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Step 2Main Components: The Steam Power Plant
The Steam Engine:
Jensen is the last American toy/model live steam engine company, they've been around for over 70 years. Jensen has been a great supporter of my work, including donating engines to my Steam Armatron project, just because they wanted me to do something cool with their products :)
Recently they took a big risk by producing a steam turbine, instead of the usual steam piston engines that's usually associated with live steam. The result was their impressive Model 95G turbine steam plant. I was able to get my hands on these steam turbines as stand alones, without having to purchase the entire plant. Jensen is currently not selling the turbine by themselves - you have to purchase the entire steam plant. However, seems like there is enough of a demand for it to make it worth their while... so if you are serious about this project, or other mobile turbine related projects, let me know! I am gathering a list together to show Jensen how much of a market is out there for stand alone turbines :)
Boiler
With the high demand of a turbine engine, you need a very powerful steam boiler. I use mainly Cheddar brand boilers for most of my RC Steam Contraptions. Cheddar flue boiler have lots of cross tubes and produces steam very quickly. They come with safety valve, pressure gauge, sight glass, wood plank insulation, pipes and fittings. Unfortunately Cheddar is no longer in business, they are now part of the Stuart Models, a super high end line of engines, and have not yet re-release the Cheddar line.
I get most of my Cheddars through ebay and trading with steam hobbyist friends. However there are other model steam boiler available, such as these, or these. Just make sure that you use a gas fired flue boiler, and not a toy pot boiler. Steam Turbines uses up a lot of steam very quickly, so the boiler needs to be able to produce and maintain around 20psi of pressure.
Burner & Fuel:
Cheddar boilers come with ceramic burners, and attachment for disposable gas tanks. These gas tanks are the ones used for camping stoves, and contain 70% butane, 30% propane. Do not use gas other than what the manufacture of the boiler recommends.
Jensen is the last American toy/model live steam engine company, they've been around for over 70 years. Jensen has been a great supporter of my work, including donating engines to my Steam Armatron project, just because they wanted me to do something cool with their products :)
Recently they took a big risk by producing a steam turbine, instead of the usual steam piston engines that's usually associated with live steam. The result was their impressive Model 95G turbine steam plant. I was able to get my hands on these steam turbines as stand alones, without having to purchase the entire plant. Jensen is currently not selling the turbine by themselves - you have to purchase the entire steam plant. However, seems like there is enough of a demand for it to make it worth their while... so if you are serious about this project, or other mobile turbine related projects, let me know! I am gathering a list together to show Jensen how much of a market is out there for stand alone turbines :)
Boiler
With the high demand of a turbine engine, you need a very powerful steam boiler. I use mainly Cheddar brand boilers for most of my RC Steam Contraptions. Cheddar flue boiler have lots of cross tubes and produces steam very quickly. They come with safety valve, pressure gauge, sight glass, wood plank insulation, pipes and fittings. Unfortunately Cheddar is no longer in business, they are now part of the Stuart Models, a super high end line of engines, and have not yet re-release the Cheddar line.
I get most of my Cheddars through ebay and trading with steam hobbyist friends. However there are other model steam boiler available, such as these, or these. Just make sure that you use a gas fired flue boiler, and not a toy pot boiler. Steam Turbines uses up a lot of steam very quickly, so the boiler needs to be able to produce and maintain around 20psi of pressure.
Burner & Fuel:
Cheddar boilers come with ceramic burners, and attachment for disposable gas tanks. These gas tanks are the ones used for camping stoves, and contain 70% butane, 30% propane. Do not use gas other than what the manufacture of the boiler recommends.
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Jul 31, 2011. 6:00 PMbayyagg
says:
Why not use a bunsen burner instead of propane w/ valve? much cheaper w/ alcohol as fuel.
Reply
Aug 3, 2011. 6:53 AMidlymr74
says:
maybe a penny stove might work, have not read full ible
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1
Dec 13, 2010. 5:16 PM[corosive]
says:
do you have to use the Jensen steam turbine? i don't really want to spend $636 or whatever they wanted for it, just to take off the turbine and waste the rest of it.
Reply
Sep 9, 2010. 2:59 PMThe Cloak
says:
Where did you buy the steam turbine you are using?
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