# Steam Turbine



## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

Anyone know where to get a smaller steam turbine that would run two homes?


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

KandCfamilyfarm said:


> Anyone know where to get a smaller steam turbine that would run two homes?


Run what aspect of a home, you want to drive a boiler for heat? Generator for electric?


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## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

Gary in ohio said:


> Run what aspect of a home, you want to drive a boiler for heat? Generator for electric?


I would say 10kwh each house but that's a over shot because we sized our home for solar three years back and under shot our peak usage and fryed a 6k aims inverter. The kiln I was thinking about is a 10x20 concrete kiln and I was going to run multiple water lines through it. one set of lines to heat the floor of my home. I know the kiln is a little big but we plan on doing a lot with it including firing our own firebrick. I have no problem finding a gen but to find a steam powered turbine that will run a gen seems to be a issue. I have researched the pelton wheel but it is more geared towards water and not steam.


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## Offgrid48 (Jul 28, 2016)

I considered using a steam engine to run a generator and using my wood gasifier to generate heat for the steam engine. The conclusion I came to after some research that this wasn't practical. Steam generators require monitoring and can be dangerous. I also purchased some plans to build one but found it really wouldn't power more than 1-5KW. Running a generator off of wood gas was a much more practical solution, wood gas generators are very safe, wood is abundant and I can run almost any standard engine with little modification. A wood gas generator can be used to run almost any size generator, even up to 25KW if needed.


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## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

It would make cents with energy loss every time you convert from one to the next and it would cut out one step. We do have a unlimited amount of deadwood here because of these giant black beatles.


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## ladytoysdream (Dec 13, 2008)

I have a family member whose job it is to monitor several big steam generators and they
require 24/7/365 monitoring and can be very dangerous.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

KandCfamilyfarm said:


> Anyone know where to get a smaller steam turbine that would run two homes?


I doubt steam turbines were ever that small. Steam turbines use a closed cycle for the steam and an open cycle for the cooling water to cool the steam after it flows through the turbine. Steam turbines operate at higher pressures up to 3,200 psi, IIRC. Steam engines generally ran up to 250 psi. Some with special construction ran higher. Keep in mind that steam engines boilers at 250 psi when operated improperly had catastrophic explosions. At least one traction engine exploded at a fair resulting in deaths.


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

They make steam turbines that run on 150 psi steam. the boiling point of water at 3200psi is ~ 700 degrees. You would be better off going with a gas turbine. They are a lot smaller one that fits on a motorcycle will generate between 200 and 400 hp. and will burn anything that burns LPG,NG,gas,diesel,kerosene,jet fuel,alcohol,woodgas,Hydrogen,methane.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

SpaceCadet12364 said:


> They make steam turbines that run on 150 psi steam. the boiling point of water at 3200psi is ~ 700 degrees. You would be better off going with a gas turbine. They are a lot smaller one that fits on a motorcycle will generate between 200 and 400 hp. and will burn anything that burns LPG,NG,gas,diesel,kerosene,jet fuel,alcohol,woodgas,Hydrogen,methane.


Steam turbine or steam engine?


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## SpaceCadet12364 (Apr 27, 2003)

Steam Turbine. Stem engine as low as 10 psi. look at toy trains.


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## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

SpaceCadet12364 said:


> They make steam turbines that run on 150 psi steam. the boiling point of water at 3200psi is ~ 700 degrees. You would be better off going with a gas turbine. They are a lot smaller one that fits on a motorcycle will generate between 200 and 400 hp. and will burn anything that burns LPG,NG,gas,diesel,kerosene,jet fuel,alcohol,woodgas,Hydrogen,methane.


Thank you I completely forgot water boils @ different atmospheric pressures. Think maybe I should change direction at this point. Does any know how difficult it would be to change a inline six from a jeep over to run on diesel, oil, gas basically anything? basicly a parts list. I figure to do this you would have to be able to adjust this like timing, valves, and swap out the plugs?


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Where are you finding small steam turbines. The ones I'm finding are designed to use waste energy in industrial


KandCfamilyfarm said:


> Thank you I completely forgot water boils @ different atmospheric pressures. Think maybe I should change direction at this point. Does any know how difficult it would be to change a inline six from a jeep over to run on diesel, oil, gas basically anything? basicly a parts list. I figure to do this you would have to be able to adjust this like timing, valves, and swap out the plugs?


It's the pressure that does the work in a steam turbine. Low pressure an't gittin it. Diesel engines work by compressing fuel to the point it self ignites. GM tried what you're proposing (modifying a gas engine to run on diesel) and failed over and over and over until they finally configured the engine to run on diesel and live long enough to get it out of dealer showrooms. It wasn't a good engine. Diesel engine blocks are much stronger than a gasoline engine of similar displacement due to the much higher compression ratios. Lister Petter diesels have been modified to run on natural gas along with other makers. The Lister natural gas short block is essentially the same as the diesel except for the pistons.

What you really need is the last gen design Chrysler combustion turbine that was never put into production. Updated with modern technology it would easily do what you want. Unfortunately due to the EPA that technology is probably a dead end in a car. There's at least one maker of a combustion turbine driven standby generator that may have an engine that would work. I doubt they'll sell the engine separately. That one runs on natural gas and possibly fuel oil.


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## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

Darren said:


> Where are you finding small steam turbines. The ones I'm finding are designed to use waste energy in industrial
> 
> 
> It's the pressure that does the work in a steam turbine. Low pressure an't gittin it. Diesel engines work by compressing fuel to the point it self ignites. GM tried what you're proposing (modifying a gas engine to run on diesel) and failed over and over and over until they finally configured the engine to run on diesel and live long enough to get it out of dealer showrooms. It wasn't a good engine. Diesel engine blocks are much stronger than a gasoline engine of similar displacement due to the much higher compression ratios. Lister Petter diesels have been modified to run on natural gas along with other makers. The Lister natural gas short block is essentially the same as the diesel except for the pistons.
> ...


(I think) Darren is talking about the once on Ebay small and brass looking it might run a alternator (I think) Don't hold to it!


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## KandCfamilyfarm (Nov 4, 2017)

It might work if you put a heating loop in a wood burning stoves, stove pipe recovering the heat lost out the top from there but with losses pumping water up a stove pipe or into a wood stove to feed a turbine of that size IDK. I mean you should be able to get about 960 watts from a alternator 12V @ 80A and if you have to rectify it say it comes off the alternator in wildcat then invert it from dc to ac your looking at loss of energy through heat loss at few different stages. I personally think I am going to change directions and head towards a inline six. inline motor is much more capable of generating the amount of energy I am looking for. I thank you all for your time!!


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

I looked into this guy long time ago makes and sells steam engines not sure if he still does.

http://www.mikebrownsolutions.com/


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