# Where to get a good "modern" steam engine



## BillHoo (Mar 16, 2005)

I'm sure such a thing exists. Using todays modern engineering and manufacturing methods, there has got to be a clean burning and efficient steam engine out there.

Looking for something that can burn wood, coal, or corn to either power a vehicle or run a generator.

Has anyone seen one?


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## Beef11 (Feb 2, 2006)

make electricity out of waste wood on your property... I really like this concept.


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## OntarioMan (Feb 11, 2007)

The reason you don't see wood powered steam engines or any steam engines used on a small scale is because they are so expensive and so inefficient.


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## georgec (Jul 9, 2007)

If you have a source of cooling water, a steam engine can be much more efficient. The colder the coolant, the more efficient the engine. Even under ideal conditions you are still likely to have less than 30% efficiency. But, hey, if the fuel is free!


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## VonWolfen (May 24, 2004)

There used to be a guy named Mike Brown in Missouri who made home sized steam engines for alternative power and whatever your needs. There are a bunch of places to get good steam engines, but they are pricey. I have a friend here that is a steam engine kind of guy and I have spent some time with him playing around. The one thing that jumped out at me was the amount of wood (or whatever fuel) you go through to make these things work! It is truly amazing and it would take an enomous amount of of time to keep them producing....but, if you have the wear-with-all to run one, it is certainly feasible. They are dangerous and require constant monitoring....the boiler can be expensive if properly constructed.


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## Windy in Kansas (Jun 16, 2002)

When you write about a steam engine being efficient and clean burning you are really speaking about two different things. A steam engine is an external combustion engine which typically uses a boiler unit which is a separate but connected unit.

I'm not sure if any boilers and engines are assembled into one unit or not. 

When considering such units also remember that some states require licensing and yearly inspections of boilers to ensure their safety. Fees involved? I don't know but would want to before purchasing a unit.


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

For some people and businesses a co-gen plant will save money. A natural gas driven turbine for producing electricity coupled with a boiler fired by the exhaust from the turbine. You get both, electricity and steam from the same fuel.


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## mightybooboo (Feb 10, 2004)

pancho said:


> For some people and businesses a co-gen plant will save money. A natural gas driven turbine for producing electricity coupled with a boiler fired by the exhaust from the turbine. You get both, electricity and steam from the same fuel.


BIL worked at a paper manufacturer.They needed lots of hot water.So they did as Pancho mentioned and it was cost effective for them.


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## Guest (Jan 4, 2008)

Mike Brown steam engines

http://home.earthlink.net/~dlaw70/12stmng.htm

Also google monotube boilers. sposed to be safer


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## raymilosh (Jan 12, 2005)

I did some research on steam engines a while back. What stopped me was that to produce one horsepower for one hour requires turning 5 gallons of water into pressurized steam within an hour. When I think of how much energy it takes to run a pressure cooker at 15 psi for a half hour, then think of expanding that to producing 5 gal at some higher psi range seems like it would take a lot of inventing, building, time, money, materials and wood energy...so I let it go and went on with tinkering on the other ideas floating around in my head. 
That being said...I have seen working steam driven cars and motorcycles so it obviously can be done. I think my interests just lie elsewhere. 
ray


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## WisJim (Jan 14, 2004)

One thing to remember about steam cars is that they usually burned kerosene, gasoline, or fuel oil, not wood or coal. Not a good way to save fossil fuels.


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## paul (Sep 14, 2002)

I'm pretty sure if you want to turn wood into mechanical energy that making 'producer gas' (carbon monoxide) is more efficient. But, I don't know where to get modern information on that process either.


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## ed/IL (May 11, 2002)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfmY-kuhhpc[/ame] This guy makes a lot of steam with babington burner and used cooking oil that he gets for free. He has 30 some videos showing what and how he is doing it. There was a babington (steam) airplane a long time ago. There is a video about it.


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