Interesting article on the application of steam engines in autos and airplanes. No mention of using such engines in traction locomotives (steam electric) and whether there would be any efficiency gains over diesel electric, but we can add 2 + 2 and ponder…
http://www.energypulse.net/centers/article/article_display.cfm?a_id=935
“A 300 KW steam engine will measure approximately 280 mm x 400 mm (height x diameter) and has a displacement volume of only 0,25 liters.”
This I gotta see.
“Sorry im late for work, had to boil the water in my car” or variations of the theme
I am familiar with Stanley Steamers in history but I dont think cars today will work too well under steam. In fact if there is a collision what happens if the boiler should rupture. I for one rather burn to death than be steamed to death.
Ross Rowland - where you be?
He seems to be leaving out the most interesting of the details – the use of supercritical and ultrasupercritical ‘steam’ via injectors, the use of water-tolerant tribology for bearings, and steam-tolerant hard-coating technology among them.
He also seems either to ignore or misunderstand some of the issues regarding Rankine-cycle implementation in vehicles: where is the sensible and cost-effective “equilibrium” where fuel savings, engine effectiveness, capital cost, and equipment packaging intersect? When I start hearing “steam buffer” (meaning the amount of overcritical water in his ‘boiler’, I think) and “condenser buffer” (which in engineering terms could only mean an excess of subcooled water at condenser outlet compared to boiler feed-pump requirements) jazzed around without regard for the weight, I begin to wonder; I’m more interested in seeing where he puts an air condenser capable of sinking the exhaust from 300kW than how he builds the engine…
Some of the USC engines under development make a bit better sense, from safety perspectives as well – in these, the “steam” is kept as liquid at over 300atm or so (critical point is about 218atm) and injected only as needed (using a modified fuel injector). Some of the classical issues with steam engines, such as cutoff and admission-port throttling, are directly solved; note that the mass flow is low enough that vehicle air condensers have a fighting chance even in summer traffic.
Yes, they’ll work in locomotives, cheaper than most people think.
Glad you’re here, Overmod.