Stuart Score - new burner working better

[jamespetts]

A week yesterday, I tried my new Maccsteam burner in my Stuart Score plant, and it all worked rather better than it had done before, although I still think that I need more steam to produce as much electricity as I need.

A video of the run is here.

Photographs:

The new firebox door:






Burner re-positioned:




Inside the firebox:






Engine running:

[paul]

Nice one James ;D

You ought to use a splint to light it though and put it on something to absorb all that oil!!

Is the engine designed to run at such high speeds? The similar full size engines I've seen have always been run at a much more leisurely pace...

[jamespetts]

Paul,

I'm glad that you like it! If that extra-long match was not broken, it would probably have been far easier to light, but, having broken it, I did not want to waste it.

The official Stuart figures show the engine producing 1/10th of a horsepower at 2,000rpm. I suspect that the engine is very inefficient at such high speeds, however, and would be more efficient at lower speeds with a load.

I now have the dynamo, the sprockets and the chain, which I am in the process of setting up: when the engine is loaded, it should run somewhat more slowly (given that the dynamo needs 4,100rpm to produce 12v, with the 1:10 gearing that I am planning, the engine should be able to deliver that at 410rpm, if it can sustain that speed at the necessary torque).

Hopefully, the boiler will produce a little more steam now that I have removed the kaowool that was blocking part of the burner, and when I have completed adding a firebox plate to the front of the firebox, too, to ensure that the only substantial amounts of air entering the firebox do so through the burner, increasing the temperature inside the firebox. I shall also look into ensuring that the timing on the engine is properly adjusted, as well as adding piston rings (if not already present) to ensure that the engine runs at maximum efficiency, in addition to completing the lagging of the pipes to reduce pressure losses in the pipework.

[jgb7573]

Hi James,
I'm looking forward to seeing this run 'in the flesh'. Glad to see you're making progress.
John