Hello Brett,
Welcome. We switched from steam to gas engines back in the late 1800s mainly because of equipment cost. Steam can be more energy efficient in some cases, but it seems that initial cost out weighed this in most people’s minds back then. As far as I can tell the same dynamics hold true today. This is from Gas Engines & Producer Gas Plants by Mathot 1905.
Rindert
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Hi all , i came across a lovely old steam generator on YouTube thought it might interest some people .
This is a long shot but if you can listen to the tune being played in this Video , i know i have heard this tune in a country style song but i cannot even get Shazam to find it , on the bottom of the video it does say original but i know i have heard this tune c’mon you country boys and gals help me out here .
Thanks Dave
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Dave I think that’s just a generic royalty free song. It doesn’t ring any bells for me.
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Thanks Cody , i could swear i heard it before its one of those buggy things that plays on your mind , well its stuck in my head for sure lol
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Steam is fun to watch but not very easy to build or fuel efficient. You can solve the “not very easy” part by making it a labor of love. You can’t really solve the efficiency part though!
DIY steam is going to be ~3-5% efficient in terms of shaft HP / watts out. Gasifiers into an ICE will be at least double that.
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