Is anyone in a position to collaborate on a steam engine for electricity generation?

[user 6208]

The fluid is what I was refering to (R1234 is the latest and it's much more expensive). Also, I prefer to have both strokes of the piston producing.

As I had mentioned previously, I'm prefering to look backward in time and pick the best concepts/components from then. They did not have many of the luxuries we enjoy today which are considered commonplace. The Stanley Steamers' water tank was filled from horse troughs. Despite their usage as automotive boilers, there is no evidence of a boiler explosion (10K units produced). The "just-in-time" steam design leaked before it could explode. They were able to produce 20, 40, and 60 HP models using what I would consider small pistons. (High pressure (600PSI) and included a super-heat just prior to introduction into the engine.)

Also, I expect that the lunatic billionaires who have decided we'll shall comply with whatever they demand -- will make sure fossil fuels are non-existent. Alcohol's affinity to water is a turn-off in a high humidity environment.

I can perform many functions with burning wood besides steam generation. I have almost 100 acres available to me and I have owned a tree farm in the past.

To reiterate my requirements:
1) sustainable under the worst conditions
2) safe as possible
3) easy maintenance
4) reproducibility (in hard times)
5) cost
6) effectiveness

 

[NEONOBODY]

Do you also have a year round stream? Micro-hydro might be the way to go to charge an electric chainsaw and splitter to get at those trees if it gets bad enough you need a steam engine

I assume you already have a plan for that. Im just adding this for others reading this to remember that prepping in all areas requires a systems approach. Work on the details, but always consider the details in the big picture. In this instance, the trees may be there but some sort of energy source will be required to cut split and season the wood. Its like the people I met back just before Y2K. Many said they had a generator. When asked how much fuel they had stocked they were at a loss.

 

[DrHenley]

Do you also have a year round stream? Micro-hydro might be the way to go to charge an electric chainsaw and splitter to get at those trees if it gets bad enough you need a steam engine

I assume you already have a plan for that. Im just adding this for others reading this to remember that prepping in all areas requires a systems approach. Work on the details, but always consider the details in the big picture. In this instance, the trees may be there but some sort of energy source will be required to cut split and season the wood. Its like the people I met back just before Y2K. Many said they had a generator. When asked how much fuel they had stocked they were at a loss.

Artesian well for water but not really enough pressure for hydro (I did think about that)
Why would I need micro-hydro to charge my electric chainsaw when I have a steam powered generator?
Having hundreds of acres of oaks opens possibilities you haven't considered. Why should I cut down mature oaks when I have an inexhaustible supply of small oaks? We have too many small trees as it is, they need to be thinned out to let some light in to get some more ground cover for deer. Limbs and small trees dry out much faster anyhow, and can be carted off and stacked manually.

 

[user 6208]

Why would I need micro-hydro to charge my electric chainsaw when I have a steam powered generator?

Did you buy or build your steam generator?

 

[DrHenley]

Not yet.

 

[user 6208]

I've decided to build a reduced-size of my current boiler concept with an eye toward growing it.

The engine will be connected to nothing, but full-size using the back-to-back Chevy pistons. For the valve, I don't have a centerless-grinder, but I should be able to get a good enough fit using my lathe.

I mostly want to test the functionality of the one-way check valves. I'm hoping they can be utilized such that a final-stage super-heat can be applied before the engine. The Chevy sleeve and pistons will have no trouble handling much higher pressure than I'd like to have swelling in the boiler.