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alternative energy

Steam engines

pollinator

Posts: 2103

Location: Oakland, CA

posted 15 years ago

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The brave folks at Factor e Farm are focusing on steam power in some of their recent blog posts:

http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?s=steam

I thought you guys might be interested, because their intent is to make the technology and capital equipment needed for an ecovillage as accessible as possible. Particularly, they'd like to publish open-source plans for a steam-powered tractor, with inter-operable parts for a domestic heat/electricity/hot water co-generation plant.

A favorite quote:

just about anything has been tried with steam, and those who attempt to reinvent the steam engine find out that all of their brilliant ideas are already found in 100-year old patents after doing further research – in 99.9% of the cases.

"the qualities of these bacteria, like the heat of the sun, electricity, or the qualities of metals, are part of the storehouse of knowledge of all men. They are manifestations of the laws of nature, free to all men and reserved exclusively to none." SCOTUS, Funk Bros. Seed Co. v. Kale Inoculant Co.

Posts: 250

Location: Marrakai Northern Territory Australia

posted 15 years ago

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I have often wondered if a solar powered steam engine was feasable combine moden tech with old? but then how would it help night time or low sun days?

just a thought

Bird

Anyone who has never made a mistake
has never tried anything new
-ALBERT EINSTEIN-

Ray McIntyre

Posts: 12

Location: Deepest Darkest NZ

posted 15 years ago

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Steam engines are much more efficient than internal combustion engines and generally are simpler beasties.

Heaven forbid! …in the best prophetic tradition Jesus stood for the relief and protection of the poor and persecuted; for such uses of the riches of creation that the world might be freed from famine, poverty, and disaster…. Jesus knew that ‘love your enemies’ didn’t mean “don’t make any. William Sloane Coffin.

Posts: 278

Location: Iowa, border of regions 5 and 6

posted 15 years ago

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kiwimac wrote:
Steam engines are much more efficient than internal combustion engines and generally are simpler beasties.

They are also much, much, MUCH more dangerous. Anytime you get enough steam hot enough to do any useful work, you have steam at sufficient temperature and pressure to flash-cook the meat off your bones, if you're unlucky enough to be around a leak. They called the drivers of the steam locomotives "engineers" for a reason. All the knobs and meters in the cab of the engine were there so the engineer could keep all the pieces running smoothly -- not always an easy job. And these beasts can NEVER be left alone while running.

IOW, any solution you devise will NOT be a "plug-n'-play" solution that someone else with no experience can safely adapt to their needs.

Ray McIntyre

Posts: 12

Location: Deepest Darkest NZ

posted 15 years ago

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True ENOUGH but I would point out that the Steam powerplants devised for cars were / are much less dangerous than those used in Steam Trains or Traction Engines simply because of vessel size and the weight of the vehicle.

Posts: 44

Location: West Coast of Canada

posted 15 years ago

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There is a wonderful site that has animated diagrams of numerous different configurations of steam (and other) engines: http://www.animatedengines.com/

Wyatt Smith

Posts: 112

Location: Midwest zone 6

posted 15 years ago

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The Stirling Cycle offers an engine that could work off any heat source such as solar collectors or wood stoves. And it is safe (unlike pressurized steam).

Those interested in engines may like this idea.
http://www.brickleyengine.com/index.html

Posts: 114

Location: Nashville, Tennessee, USA

posted 15 years ago

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Steam is very useful for producing electricity from biomass/wood.

The dangers of steam are well understood and easy to control with presure release valves.

Wood burners are now available that are low emmission and econ friendly.

I really hope that soon we can buy a gen set off the shelf that simply creates electricity from biomass. This could also be used for head and hot water. The steam can be recondensed into water and put back through the system.

There are some things like this on the web but nothing really easy enough for me to build.

It is 100 year old technolgy that needs to be dusted off and redeployed.

We live in Nashville, Tennessee, USA
www.permavations.com

Max Kennedy

pollinator

Posts: 490

Location: Englehart, Ontario, Canada

posted 14 years ago

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Mangudai wrote:
The Stirling Cycle offers an engine that could work off any heat source such as solar collectors or wood stoves. And it is safe (unlike pressurized steam).

Unfortunately Stirlings are very difficult to design to produce any significant levels of power. They are also very expensive to build except in the micro horsepower size.

It can be done!

Note to self: don't get into a fist fight with a cactus. Command this tiny ad to do it:

All of the video from the Eat Your Dirt Summit

https://permies.com/t/106759/video-Eat-Dirt-Summit