Barrett Steam Car Engine Runs on Steam

[rtdgreg]

Well spotted. What I didn't know at the time was that one of the inlet valves was leaking, creating back pressure before TDC. There is another source though - inlet valves open before TDC anyway. That's to allow reasonable dwell time for the steam inlet along with very early cut off. The decelleration before TDC is recovered in the expansion phase. But that means the starter motor has work to do on start up. Thanks for looking. Thanks for your comment.

[VRJensen1]

judging by the drag on the starter motor...I'm guessing there's some excess drag somewhere....piston friction?

[madmanmapper]

heres an idea, use a small steam turbine for a starter

[rtdgreg]

Any idea where I can get one?

[Polybun]

@rtdgreg yes, there are several options. First option, an old vane turbine from any old early 1900's steam traction engine or locomotive.

Second option, an air starter could be hardened a bit and made to operate, for brief periods on steam.

[felderup]

@rtdgreg air drive drill perhaps, with high temp seals?

[brainsells3000]

They make a air starter for semi trucks, I'm sure you could push steam threw that to start it. Electric doesn't make sense when you already have all that energy from the steam.

[rtdgreg]

The problem with that is an air starter is cold & the steam is hot. When the steam meets the air starter, the steam condenses.

Some say starter motor is the key step in the ascendancy of the internal explosion engine over the steam engine.

[Polybun]

@rtdgreg what makes you think condensation isn't in compressed air? I'm sure you ahve used enough air tools to know that water in air lines is just something that happens. The condensate isn't an issue, the heat in the first place is. I don't think the internals of those starters would stand the heat for very long. However, the plastic components could be replaced with metal ones. They aren't precision fit machines by any measure and the parts could be easily made on a mill.

[shakaama]

what if you did a solar -> eletric starter, and had coal powder compressed blocks as the fuel? and when you're done you simply dumb the coal blocks out, when they are done.

[MrDorfmann]

Gary Larson build that

[leonelkk]

jaja time machine

[Harrihoura]

is it timemachine?

[rtdgreg]

For the same reason that a single cylinder single acting steam engine is not self starting. For a steam engine to be self starting at least one inlet valve must be open no matter where the engine stops. Stephenson link mechanism provides for late inlet valve cut off for starting, reducing to early cut off for efficiency whilst running.

This engine is 2 cylinder single acting with fixed 5% cut off. So for 95% of the piston motion either steam can't get into the engine or it drives wrong way.

[heatherandpaul2]

Why does it need an electric starter If it runs on steam??