The Contraption's Steam Engine

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LeChatNoir

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Hello again, all!!

Despite my having not been active on the boards recently, I have not been just sitting around. Please find below some pics of the sum of the last few months evening work. This is an engine made using an old refrigeration compressor and a lot of head scratching, researching, and fun. It is an engine to power, as you may remember, an art vehicle called The Contraption that myself, and others, created for the Burning Man art festival in 2007. That year it was strictly human powered, via a railcar-type pump mechanism and flywheel. For 2008, I am adding a steam engine “upgrade” to the old girl and this is the power plant for her.

First I present you the pics (and a link at the bottom of this post to a video of its third test run on compressed air). After that I will post describing something I need advice on. Since this is my first engine, I’m hoping for some insight from all of you who are much more accustomed to working with steam than myself.

But first, without any more blather from me:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The compressor as it came to me, with one head removed for the initial inspection:

Engine01small.jpg





And this is how it looks as of yesterday morning:

2-26-2008014small.jpg




And a smaller detail shot:

2-26-2008017.jpg






And here's a link to the video of its successful run.





 
Wow!!! You did a great job! Can't wait to see a video of it in the contraption:eek:)

Wes
 
Thanks, Powder keg...

I appreciate that.

Now here's where I need some help from those more expierienced than myself:

I must first state that the intent of the entire Contraption project is to take things… antique agricultural implements, old truck parts… reappropriate them, and make them appear as if they were supposed to be doing their new job all along. Along the way the project has not only been allowed, but encouraged to take unexpected twists and turns due to interesting characteristics of the found parts and components.

So this compressor started out as a refrigeration unit that used the body and crankcase as a pressure vessel, mixing both the crankcase oil and the freon, because of this intent it has larger internal passages, not just drilled holes. I thought it would be marvelous to use these passages and designed the heads around them in order to make it appear as though it was made that way.

After getting it up and going, it hit me that I may well have problems with steam condensing inside these passages and becoming an issue for the engine. They are not just small holes, but more like larger (comparatively at least) hollow areas leading to and from the small passages into the heads. I’m worried about these passages acting as an expansion chamber, allowing the steam to loose some pressure and cool, especially when the engine is first started and is cold. These chambers should be at the pressure of the steam (80psi or so?) so I‘m not sure there will be enough of pressure drop to allow condensation. But… it happens in inline oilers. Surely this well happen in these larger open areas.

If this does become an issue, it will wouldn’t be much trouble at all to adapt the heads so that steam goes from the copper feed line straight into the piston chamber, thus bypassing this problem entirely. However, if I don't have to do this, it'd be grand to use every part of the compressor's original design to the fullest. But only if it isn't counter productive.

And one of you might even find an even better use for these internal chambers that I haven't perceived yet. Please feel free to give any thoughts and comments and I will do my very best to answer any questions clearly and thoroughly.

Edit To Add:

I should note that the crankcase has since been isolated from the steam/pressure side of things via pipe plugs in the access ports leading to it. It's just oil down there now.
 
Very ingenious using a compressor. Speaking of Burning Man art festival there is a guy that goes by the handle of "Steamer" (not the steamer on this forum, I don't think) that built an art car. Sounds like a very interesting place to be. Unfortunately I'd need to travel 3,000 miles to see it, since I'm on the right coast. Here's a link to his art car section: http://www.nmpproducts.com/artcar.htm

regards,
Bernd
 
There's gobs of terribly interesting vehicles out there, for certain. And you can think you’ve seen everything on the playa and then, when looking through someone else's photos, see some enormous creation that stands about 60' tall and wonder, "How did I miss that?"

And you're right, the drive is prohibitive... it's about 5000 miles round trip for me. But so far the positive impact on my day to day work is worth the effort alone, much less the fun I have in my off-work time from it.
 

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