Has anybody made a Lamont steam generator for about 250lbs/hr capacity?

If so could we hear details of coil lengths, sizes etc and volume of steam drum please. Also what kind of circulating pump is used and what type of high pressure pump seals?

Just a paper project at the moment but I need the lightest possible generator to make it work. I am a bit leary of the complications needed to make a small Doble type monotube work in a car hence am considering the Lamont which does not need the same instant response to changing steam demand. A Stanley boiler is completely out due to its weight.

Mike

Mike my good friend George Nutz designed a Lamont boiler ten years ago.
[www.stanleysteamers.com]

I have a few high out put Simple to build staged or Multi tube type flash boilers, Of fiarly modern design Writ me at foiselRichard@yahoo.com I will send you a set of drawings or stop by my facebook site and look in my photo albums. I think you will see how they work and why they will be lighter and stronger.



Edited 1 times. Last edit at 09/20/10 04:13PM by Fire-Drop_Technologies.

Here is one of them, The other I could not find, But can re-draw. If you like.
The forced air Coal fired one draw in my steam car patter is more like a locomotive boiler with a set of worm drive screws, one to feed it, the other clearing the ashes.

You also mite look in to hotsy Deisel and kerosine fired Preshure washer Replacement components, they sell some steam cases rated for upwards of 2300 psi. that are large volume and flow. and very reasonably priced.

[www.thomasnet.com]

Mike
The problem will be the pump. You need one small enough to do the job and still handle the pressure. Power consumption should be minimal.
The lip seals used in Rod’s pump drip some at 250 PSI. The lip seal is good for reciprocating motion more so then rotary and only rated for 600F at the most. PTFE.

I started a project of building a pump before getting involved in the EX project. Its been shelved for some time now. Maybe its time I get back to it. I designed a pump more for the learning curve then for a particular boiler size. I cast and tested my pump design, the housing hydro for 4000 PSI, good for a boiler running at 1000 PSI. It will pump a sixteen-foot head and maintain 9-PSI output regardless of the volume. The bearing are graphalloy. The PTFE seals will be water cooled with the feed water bypassing through the pump maintaining a tolerable temperature.
The pump as designed should handle an output of 750 lb/steam per hour.
See attached.
Rolly

And a Water Gage Activated Triplex or other cat type pump will not work? Because it seams to me for a feed pump that a metered out flow from the boiler either geared or chained in proper ratio to the boiler so the water in to steam out ratio remains at the right % by Temprature and pressure would be far easier and less expencive to build? At least such was the aproch taught me in my youth. Neat castings by the way. They closely resemble the case shape of my own turbine and pump asssembalys, the Metterd flow with round Viens on the central disk sealed to the housings was's is a pretty unique form of mechanical device. I wonder if I should persue it's further development in said direction? I do after all now own the concept at least for another 6 years, or longer upon renewal of notery. Any thoughts? Would the form of impeler I own be a better pump than engine or turbine?

Rolly thanks - that's a tidy looking pump.

Yes the circulating pump is the problem, otherwise the Lamont looks very attractive for a reasonably light weight unit. I need to keep the whole generator about the size of an 18inch by 14 inch Stanley boiler, with burner and smoke hood. I read George Nutz' papers on Lamont on the SACA site. It would be good to have an update from him as it was some years back.

The Lamont needs to circulate at 5 to 10 times water use rate which for my 250lbs/hr would be 1250 to 2500lbs or 150 to 300USG per hour which is about the same as a domestic water tap full on. The head to pump against is not too bad - just the pipe friction in the coils but as you say the seals have to live with the full generator pressure as well as the heat. I wonder how your by-pass water cooling affects the temperature of the water being pumped?

As an alternative without seals how about a magnetic drive pump. Snag is that magnets don't like heat but if you can keep the heat off them, neodymium magnets are unbelievably powerful and with ceramic bearings for the pump rotor inside perhaps this would work. Just have to keep your credit card away from the pump!

I have another Lamont question. Is there a rule of thumb about the ratio of Lamont drum capacity to Lamont coil capacity? Too small a drum might not give enough passage time for steam separation, likewise although a tall drum might help steam separation it would be more sensitive to over high water level.

Mike




Edited 1 times. Last edit at 09/23/10 06:37PM by Mike Clark.

I have another Lamont question. Is there a rule of thumb about the ratio of Lamont drum capacity to Lamont coil capacity?
Mike
The drum volume size I estimated four to six times the volume of the circulation coil plus the same volume for the steam separation space. And a very good separator at the draw off going to the superheater section. The feed pump should be capable of twice the expected demand, in my view.

I purpose to use a liquid level probe detection system out side the drum in its own column for on off control of the feed pump if I continue with this project. At this time I have no need for another boiler, but would enjoy the learning experience.

As it turns out a coil that surrounds the combustion chamber is more then enough for the coil size, in fact even with one tube diameter spacing using ¾ or 1 inch is more then enough. Forty feet would easily do 300 lb/hr.
1-1/2 cu/ft of combustion space is enough to burn six gal of oil. It will take more then forty feet of ¾ to surround it with a coil.

My pump will use invar-36 for the bearing and seal area. No expansion up to 600F. also an invar-36 pump shaft. I have no experience building magnetic drive couplings but I think it’s a very good approach.
Rolly