Car Show

Steam automobiles

A steam car is a car that is powered by a steam engine. Gasoline and kerosene were used as fuel by the majority of manufacturers, but some crude vehicles did use solid fuels such as coal or coke. The fuel is burned in a firebox, which in automobiles, is generally directly under the boiler. The heat converts water into steam. When the water turns to steam, it tries to expand, but being encased within the boiler, a build up of pressure results. So, the boiler can be thought of a storer of energy. This stored energy, high pressure steam, is used to push a piston back and forth, which, through a linkage of a piston rod and a connecting rod, turns the crank shaft. This in turn is either directly coupled to the driving axle or is indirectly connected via a driveshaft to turn the wheels. No clutch or gearbox is necessary since full power is available even at very low RPMs. This also made high acceleration possible, especially on sportier models, that made steam cars outperform ICE cars.

The steam car was the first logical step in independent transport. Though not generally known, regular intercity bus service in steam driven busses was first founded in England in the 1830's. The horse interests quickly had legislation enacted to kill this new competing form of transport.

A steam engine is an external combustion engine (ECE - the fire is not in the engine), as opposed to an internal combustion engine (ICE - the fire is inside the engine). Gasoline-powered "ICE" cars are more efficient at about 25-28% efficiency. A steam engine car will work at only 5-8% efficiency without addons. With add-ons a steam engine may have efficiencies around 50%, well above ICE´s. A benefit of the ECE is that the fuel burns at atmospheric pressure so it does not produce carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide

Electric cars and steam-powered cars actually outsold gasoline powered cars in many states prior to the invention of the electric starter for gasoline-powered internal-combustion automobiles. Before the electric starter system from Delco was put into production by General Motors, internal combustion powered cars were started by a hand-crank, which was difficult and occasionally dangerous, as improper cranking could cause a backfire capable of breaking the arm of the operator.

The most well known and best selling steam-powered car was the Stanley Steamer produced from 1896 through 1924. It used a compact fire-tube boiler under the hood to power a simple, double-acting two-piston engine giving four power pushes per revolution of the engine. A normal diesel or gasoline engine has to have eight cylinders to produce four power strokes per revolution. With the smoothness of the steam power and because of its phenomenal torque at only one or two rpm's the steam car's engine was typically connected directly to the rear axle, because no clutch or transmission was needed. Through 1914, the Stanley vented its exhaust steam directly to the atmosphere and its water tank required frequent water re-fills. After 1914, all Stanleys employed a condenser, which improved their water efficiency considerably.

The world's land speed record was dramatically pushed up to 127 mph by a Stanley steam powered car, piloted by Fred Marriot on the sands of Ormond Beach, Florida in 1906. This annual week long "Speed Week" was the genesis of today's Daytona 500.

Early steam cars took a long time to start from cold, but once fully fired-up, could be instantly driven off all day long. Around 1914, Abner Doble and his brothers began producing, on a very small scale, more expensive, upscale steam-powered cars that incorporated a flash-steam generator, which heated a much smaller amount of water into steam as needed. This shortened the start-up time, and lessened the severity of any steam leak, due to the smaller volume of stored steam. By 1923, Abner Doble had developed new automatic boiler and burner controls which allowed his steam cars to be started from cold with the turn of a key and then be driven off in a matter of seconds at speeds up to 70 to 80 mph. The last Doble was produced in 1930. As a historical sideline, the burner and boiler controls developed by the Dobles changed the heating industry. Their systems are used now in almost every home heating boiler and most commercial boilers that burn oil.

As a result of the 1973 oil crisis SAAB in 1974 started a project headed by Dr. Ove Platell that made a steam powered prototype. It used an electronically-controlled 28-lb multi parallel circuit steam generator, 1 mm bore tubing and 16 gph firing rate intended to run an engine at 160 hp. It was about the same size as an ordinary car battery. To avoid long start-up time it used a system where compressed air was stored when the car was running. When starting the car ran on the compressed air until steam pressure built up. The engine used a conical rotary valve made from pure boron nitride. To conserve water is used a hermetically sealed water system.

A company called Enginion AG has since 1996 developed a system they called SteamCell. It makes steam almost instantly and with no open flame. It takes 30 seconds to reach maximum power from a cold start. Their third prototype, ZEE03, was fitted in a VW and a Skoda Fabia. It was a two-stroke displacing 1.0 liters, producing up to 500 N·m of torque. Emissions were far below the SULEV standard. Since the water was recirculated the engine used no oil as a lubricant, but instead used the steam as a lubricant. However, they found that the market was not ready for steam cars so they changed to make power generators based on the same technology.[1][2]

Electric cars had a short range, and could not be charged up on the road if the battery ran low. Gasoline-powered internal combustion automobiles with electric starters rapidly gained in popularity, while electric and steam-powered cars then fell by the wayside. The development of the Doble system with the automatic controls and super fast firing-up came after steam had lost its market share to the gas powered automobile, becoming an ancronism within the automobile world, albeit, a beautiful, powerful, and an absolutely silent one.

See also

• Electric Car

External link

• Hybrid-Vehicle.org: The Steamers

Home | Up | List of cars | Vehicle size class | Microcars | Hatchback | Sedan | Station wagon | Sportive cars | Cabriolet | Convertible | Four-wheel drive | Minivan | Brass Era car | Personal luxury car | Recreational vehicle | Vintage car | Full-size vehicles | Keicars | Hybrid vehicles | Luxury vehicles | Mid-size car | Pickup trucks | Prestige vehicles | Production Electric vehicles | 2 plus 2 | Air car | Compact SUV | Concept cars | Cyclecar | Leisure activity vehicle | Limousine | Personal luxury car | Pony car | Professional car | Safety car | Show car | Sport compact | Voiturette | Green vehicles | Off-road vehicles | Steam automobiles

Car Show, made by MultiMedia | Free content and software

This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.