Steam Plant Design
Some of the steam plant design can be seen below.
All of the fabrication has been completed and the major components assembled. I am now waiting for a couple of belts and a pulley to complete the set up and check all alignment etc.
The Steam Plant
END
Basically I have all the bits I need for the steam plant. This drawing is a scheme and there will be quite a lot of work to be done once the hull is fabricated because I think it would be impractical to design every detail on a 2D drawing package.
The original condenser was too large for the work that this engine will ever do in a 60' narrowboat and besides it was stolen in a raid on my lock-up so a new one had to be made. This was a pretty simple job comprising of some 22mm copper pipe and an old Calor gas bottle. I will sort out some pictures soon.
The original (now stolen) condenser along with the prop (31"dia x 48"pitch), foot feed pump and many other bits and pieces including the boiler came from Monarch when she was converted back to diesel.
The engine base plate with crank, boiler feed and circulating pumps have been secured to the chassis. This also acts as a sump to catch all the drips of waste oil and water that will be produced by all three of these pieces of machinery. There is no drain in the sump because it will be too close to the floor to get any worth while container beneath it to collect the waste so a brass hand pump will be fitted to draw the sump waste up to a metal pan. I hope to be able to use this waste by placing the pan on top of the boiler to boil off the water leaving the oil which I will use to light the fire.
The chain that can be seen connecting the fly wheel to a sprocket and shaft will eventually drive the vacuum pump however this will not be attached to the chassis but on a bracket jutting out of the side of the hull just beneath the condenser
All in all I am pleased that it is assembling as per the the drawing without any modifications so far.
These pictures show the double adjuster that tensions the circulating pump belts and the vacuum pump chain. Each adjustment only requires the loosening of one nut. This is the first test assembly of these parts, on the finished assembly, the correct sized belts will be fitted and the adjusting bar holding the arm in place will be shortened.
The "Steam Plant" is the name commonly given to all the bits needed to turn the prop. As with a modern car engine, its not just the pistons, there are also other bits and pieces like the water and oil pumps etc. This is much the same as the steam plant in a boat, the engine is really just the pistons bit but other mechanical components are also needed depending on what type of steam plant you choose or need.
Hasty will have what is called a Condensing engine which basically means instead of blasting it's exhaust steam up the chimney, it turns it back into water and reuses it but this requires three essential components to be added to the steam plant, the condenser, circulating pump and vacuum or air pump.
22nd July 2011
The Engine being loaded into the hull
Here's the engine in it's stripped down form ready to be lifted in.
Followed by the second heaviest lump, the Lister H4 circulating pump.
Both the engine and pump can be seen in their working locations in the last picture.