questions about steem engines

[drew1]

does anyone know if a diesel engine can be modified to run off steam ? who in the uk can do it ? .does any one run a steam engine to drive a turbine to produce electricity just now .do you know if any one sells a package that would do the job

[the tree]

does anyone know if a diesel engine can be modified to run off steam ?

No. An internal combustion engine works on the basis that it is the stuff that is burning which pushes the pistons.

 

does any one run a steam engine to drive a turbine to produce electricity just now

That'd be disastrously inefficient, but not difficult to make.

 

do you know if any one sells a package that would do the job

On what sort of scale? I'm sure you could just buy a stove kettle, a dynamo and a fan on more or less any high street - putting all that together might pose a challenge but that's all detail.

[drew1]

No. An internal combustion engine works on the basis that it is the stuff that is burning which pushes the pistons.

 

That'd be disastrously inefficient, but not difficult to make.

 

On what sort of scale? I'm sure you could just buy a stove kettle, a dynamo and a fan on more or less any high street - putting all that together might pose a challenge but that's all detail.

 

 

i have a timber bussiness with an almost unlimited supply of woodchips. and was looking at converting it to electricity. with the aid of a steam powered generator.

[InigoMontoya]

You absolutely could convert a diesel engine to run off steam. It really wouldn't even be THAT difficult to do given the right resources and a desire to do odd things just because you can...

 

1) Build a boiler/firebox/etc.

2) Replace the carb/intake system on the diesel with a simple high pressure intake that delivers dry steam from the boiler to the cylinder heads on the diesel.

3) Replace the cam shafts on the diesel to alter valve time such that you're no longer running a 4-cycle diesel cycle and are now running a 2-cycle steam cycle.

 

As for using the steam engine to drive a turbine to generate electricity.... Why? Just go get a turbine and drive it directly with steam.

Edited December 5, 2010 by InigoMontoya

[Dune]

i have a timber bussiness with an almost unlimited supply of woodchips. and was looking at converting it to electricity. with the aid of a steam powered generator.

 

I suggest you research wood gasification. Using readily available existing technology, you can run a diesel engine from wood gas. You can in fact buy a gassifier matched in output to the size of your existing diesel. Your diesel engine may need slight modification, but much simpler than the process you have described so far.

 

As an aside, the vast majority of electricity created world wide is generated by steam turbines, however, they must be run by licensed engineers. A wood gasification plant can be run by mechanics rather than engineers. Further, a gasification plant requires much less capital.

[CaptainPanic]

Just google for wood CHP (CHP = combined heat and power). You will find many suppliers for wood burning systems that generate both heat and electricity.

 

If I were you, I would talk to several suppliers and see what they have to offer... Also talk to some companies who already have an installation that you want, and ask them for a contact where you can buy a similar installation (and perhaps more information and experiences, if they're willing to share that).

 

You're not asking for rocket science. You're just looking for existing technology to make some electricity (and heat) from wood chips.

This is already available on the market on many different scales. You therefore don't need a science forum full of enthusiastic scientists and engineers. You need engineering advice from suppliers.

 

Don't design anything yourself. Just go with the existing stuff. Much easier and safer.

Edited December 20, 2010 by CaptainPanic

[John Cuthber]

Not that it matters, I suspect the OP wrote "turbine" where he meant "dynamo".

In any event, buying the system will almost certainly get a better result than trying to build one.

[Das Energy]

Hello Drew,

 

Sorry, I am not much help living in Australia. However I have converted internal combustion engines to run on Steam. In fact a petrol engine is better than diesel as the rings dont fit so tightly.

 

You will have to reset your valve cam so that intake opens on down stroke and exhaust opens on the up stroke.

 

Also the cylinder will need a ceramic sleeve as no oil lubricant is used. Being steam cleaned if it did.

 

I have posted my work on simple Steam turbine technology.

 

All made from Steam pipe only.

 

Good luck with things.

[Das Energy]

Replace the diesel injector with steam injector. Or for greater efficiency reset the cam so exhaust valve closes just before steam injection. Peter

 

does anyone know if a diesel engine can be modified to run off steam ? who in the uk can do it ? .does any one run a steam engine to drive a turbine to produce electricity just now .do you know if any one sells a package that would do the job