a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Off topic posts are welcome in this forum!
No smear campaign, or you will be banned!

Moderator: Mike Everman

WebPilot
Posts: 3716
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:51 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: 41d 1' N 80d 22' W

a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by WebPilot » Mon Dec 27, 2004 12:48 am

Image

Give it a little time to download. It is a 632480 byte, animated gif.

Later,

-fde
Image

Mike Everman
Posts: 5007
Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2003 7:25 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: santa barbara, CA
Contact:

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mike Everman » Mon Dec 27, 2004 4:33 am

Forrest, you haven't ceased to amaze me yet!
Mike Often wrong, never unsure.
__________________________

hinote
Posts: 1241
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2003 1:54 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Central California

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by hinote » Mon Dec 27, 2004 5:17 am

Mike Everman wrote:Forrest, you haven't ceased to amaze me yet!
It's an aeolipile--the world's oldest steam engine, designed and built by Hero in ancient Greece.

A wonderfully elegant and simple engine.

Bill H.
Acoustic Propulsion Concepts

".......some day soon we'll be flying airplanes powered by pulsejets."

Mike Everman
Posts: 5007
Joined: Fri Oct 31, 2003 7:25 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: santa barbara, CA
Contact:

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mike Everman » Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:12 am

Hi Bill. I was trying to work "Hero" into a pun at the time, came up dry and gave up. Hey, I'm really looking forward to our day of fire and noise Thursday!
Mike Often wrong, never unsure.
__________________________

Mark
Posts: 10931
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:14 pm

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mark » Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:13 am

Mike Everman wrote:Forrest, you haven't ceased to amaze me yet!
Yes me too, that 100 BC technology is something. You can make a putt putt like one too. Use 1/8 inch copper tubing and cut the bottom of a Coke can for the boat, angle each exhaust properly and it wil spin floating on water with a candle below the tubing. Really, the water version is just a putt putt boat with the thrust vectored differently.
Mark
Presentation is Everything

steve
Posts: 1029
Joined: Sun Jun 06, 2004 12:29 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Clinton Conneticut / Melbourne Flordia
Contact:

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by steve » Mon Dec 27, 2004 6:37 pm

how did you attach it at the top so it would spin freely?
Image

WebPilot
Posts: 3716
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:51 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: 41d 1' N 80d 22' W

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by WebPilot » Mon Dec 27, 2004 10:45 pm

Nothing more than a straight pin through a drilled hole.

Later,

-fde
Image

Hank
Posts: 539
Joined: Fri Oct 10, 2003 4:34 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Florida, USA

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Hank » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:12 am

Hello- For a couple of years now I have been considering the impact of the burning of the Library of Alexandria in Egypt by the Romans as one of the events of history with the greatest negative impact. The works of Hero, along with upwards of one million other volumes were reduced to heat and ashe in the conquest.
No doubt in my mind there were other guys out there with the same bent for the natural sciences as Hero, unknown to us now.
Neat little engine, Forrest.
Hank

Mike Kirney
Posts: 517
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 11:11 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Round Lake Centre, Ontario, Canada

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mike Kirney » Tue Dec 28, 2004 1:21 am

Great looking aeolipile, Forrest. Thanks for the gif.
Trig IS fun.

Mark
Posts: 10931
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:14 pm

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mark » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:26 am

Another way to make one out of a can is to take an ice pick and stab your two holes. After the penetration, lean the ice pick over to one side, this will form a direction for the steam to follow. If you mount your can on bearings and a shaft, you can really get it zinging. I remember seeing "this" design my brother made a very long time ago. With a propane torch for heat, the can spins like mad.
Mark
Presentation is Everything

WebPilot
Posts: 3716
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2004 6:51 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: 41d 1' N 80d 22' W

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by WebPilot » Thu Dec 30, 2004 12:06 am

Hey,

Thanks.

The .gif was of relatively small file size which is why I posted it. My .avi's were relatively huge, 2 to 3MB. Unfortunately, I could only show a very small time interval.

I have a philosopy, "less is best".

For those of you who may be interested, here is a WinZipped .avi file (628KB) of the first 22 seconds of its operation. UnCompressed it is 702KB.

http://www.brads.net/forrestde/ForumPosts/MyHeroFP.zip

The little bugger can accelerate with only a simple bearing.

Later,

-fde
Image

mk
Posts: 1053
Joined: Mon Jan 19, 2004 8:38 pm
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: FRG

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by mk » Fri Dec 31, 2004 10:49 am

A picture to the steam jet turner (putt-putt turner) that Mark mentioned.

I made and fired the thing yesterday.
Attachments
steam_jet_turner.JPG
steam_jet_turner.JPG (220.66 KiB) Viewed 11679 times
mk

Bruno Ogorelec
Posts: 3542
Joined: Sat Oct 04, 2003 7:31 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Zagreb, Croatia

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Bruno Ogorelec » Fri Dec 31, 2004 3:12 pm

Years ago there was a rotary pulsejet very similar to the Hero steam turbine on teh Internet somewhere. I made a search today but couldn't find it anymore. If I remember it well, it had a central intake and tangential exhausts on the perimeter of a drum-shaped combustion chamber. I've always wondered at the efficiency of conversion of thrust to rotation in this manner. Reynst explored similar layouts but I can't remember his conclusions.

larry cottrill
Posts: 4140
Joined: Sun Oct 05, 2003 1:17 am
Antipspambot question: 0
Location: Mingo, Iowa USA
Contact:

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by larry cottrill » Fri Dec 31, 2004 4:49 pm

Bruno Ogorelec wrote:Years ago there was a rotary pulsejet very similar to the Hero steam turbine on teh Internet somewhere. I made a search today but couldn't find it anymore. If I remember it well, it had a central intake and tangential exhausts on the perimeter of a drum-shaped combustion chamber. I've always wondered at the efficiency of conversion of thrust to rotation in this manner. Reynst explored similar layouts but I can't remember his conclusions.
Bruno -

Welcome back!

Man, I have always wanted to try that - a double-exhaust center-fed rotary pulsejet! Truly "Heroic" if you can make it work! I think this would work wonderfully, and is a shoo-in for a valveless approach. And, it would make a wondrous sound, what with Doppler shifts and all.

L Cottrill

Mark
Posts: 10931
Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2003 10:14 pm

Re: a Simple Reaction Steam Engine

Post by Mark » Fri Dec 31, 2004 4:57 pm

I see a new poster on the horizon.
Mark
Presentation is Everything

Post Reply