SlowHands
04-01-2009, 07:22 AM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/uk-flag.jpg "The whole idea of test sessions is that we do discover faults and problems," (http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/british-steam-c.html)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/british_steam_car_sm.jpgby Tony Borroz - Wired Autopia – March 31, 2009
Steam power: not just for old choo-choo trains...this setup is a LOT different. -- Ed.
When you build a 3-ton car powered by steam, make sure your water filter works.
That's the lesson learned by British gearheads hoping to break a 103-year-old record for the fastest speed achieved by a steam-powered vehicle. The British Steam Car team was perplexed by a glitch that forced them to abort last week's test run. They've since determined the problem was a was flawed filter. That's not a big deal in your Brita pitcher, but it's enough to stop the whole shebang when you're talking steam power.
"We can now report that the problem was a water filter in the rig which has been letting impurities into the water system, the resulting buildup leading to a blockage," team spokeswoman Rebecca Nicholls said in an e-mail. "This is a problem we had not encountered before, and we're glad it arose at a test session now rather than later in the year before a record attempt in the USA."
The car didn't go anywhere during the March 24 run, but the team still considers the test a success.
"The whole idea of test sessions is that we do discover faults and problems," Nicholls said. "Remember, the British Steam Car project is a highly complex and innovative vehicle. We don't have the resources of, say, a Formula 1 team to do hours of computer simulations. And there's no Haynes manual entitled 'How to Build a Record-Breaking Steam Car.'"
Indeed.
Team steam hopes to hit 170 mph and comfortably eclipse the record Fred Marriott set in 1906 when he reached 127.659 mph behind the wheel of a Stanley Steamer Rocket. The British Steam Car uses liquefied petroleum gas and 12 microboilers to generate the 3 megawatts of heat needed to create a steam temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam drives a two-stage turbine that propels the car. The system can turn 10.5 gallons of water a minute into steam at 40 times atmospheric pressure..http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/british-steam-c.html
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/british_steam_car_sm.jpgby Tony Borroz - Wired Autopia – March 31, 2009
Steam power: not just for old choo-choo trains...this setup is a LOT different. -- Ed.
When you build a 3-ton car powered by steam, make sure your water filter works.
That's the lesson learned by British gearheads hoping to break a 103-year-old record for the fastest speed achieved by a steam-powered vehicle. The British Steam Car team was perplexed by a glitch that forced them to abort last week's test run. They've since determined the problem was a was flawed filter. That's not a big deal in your Brita pitcher, but it's enough to stop the whole shebang when you're talking steam power.
"We can now report that the problem was a water filter in the rig which has been letting impurities into the water system, the resulting buildup leading to a blockage," team spokeswoman Rebecca Nicholls said in an e-mail. "This is a problem we had not encountered before, and we're glad it arose at a test session now rather than later in the year before a record attempt in the USA."
The car didn't go anywhere during the March 24 run, but the team still considers the test a success.
"The whole idea of test sessions is that we do discover faults and problems," Nicholls said. "Remember, the British Steam Car project is a highly complex and innovative vehicle. We don't have the resources of, say, a Formula 1 team to do hours of computer simulations. And there's no Haynes manual entitled 'How to Build a Record-Breaking Steam Car.'"
Indeed.
Team steam hopes to hit 170 mph and comfortably eclipse the record Fred Marriott set in 1906 when he reached 127.659 mph behind the wheel of a Stanley Steamer Rocket. The British Steam Car uses liquefied petroleum gas and 12 microboilers to generate the 3 megawatts of heat needed to create a steam temperature of 750 degrees Fahrenheit. The steam drives a two-stage turbine that propels the car. The system can turn 10.5 gallons of water a minute into steam at 40 times atmospheric pressure..http://blog.wired.com/cars/2009/03/british-steam-c.html