the steamless steam engine

The Stirling engine generates a lot of heat that needs to be dispersed, not at all suitable in tropical regions unfortunately

 

The only "carbon neutral" fuel is pure hydrogen. All other fuels release CO2 to the atmostephere whether internal or extrnal combustion.

A conventional gasoline engine can be converted fairly easy to burn hydrogen gas (similar to converting to propane, you just have to regulate a gaseous fuel). You can also use the H2 to run a steam or sterling cycle engine, as well as a turbine.

Although the fuel weight per BTU of energy is low with hydrogen, the volume of the tank is very large if you store in gasious form, liquid hydrgen tanks are very heavy, and it must be under very high compression (and very dangerous, that is why you do not see much liquid H2 except in lab use). Or better, you have to use a hydride tank (a substance that absorbs hydrogen in large quantities, and it is released when you heat it). These are fairly compact, but ads some weight and cost. The hydrogen can also power the galley and heater as well.

Of course generating hydrogen takes energy, and if the power comes from conventional souses, you just release carbon somewhere else. However, if you set up some large solar panels to generate the power to separate H2 from water, than you would power your boat and put no CO2 in the air at all.

It might even be practical to cover all the horizontal surfaces on a boat with solar arrays, and always be generating hydrogen all the time. The only real problem with this is you might have to lay over for 5 to 7 days or more for each day of traveling. Or you can have a large propane "back-up" tank, and drive on both. Propane puts out some 20 to 30 percent less CO2 for the same power output as gasoline or diesel.

 

Petros, if you have a farm growing bamboo, then burn all the bamboo, then a lot of carbon is released into the atmosphere.
If you then grow the same amount of bamboo again, then that will capture the same amount of carbon from the atmosphere as was released. This I think is a good way to define "carbon neutral".
If you cut down and burn forest, causing the area to become a desert, then it is not so carbon neutral.

 

First point is, that you MUST get rid of ALL traces of lubricant, you otherwise destroy the boiler / piping in short time.
Next is, that gravity systems and mechanical filters let the condensate cool down quite much, due to the great surfaces and time of process required.
THAT is the high energy loss in general.

And it is not only carbon residue, the lubricants build up acids.

Landlubber,

there is hardly any difference, if I get rid of 10kW excess heat fron a IC engie or from a steam or stirling one.

Petros,

what did you like to tell us with the Hydrogen and Propane comment? Both not the best choice for a "green" steam engine, which is the topic.



Regards
Richard

 

Generate H2 without the use of conventional power and fuel, and than use the H2 to power steam engine, you do not put out any CO2. That was the point. You do not even transfer the C from ground (or plant source) to air with H2 fuel supply.

You would not use land to grow "replacement" plants or fuel, you do not consume fossil fuel, you only capture and recycle pure sun power by using water and sunlight to generate H2.

 

I have a closed loop electrical generation system. This was the discussion that started all the trouble on this thread I believe.

In a nut shell, a parabolic dish collects and concentrates sunlight onto a boiler. The resulting steam is feed to a Green Machine style engine, that is V belted to a generator. I was getting about 40 KWH (per day) as an average with 60 KWH as a high in the summer months, before disassemble and prep for upgrade, which I've yet to finish (bigger everything).

You can debate the carbon foot print of this device all you want, all I know is maintenance was reasonably light and I got a substantial cut in my "grid need". The new system I envision will be all but net neutral, possibly enough for them to owe me a check at the end of the year. I'm looking for a deal on a 20 KW generator currently and I'll need to build a 30 to 40 HP engine.

 

Something like this??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTvAL7ty53M&feature=channel

 

You mean I should have a big (a very big) bacteria or algae in a aquarium on the flybridge?

Or how do YOU produce H² without polluting CO² ??? Are PV panels made from cow ****?

 

Apex,

It is my understanding that the Sterling engine, by the very nature of its operation, generates more heat per Kw output than a combustion engine.

http://www.whispergen.com/content/library/whispergen.html

Is this not true?

 

...see also.

http://www.whispergen.com/main/technology/

 

...and again, same section.

http://www.whispergen.com/main/technology/

 

No, my setup is quite different WestVanHan and I don't have the loses that video seemed to show.

A Sterling engine is something I which I could use, but they have inherent flaws. If I lived in a geothermal active area, then the Sterling engine would be a wise and welcome option. I suppose I could concentrate the parabolic on the hot end of the engine, but there are other issues.

 

Par,

that sounds like an interesting contraption, do you have any pictures of it? We do not get enough sun up hear in the PNW, so solar power would only work for about 1/2 to 1/3 of the year.

V-belts have a lot of friction and I would not think you need that on this device, you might consider going to a cog belt, or even a bicycle chain to run the generator. Much less friction.

 

The electricity from the PV cells is used to separate H2O in to H2 and O2, either directly or by any number of other means, including ultrasonic cells. Than when you burn it you get the energy back out, and you have H2O exhaust. Energy in from the sun separates the H2O, power out from burning the H2 puts it back into H2O form. As long as the sun shins, you produce fuel. No C involved in the process.

 

Not even then, I fear! I had a hard time to get it working in Turkey!

That would require, no carbon footprint in producing the PV panels. But there is a massive amount of energy needed between the shovel of sand and your boat!

True John,

but we did not talk Sterling engines.

This is the machine we are talking about:

http://www.greensteamengine.com/

And of course the Rankine cycle.

Regards
Richard