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Author Topic: Interesting information here with this Paradox engine sale  (Read 2991 times)

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Interesting information here with this Paradox engine sale
« on: September 28, 2024, 08:45:57 am »
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335592940830?
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I have one that I have never run but I might give it a try one day (will need to make a gas producer for some coal gas though)

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Shouldn't you be able to simply run it from Butane or Propane instead of needing to "cook" coal to produce a gas?
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Here's one running:

https://youtu.be/GryagG9Fme0?si=FXPd9CQdNS7Phhsg

Comment from this Video:

@Sparky95
11 years ago
I applaud you for knowing most of the components of Illuminating gas (Coal gas, Town gas, Manufactured gas, Coking gas, etc.) but you are missing a crucial one that makes it "Illuminating Gas" that is ethylene and/or acetylene. A mix of around 50% hydrogen, 30% methane, 10% carbon monoxide, 5% ethylene, and 5% acetylene were found in good illuminating gas. This is what allowed it to be luminous without a mantle, and when the mantle came about, illuminating gas lost favor over natural gas.

@crazydoug66 ran his at Cool Springs:

Description from his video:

This is the Paradox Engine I bought Wednesday at the Coolsprings Engine Show.  I took it back to the show the next day, where there is a fellow with the right "town gas," a mixture of hydrogen and propane, not commonly found today, which this engine requires for running.  Although it didn't run yesterday, the same gentleman was able to show me where I had a plugged pipe, which I corrected last evening.   I returned again this morning, once again, for a chance to see my engine running.  This time, it fired right up, and I was told it was the best running one he had seen yet.  Since I don't know if I will be able to come up with this mixture of gases to run it again, I'll probably only get to run it once a year, when I take it to the Coolsprings Show!

https://youtu.be/h1-QDLYWbq4?si=IUW5GHbcEdGJD-Sn

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Here is a great video from Gil's YT Channel on a Paradox engine:

https://youtu.be/vWt0P_B8MxU?si=XyePQwI1pWJRJc8h

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Shouldn't you be able to simply run it from Butane or Propane instead of needing to "cook" coal to produce a gas?
The paradox engine requires hydrogen as it's main fuel, usually in the form of illuminating gas or street gas. Wayne Grenning has done lots of experimenting with various mixtures. Most hydrogen engines will run fine on 80/20 mixture of hydrogen and propane. Most can also run on pure hydrogen.

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Another engine Walnutts is doing well on ebay with

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Nick

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Another engine Walnutts is doing well on ebay with

(Attachment Link)

They seem to make it work!  Quite a business model.

I have bought a number of items from them. 

They are excellent packers and I have found them a pleasure to do business with.