Elpenor's Uniflow Steam Engine

3.5" bore x 5" stroke uniflow steam engine (with poppet valves run off a vertical cam shaft) in the Steam Launch Elpenor.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• elpenor
• steam
• engine
• uniflow
• steamboat
• windermere
• 2006
• sba

[DAKOTA56777]

@gschjetne oops I added a "d" on my first "boil", ignore it please.

[DAKOTA56777]

@gschjetne "Steam engines run on either coal or oil" see that right their is what annoys me. Steam engines can run on any fuel hot enough to boild water. If you count steam turbines as steam engines then nuclear power plants, subs, and Navy vessels use the power of the atom to boil water to run a steam engine...

[gottlieb1899]

@gschjetne Oh really ? Can't boil water with a natural gas boiler ? You are an imbecile

[gschjetne]

@mariasman100 That's something I hadn't taken into consideration. A furnace only has to heat water, it can be optimised for minimum NOx and have NOx and sulfur scrubbers fitted.

[mariasman100]

@gschjetne, the emissions from a properly designed furnace are going to be far lower than an internal combustion engine that uses the same fuel. Sure, lots of fuels can be burned in Diesel engines. But some are not so efficient as others, and some will contribute to premature wear and high maintenance costs. All Diesels see high NOX and other nasty emissions without costly emissions controls. Diesels can't touch modern steam with respect to multi-fuel and clean emissions...

[gschjetne]

@mariasman100 Steam engines run on either coal or oil, and neither are cheap or have clean emissions. And modern low-speed Diesels can practically burn asphalt. The only clean fuel available today at realistic prices and quantities is natural gas, which Diesels run beautifully on.

Steam power is wonderful for the crew to work with, especially in that it almost never breaks down, but sadly it doesn't stand a chance.

[gschjetne]

@doughesson True, but even a diesel ship needs to keep its boilers running at all times, to keep both the the heavy fuel oil and the accommodation warm. But it's true, lower fuel consumption in port and at sea, that's what matters in this day and age.

[doughesson]

@gschjetne Diesels don't take as long to get underway.You don't start them up and have to wait for pressure to build and because you don't have that wait,you are using less fuel when leaving port. I still like steam plants,though.They can put out more power when needed by shutting down unneeded systems(hotel services,mostly) temporarily.

[mariasman100]

@gschjetne, I agree. Successfully applying a modern piston steam engine today means taking advantage of its inherent strengths. High thermal efficiency is not one of these, although it can be better than conventional spark ignition engines. The real advantages are its ability to use cheaper fuels, highest efficiency at part load, relatively quiet operation, clean emissions, and the fact that steam is a very efficient medium for transferring heat for cogeneration purposes.

[gschjetne]

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge advocate of steam power. In terms of durability, reliability, and in the case of turbines, labour intensiveness, steam plants are far superior to Diesel plants. But the constantly rising price of fuel means diesels are here to stay.

If your proposal for a steam engine capable of beating a diesel engine in thermal efficiency is feasible, you should have no problem presenting your ideas in a compelling, structured manner, and using the correct terminology.