Does anyone have experience or know of vehicles fitted with the Light Steam Power 30hp engine?

Nearly two years later and an update on the engine.
Have a 30hp engine now mounted on a test rig so I can test it with a tractor dynamometer. Generator fired with wood pellet. Pressure 1500psi but temperature still a bit variable, should be fixed soon though.
The link is to a video of the engine running upto 1800 rpm. It will go over 3000 with no problem so I keep it loaded with a brake disc on the pto shaft.

[uk.youtube.com]


Brian

Undertook a dynamometer test on the B&B engine rig today at the local agricultural college.
Due to frost damage during transport, part of the water circuit didn't operate correctly causing temperature variation and pressure limitation to 800psi.

Fuel 35lbs of wood pellet with energy content of 7588 Btu/lb. With the aid of barbecue gell, it took 8 minutes from cold to fire upto 300psi and a further 8 minutes to 1500psi. Secret is to have just the right amount of water in the tubes.
1 hour at constant 1890rpm under variable load simulations,peak power 22bhp at 840psi.

All in all a sucess as far as this amateur is concerned, the engine shows a lot of potential for a light car, just got to get the generator under better control.I will keep boring you with my efforts because someday it may help the next person who unearths one of these engines.

All the best for the New Year
Brian



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 12/21/07 02:46PM by Brian McMorran.

Brian that's brilliant - do keep us posted - do you have a link to pictures of the boiler and burner for us to see? Is it going to fit in the Mini? Looks a bit big on the SACA forum pictures.

Mike



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 12/21/07 06:27PM by Mike Clark.

Mike

Thanks for the encouragement.
Pictures answer most questions at [www.flickr.com]
Videos at [www.youtube.com]
Now confident I can do an article for the magazine with some practical experience as opposed to theoretical.

The test unit does look big but the engine, pumps and condensor will be in the engine bay, with the generator in the boot. There is a picture on flickr showing the test generator fitted inside a Mini boot, however also working on a mk4 version that will be easier to service / repair.

Have to say that as an amateur the building of this test rig has been invalueable. Although I am missing out on the fun of driving around it has highlighted a number of minor problems that would have been difficult to resolve if the whole unit was fitted to a vehicle. Still at the stage where there are more problems than answers but the dyno test was a major confidence booster.
Latest problem has been frost protection both for water and fuel, yes wood pellet do freeze together stripping the teeth off the auger drive gear.

The rig has also created interest as a potential 'green' power pack to recharge electric vehicles, not so sure about that one!

Brian

Hi again

I have three of these small engines, one of which is being put into a vehicle at the present time, hopefully to be on the road later this year, slightly modified from the drawings, the reverse helix is machined the opposite hand so that the valve gear trys to pull into mid gear rather than into full gear when running.

Regards

Chris

We must stop meeting like this!

I know of only two other B&B engines, both marine applications.
I have one and three quarter engines. The three quarter engine was machined by the late Alex Ritchie, therefore the reason I chose a Mini for the project.
The complete one was purchased off ebay and is the basis of my test rig.
Still in two minds about the final drive. Dr. Moulton advised a simple reduction of between 2 - 3:1. I need at least two ratios for the hills around here but starting to think utilising the original Mini gearbox might be a better, if not efficient solution.

Couple more pictures of the dyno test posted at Flickr. Not exactly a professional demonstration but that's steam on a budget.

Brian

Hi Again

I was intersted to hear that you bought the complete engine, I was going to ask you how you had got on with the machining, it is a very dificult engine to build! which bits do you have missing for the second engine?
I will check my final drive ratio and let you know what it is.
My second complete engine has a cast iron crankcase and the initias FSB cast on the cover? I do not know what this stands for or why the cases are cast iron.

Chris

Hi

Chris Longrigg would agree with you,he machined most of his on a Myford Super 7.

Alex Ritchie's engine is complete up to the crosslide castings, but no counterweight. Have two sets of cylinders,one very early type badly machined, and one set of the latest sleeved type partially but well machined. All remaining parts I can machine from stock but not brave enough to attempt the cylinders and sleeves at this point.
That is why I bought the completed engine when it became available, the previous owner bought it from the Midlands Steam Centre many years ago.

From what is printed in SCD&SA and LSP I have deducted the following;
1) Crankcase was shorter at first but lengthened sometime after the WW2 to accomodate Roy Anderson's improved variable cutoff mechanism. Appears all the short castings were cast iron, early improved units were either iron or aluminium, then finally only aluminium.
2) As per drawing set, the cylinders went through three designs.
3) As per drawings, two types of valve mechanism, the variable one designed by Roy Anderson 1942. The LSP drawing set is certainly Roy's work. There was an earlier Bolsover set but have never seen one yet apart from the sections shown in SCD&SA.

There should have been a number of these engines out there but how many ever got completed, never mind fitted to a car, is anyones guess.
Jim Calder reckoned he saw Alex Ritchie with a completed engine for an Alvis conversion.
Smith and Peterson fitted one to a Volkswagen in USA.

I have a copy of the original 1937 Bower & Bell articles if you are interested.

Slightly obsessed

Brian

Yes I would be very interested in the bower and bell info, my second engine must be the early improved one as it is visualy the same as the ali one
My part made engine is all there, but the low pressure casting, although machined quite well, is not brilliant as it would appear that the port core has moved so they are not quite in the correct positions.
I too bought my first complete engine after deciding it was a less daunting task than the completion of the part made one.
I think there are either quite a lot of part made engines out there, where the task got too big, or quite a lot of failed engines due to the tollerances and complex design.