Office of Steam Forum for Model & Toy Steam Gas & Hot Air Engines
The Regular Stuff: Chat, Buy, Sell, Off Topic, etc. => General Discussion - Model & Toy Steam Engines – Stirling Cycle – Flame Lickers – Small Antique Originals => Topic started by: Steamburns on April 27, 2025, 09:32:35 am
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Bonjour,
Stoker, I understand your explanations and completely agree with you that any increase in heating through an increase in surface area or slowing down the flow is positive ;)
About insulating the pipes, for fun, I have tested with a laser thermometer the heat on a head of boiler, result at 30 PSI (2 Bar) +/- 110°C and +/- 95°C on the machine, while my pipes are insulated with a 2.5 mm cotton rope + Teflon tape.
https://youtu.be/2jMrblKrktw
Palwchak, my experience with videos :
A literally frozen tank:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RPYHMExjdIo
Example of heated tank (not the most elegant ;D ):
https://youtu.be/HUPSUAG3J4g
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Regarding the problem of the gas tank getting cold and losing pressure...I wonder if a person could route the exhaust steam through a pipe wrapped around the gas tank a few times and extract some of the otherwise lost heat and put it to use? Like a heating tape wrapped around a water pipe?
Certainly, it's been done!
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Regarding the problem of the gas tank getting cold and losing pressure...I wonder if a person could route the exhaust steam through a pipe wrapped around the gas tank a few times and extract some of the otherwise lost heat and put it to use? Like a heating tape wrapped around a water pipe?
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The superheater piping is open back into the boiler as well, such that it will also increase the pressure there while drying out the steam in the line. It will also evaporate any condensate that is forming within that portion of the steam line. But the real reason I am suggesting putting a helix into the flue, is to slow down the passage of the heated air from the burner and allow more time for it to heat the flue walls and transfer more of its energy into the boiler to create more steam. Just figured if such a helix is to be made, why not make it with a double loop of the steam line to increase temp and energy to help it pass as a gas all the way to the engine through all those uninsulated steam pipes. Doing so would also add thermal mass within the flue, again increasing the retained heat from the burner that otherwise goes unimpeded, up the stack.
Note: I have recommended to Travis on several prior occasions, that he insulate his steam lines as the best way to improve efficiency, but he seems quite resistant to the idea, preferring to see the gleam of brass piping I suppose. Seeing as these steam plants spend far more time on static display than in operation, perhaps I can understand the visual appeal being somewhat greater than the engineering logic.
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Bonjour,
I would differentiate between steam generation and superheating.
In my opinion, if the initial heating surface is insufficient, what would superheating do other than dry out the steam, which would certainly give it some energy, which would then be quickly lost through all the uninsulated external pipes?
That said, I would be curious to see the effect of superheating on steam produced at around 40 PSI.
And still on a personal level, I appreciate wet steam for its lubricating qualities, which can compensate for insufficient machine oil.
Finally, like Timvrip, I find this steam system very nice and efficient. I have a soft spot for the D10V, and as the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good" ;)
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Just an off sort of a thought here Travis, but because this boiler has a straight single flue with no cross-pipes nor other interruptions that would slow the rising heat column, perhaps introducing some form of interrupter into the flue would allow for more heat transfer to the water. You cannot, of course, have actual blockage, but anything that would slow the exit of the rising heat might be of some assistance.
Things that come to mind include running a few loops/coils of superheater piping down the flue in such a manner as to produce a vortex as the heat is rising, thus increasing the dwell time of the rising heat within the flue. Perhaps annealing and then wrapping that piping around a properly sized old brace and bitt type auger drill and inserting the entire assembly into the flue such that you'd be inducing a restricted, swirling flow up the flue and adding more heating surface with the superheater piping too.
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It was still producing enough power to run the generator at 10-20 psi, so not a failure in my opinion. Very nice plant!
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Bonjour,
I don't know how to make steam without burning ;D
Besides this, the Stuart D10V is a very large consumer of steam and, personally, all those that I use are associated with large diameter horizontal boilers coupled with 250-300 g/h torch type burners.
It does use a lot of steam, but a 504 boiler keeps up with it. This is a larger boiler but does not. It just has poor surface area to heat the water.
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Bonjour,
I don't know how to make steam without burning ;D
Besides this, the Stuart D10V is a very large consumer of steam and, personally, all those that I use are associated with large diameter horizontal boilers coupled with 250-300 g/h torch type burners.
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Here’s a video of its total failure!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hV94p-6N2zM
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99% completion… probably about 35+ hours on this.
Getting that water pump right was a son of a gun, but kinda looks cool!
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3][attachimg=4][attachimg=5]
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Water feed pump installation & sight glass:
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3][attachimg=4]
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Updates:
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2][attachimg=3]
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Interesting boiler . Is it homemade ?
Someone made it, yes. Charlie gave me it a year ago.
It has a working pressure of 165, but that’s not needed.
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Interesting boiler . Is it homemade ?
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Slight update.
BIX burner, piping, and tank, set, before permanent mounting.
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]
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It looks good now - looking forward to see the enhanced redone version. Just out of curiosity where do you get your railing/fence system parts? Thanks.
Good ole’ PM research.
They have everything you need.
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It looks good now - looking forward to see the enhanced redone version. Just out of curiosity where do you get your railing/fence system parts? Thanks.
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I have begun another project, will have multiples going on.
I made a D10V plant a while back ago and didn’t like its design. I am redoing it using an upright boiler Charlie gave to me a year ago and finally found a use for it.
I used a piece of pine and stained it lightly then sealed it.
Same system with the oil trap. This boiler will have a BIX round burner with tank, which is being shipped.
I’ve also ordered stainless steel sheet cut to length and I have a Stuart hand feed water pump with water cup which will go onto this boiler as well.
It will have fence posts around the perimeter and potentially a PMR dynamo and a lamp.
Shipments will come this week and will continually build to this and update you with photos as they come along.
This boiler has a working pressure of 165psi stamped on its side, however I won’t be running it past 60-80psi.
[attachimg=1][attachimg=2]