obvious utility, especially so when applied to home power generation. All that flapping and cycling does nothing for longevity of the system and will ruin a good afternoon nap. How can you possibly brainstorm without that? Would you instead consider using a gear pump/motor or even a small gear pump/motor in line (series) with a larger one to capture a bit more efficiency?
Really glad you're filming your work. Thank you for that❤️
Glad you enjoy it!
Good to see that you're allowed to have that much fun.
lol - cheers mate
@@ThinkingandTinkering I'd hate to see the 2nd law of thermodynamics go out of style any more than it has already been headed lately. It's a gas-and-a-half.
Awesome video, I looked through your videos and didn’t see one on the valve setup, is that still a work in progress or did I miss it?
would love to see a homemade steam turbine turning a motor genorating power
Loving this concept. Thank you for posting
Cant wait to see this valve arrangement.
Fascinating. I was motivated to look up how to machine a taper too.
oh awesome - I have an adjustable cross slide on my lathe so it was pretty easy
I know you did the rubber based Stirling engine that vibrated. But did you do any Alpha or other style Stirling engines. Sure steam is strong and it has power and you can burn practically anything in the boiler. But for simplicity a stove with a Stirling attached is more my speed.
I have done other types of Stirlings mate and if the oppressor had separated cylinders it would have been my first choice but having the cylinders cast in the same body means getting the hot and cold away from each other is hard - I did think of sawing a gap between the two but that seemed a lot of work and may not have worked - if I come across a two cylinder compressor I will certainly make a Stirling from it
What do you think would be a fun thing to do with railway tie spikes
Is there still an update in the pipeline for this Robert? Thanks for the great content
Very cool Rob! Thanks for doing what you do ✌️
thank you for watching mate
yeah. so i bought the carbon felt. fair enough in size and dispatch time. but be aware.the felt is extremely loosely "packed" in itself. (i mean very lightly compressed -5mm). The containment packaging is wonderful; thick cardboard and lots of clingfilm (saran wrap)., but what the problem is is that the smaller felt fibres are free to float in air. yes the clingfilm attracts minute particles using static, handling the stuff does free up more particles. like i said, lightly compressed (compounded?). ' Handling and Airflow Influenced Density' is probably the best way to describe it. H.A.I.D. : wear breathing and eye protection is my advice.
you are not handling enough to be worrying about it mate. If you were using it all day everyday and amidst tons of it - sure wear protection - but the amount you have and the hour or so you will handle it - well you will be lucky if it makes you sneeze.
i suggest use steam oil a type of lubricant specifically for steam engines and locomotives well you can also make your own lubricant using tallow oil or graphite power and i also suggest to attach a generator maybe a single phase induction motor and maybe implement form one of your videos about induction motor generators without magnet for efficient performance overall the engine has no issue at all even lubrication because the connecting rods and crankshaft has built in oil channels
Dude once the prepping community get wind of this channel it's gonna skyrocket.
we can wish lol
the steam engine is coming along nicely. Any chance of an update on the magnetically displaced free piston Stirling engine coming soon? I've been trying to think how to easily attach the displacer to the retaining ring with springs but haven't come up with a sufficiently simple idea yet.
for sure mate - I am trying to make it into a flat panel - but I have quite a lot on - still it is on the list
@@ThinkingandTinkering hi robert i was wondering if you could show in more detail how you changed the stirling engine to make it more efficient and sensitive to heat thanks i understand ur very busy
Hi Robert did you end up sorting out valving and completing this conversion?
I am very sad this project never came to fruition! Seems no one on UA-cam has accomplished this either. I wonder if the valve was too difficult to design
You gotta suck!
Squeeze,
BANG!
And BLOW! 😲
Along with add fuel to the suck,. Spark to the squeeze,. So you can get the BANG!
And BLOW,
So you can do it again!
lol - 3 things need for ICE fuel compression spark
I like your Crunchie mug
lol - cheers mate
I SURE HOPE YOU'LL MAKE THAT A GENUINE STEAMPUNK ENGINE MR. SMITH! MAYBE RUN YOUR LAPTOP IN THE OFFICE
cheers mate
20mm aluminium plate takes a SERIOUS amount of cutting
why not just have an inlet port and drill a hole at bdc to act as an exhaust [ this would also mitigate the need for a water drain as well ?]
that would be a sleeve valve or a two stroke - I don't think it works with steam
I wish this man was my uncle.
I was just thinking using electric valves , is like using relays, they don't really last long getting actuated repeated like in that app, so I thought use 2, 3, or 4, per cylinder, use a controller, that can trigger one per rotation, then start with the first one, again, or build a electronic driver attachment, with a shift register, and MOSFETs, each time it's triggered it fires another valve, then starts over, fairly simple, this will have the valves lasting longer, possibly longer than if they were just replacements, since it allows time to cool between cycles, may only be 10% longer, but it's better than nothing, and if one fails, it will only develop a mis! Not a dead cylinder or a failure in a single cylinder, I have a couple lawnmower engines I'm thinking about converting, to build a steam generator, I'm thinking about using both intake and exhaust valves as exhaust, and use the spark plug hole as the intake, and possibly wrap the cylinder with copper tubing, as part of the exhaust, and insulate it, to keep it hot as possible, to keep the pressure up, cooling of the steam as it enters the cylinder can be a problem, if it cools excessively, I have thought about using a hydraulic cylinder as the piston, bolt the shaft to the piston, remove the rings, and replace the head with a sheet of rubber, to seal the old cylinder somewhat, so it can operate as a double acting cylinder, to perform much like a two cylinder boxer, without the balance advantage, especially if I can find a near 3" cylinder with a near 4" stroke, the engine only has a 2" +/- stroke, but I doubt I'll find a cylinder under 4" ,. I guess it could be cut and bolt a head on shortening it, however a much longer stroke would be better, I'd much rather build a engine with 3"-4" bore, with 6" to 8" stroke, it would probably peak at 1000 rpm or less, but the TQ would be much higher, especially if the steam flow can keep up with the cylinder displacement, all this could be machined with the proper tools, even a 2" bore with 4" stroke,. 2cylinder, double acting, so performance would be similar to a 4cylinder..
Maybe power the secondary of one cylinder , with the exhaust of a primary side of another cylinder, maybe design a valve system that does that, then gives it a shot of hot steam when it's about half down(or up the bore) to give a power boost, About the same time the exhaust valve is closing that is fed that cylinder,
Maybe a small Tesla turbine could compete with this style engine, build it with only . 010"-
.020" clearance between the disc, with 6, 6" disc, make it tight as possible, allow for expansion, or maybe a rotary vane motor, like used in pneumatic tools, using graphite bars or vanes to seal the rotor in the bore, a 6" rotor, about 1" wide, maybe seal the sides of the rotor with a nylon or ring possibly sealing against a graphite plate , making all this complicated, maybe just convert a mower engine, get a extra oil ring, widen the top ring land, and use a oil ring scraper to seal the gap in the top compression ring, possibly sand the sides of the rings with 2000 grit or higher sandpaper, to polish the sides, after going over then with 220 paper to get a cross hatch, it should look like a fresh built engine cylinder bore, the tiny scratches are to hold oil, preventing the rings from sticking, and possibly use a tiny round file to put a tiny groove in the ring lands to supply oil, only about . 002" the compression ring gap will supply oil also, with the extra oil rings in the compression rings, making the rings zero gap, with the oil rings in the middle, above the bottom ring, below the top ring, with gaps 180° from each other, there should be near zero water in the crankcase,
Sorry, I do RAMBLE don't I,. So sorry to get carried away,
But I have been planning this for a while, build a dc generator, steam powered,
Using a alternator, with a brushed motor controller to power the brushes/ field coil, to regulate the voltage output, I also been planning a feedback regulator to control the output, allowing 12v and 24v output , and possibly 60v for 48v systems, it may require a different diode in the 3phase rectifier, I hope it would do between 35 and 50 or 60 amps, at 24/29v. It may require more engine to do that much power, they are designed to spin 4 to 60 x the engine rpm, so 2k rpm idle, peak over 20krpm 😲 sorry again for rambling!
solenoids are used in car engines all the time mate - free valve comes to mind as do diesel injectors - so I don't think longevity will be much of an issue myself
Just use the piston to open the valve, through the sparkplug hole!
I was thinking, since you have the gear, to weld together a steel box, maybe with a bolt screwed in for access. Into which you could put various things and put them under tremendous pressure....
yeah I suppose I could - but why?
@@ThinkingandTinkering In the interests of alchemy maybe?
Greetings Mr Murray-Smith! I am very interested whether you have completed this steam engine. Are there any other videos coming about the completion of this project?
Hmmm.
Nooow.
If you were to use a single but triple sized large hole in the center for both in/out (each cylinder), and do the in/out separation outside with a t-junction you could put the engine upside down and during warmup/cooldown open both ports. (Edit: and get better flow/less pressure drop)
The condensed water, with gravity and maybe with the help of a bump towards the center hole of the new plate, could flow out back to the reservoir/pump.
Once the system heats up enough, close the exhaust valve and start pulsing it according to the piston position. Probably a bit before it reaches the highest volume/lowest point, so you dont start compressing the old cool steam.
Also you might want to use overheated steam at 1.2 to 2 bar system pressure so you get more energy during expansion before the steam turns back into liquid.
If its upside down any liquid will just leave with the "cold" and wet steam through the output valve.
For the demonstrator it might really be easiest to use magnetic valves (solenoid actors) so you can put a bit of distance via linkage between the hot steam and the coil/electronics. To start the electronics use a hand crank generator (or power bank), when its running a old style bicycle dynamo on the flywheel ;-)
And the you can simply move/clamp two magnets on the flywheel for variable timing and switch the valves via reed switch+mosfet. No arduino, just need to find a good position.
The arduino (i would use a siemens logo! RC12/24) could be used to optimize timing for steam temperature and control rpm tho...
If you bypass/remove the relais you can trigger the outputs up to 10Hz and it has high frequency inputs for the rpm and valve timing.
I am going to build a valveless steam engine the Winter.
As always, LOVE IT. Exciting build this one mate
cheers mate
On the valve in and valve out, could you use a diaphragm so the air comes in and goes out directionally. So valve 1, piston 1 brings in the air, Valve 2, piston 1 sends out the air to piston 2 valve 1 and then sent out through piston 2 valve 2 back to piston 1valve 1, Repeating the process?.
Are you suggesting a double expansion engine? That would require two chambers of increasing displacement to accommodate the expansion of the steam from one stage to the next. The Titanic had a triple expansion system.
@@thisoldminewithlars5324 I have no idea, it was a thought that came to mind while I was watching, I don't have any of the tools or equipment to even try for myself so made a suggestion. I suppose you could use a 3rd and use that for pressure?.
Now my brain is running. The Titanic used 215 psi at the input cylinder and still had nine psi after the third cylinder which was used to drive a turbine. The turbine drove the center of three propellers but only could turn in one direction. A multistage steam engine is very efficient. You are thinking in the right direction.
@@thisoldminewithlars5324 Really it was a thought. how marvellous it turns out not only was it used in the titanic you happened to reply on the same subject. maybe have 3 pistons and the 3rd piston is a lot heavier than the other 2 which would need more pressure but once that pressure was built up then who knows?
you are right a double expansion wouldn't work as we have the same displacement in each cylinder
Would a turbine used with air tools work with steam as well?
I built one out of a old lawn mower motor didn't have a real problem with water build up
good to know mate - cheers
id not bother with the plate on top just use the head and fill the sparkplug holes with chemicial metal and flatten it top drill the 4 holes reuse the head bolts,ive come up with a idea to reuse the gas from the outlets of a engine compress it down and blow it black into the head lower fuel use uses unburnt fuel in the compressed gas could mix it with methane or other gas as well
Maybe someone could summarize the video for me, because I spent the whole 6½ minutes with my eyes focused on the mug, praying that Robert would not crash it while moving all these metal and wooden parts around. 😀
lol - the death of many a mug mate lol !
Would it be worth to put insulation on the metal walls of the engine? or the efficiency increase would be negligible?
I imagine that there is an ideal operating temperature range for optimal efficiency.
I have seen cylinders insulated - usually with wood - but I suspect the increase in efficiency is pretty negligible
Is that compressor one with the cylinders 180° apart or are they at 90°? A steam engine is best for self starting if at 90°. Air compressors work best at 180°. Two ball valves per cylinder with the right pushrods would work if the pushrods operated off the top of the pistons. Valves could be enclosed in a cover sealed so you did not have to worry about sealing the pushrods.
180 mate - and nice idea on the valves - cheers
Hi, big fan of this channel. Could you please help me with something. I want to make an air compressor , or mor accurately , get steam , turn it into super heated steam and have it produce about 120 CFM at 8 bar. Could you point me in the right direction of choices you would make please.
A tenner says Rob will be using solenoids.
Was this 1 finished?
Did you ever finish this project
Years ago I replaced a timing belt on a fiat punto, required the engine set to middle dead center, a little unusual but approached it in a similar way using meat skewers, regarding the valve I'm wondering if a turbo boost control solenoid might work, they come in 3 and 4 port set up but only require a small voltage to operate, obviously they need to handle fairly harsh conditions working with charged air from a turbo but I'm unsure how they would fair with steam, compressed air no probs and can get them fairly cheap
oh hey - love that idea thanks for the tip mate
@@ThinkingandTinkering be handy if it can be used as can get them for next to nothing in a salvage yard
Awesome! 👏
cheers mate
Puedes replicar el generador del canal the crazy channel...????
El que fabrico con el alternador modificado con magnetos de neodimio....???
What kind of compressor are you using?
Love your work!
it's from Vevor - www.vevor.co.uk/air-compressors-c_10039/vevor-twin-cylinder-air-compressor-pump-suits-for-3hp-12cfm-industrial-1300-rpm-p_010403369304
@@ThinkingandTinkering thank you Robert.
I have seen people converting 2-stroke engines from weed eaters, etc. Pretty much the same thing.
My biggest concern about steam is safely producing it and not having to constantly monitor or adjust it.
Certainly you could use an electric steam generator and accomplish that. But that sort of defeats the purpose if the goal is to produce electricity from steam.
I'd like to burn wood waste and pellets as the energy source because my family has a farm and has plenty of wood waste to potentially use as energy. Wood that often gets burned in a pit anyways. Seems like a big waste.
steam does worry folks - I don't know why - they don't seem in the least bit worried by petrol and to my mind that is far more dangerous
@@ThinkingandTinkering it's the pressure of the boiler - which unattended is a serious issue. Pressure relief valves commonly stick also.
Maybe we could create a boiler-less steam generator similar to a tankless water heater. And a Tesla check valve so no mechanical parts to fail. Or a hybrid with a small tank that pre-heats but doesn't raise the temperature all tge way to a boil.
I spent time in a burn unit after my son got burned. He healed, but I witnessed some horrendous wounds and suffering children. Steam burns are indescribably bad.
Great project as usual. My one concern is the use of aluminum. My understanding is that aluminum can be eroded under certain conditions by steam. Years ago, I was playing around with very thin walled aluminum tubing, passing heated rubbing alcohol steam through it. Within seconds, the pipe seemed to disintegrate! I think it was the water vapor that did the damage. I switched to thin copper tubing. Anyway, I'm wondering if steam and aluminum is just a bad idea or is it that temperature and pressure play into this.
it's not the best for sure - but I may well run this on compressed air or steam I haven't really decided yet - maybe steam first and see how it goes and swap to compressed air if it is giving too much in the way of issues
I remember an article about 30 years ago in an Australian "Greenie" magazine, of an air cooled VW engine converted to steam. The engines have cast aluminum alloy cylinder heads and pistons, a magnesium alloy crankcase (and forged steel crankshaft & connecting rods). They said something about erosion and steam which required fitting sleeves into the cylinder bores. I may be remembering wrong but I think I recall the sleeves, or maybe it was the head they used, was made of titanium!?
If steam condenses... Tiny water droplets form. If the steam is flowing fast relative to solid parts those water droplets act akin to sandblasting.
The hotter steam is the more it dissociates into hydrogen, and oxygen. (that obsorbs extra heat without as much temperature rise). In effect behaves like it's a strong acid. Rairly great around aluminium/most of it's alloys.
With steam Copper tubes can go brittle and may turn into dust too. Just takes a lot longer.
Also if bits flake off inside tubes... Copper oxide is somewhat kinder to engine internals that aluminium oxide.
I bought some carbon felt 5mm thick off Amazon. It doesn't wick anything. So where did I go wrong??
I don't know because I don't know what felt you bought - but if it isn't wicking it isn't the right felt - maybe it has a coating?
Nice video, thanks :)
What is the valve timing, is it 1-2-3-4 or 1-4-3-2
its a 2 cylinder 🙃
to be honest mate I have to work that out yet lol
How much for the aluminium block? Looks expensive
uk £15
great content thanks
cheers mate
Do you have DVDs of your videos?
no sorry mate
@@ThinkingandTinkering it might help raise money. DVDs or flash drives. Make them projects specific. Battery, solar, engine, ect. I understand that it takes away from projects but once it is set up it wouldn't be difficult to maintain. Any way I have binge watched a lot of your videos. Very interesting and going to try some of them.
Great video
cheers mate
wo ist das update?
Stick with the ORIGINAL FLYWHEEL, its asking for a belt drive to an alternator.
Rob, I am in a country from where i can't subscribe to your other channel. And i want to see your prog on hho. Any solution?
maybe VPN?
Quality
👍
cheers mate
First, and thank you😊
awesome and cheers lol
👍🇮🇪
cheers mate
Hi Murry,could you not just 3D print an entire steam engine.with hi temp plastic....
yes - but you need a 3d printer to do it