Besler Steam Plane

Very interesting. But I don't think it will catch on :D

You would definitely want to be in the back of that plane, as far away from the fire as possible... just in case.
 
You could run jet A, the fuel is a burner like your furnace, and just as safe. Modern flash boilers making on demand pressure reduce the size, increase safety and are ideal for aircraft where a slightly slower power changes are acceptable. Lose 100LL and we may see some very creative alternatives.
 
Not being a closed system, I wonder how long you could fly before having to add water? :mad3:

Could you imagine being able to back it into your hangar? From the cockpit? How cool is that :yesnod:
 
wpierce said:
Not being a closed system, I wonder how long you could fly before having to add water? :mad3:

:yesnod:
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Yes, and how much water would you have to carry. There goes your payload! The drawing shows a condenser below the wing, but the movies show a lot of exhaust steam, so it must use a lot of water. The other consideration is boiler maintaince. That's a major reason why Diesel locomotives beat out steam locomotives. Once through steam systems leave a lot of mineral in the boiler.
 
bsdunek said:
Yes, and how much water would you have to carry. There goes your payload! The drawing shows a condenser below the wing, but the movies show a lot of exhaust steam, so it must use a lot of water. The other consideration is boiler maintaince. That's a major reason why Diesel locomotives beat out steam locomotives. Once through steam systems leave a lot of mineral in the boiler.
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I think that was smoke ( exhaust) from the burner not the steam.
 
AdamZ said:
I think that was smoke ( exhaust) from the burner not the steam.
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I guess you could be right, it's hard to tell with old B&W film, but I sure thought it was very similar to the steam engine train (I love them, the smell, the rumble deep in my chest when they take off, the smell... oh wait I already said that -- I'm a big fan) as it prepares to leave from a stopped position and that is steam from the cylinders, not smoke.
 
nearly all modern steam engines ARE closed loop. In an aircraft the condenser will enjoy the cooler temps at altitude and the copious airflow is another advantage. you need only a small amount of water. The more you know about steam the better it looks. the main drawback is slow starttimes and freezing when not in use. Dave
 
bsdunek said:
Yes, and how much water would you have to carry. There goes your payload! The drawing shows a condenser below the wing, but the movies show a lot of exhaust steam, so it must use a lot of water. The other consideration is boiler maintaince. That's a major reason why Diesel locomotives beat out steam locomotives. Once through steam systems leave a lot of mineral in the boiler.
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Not to pile on, but boilers use deionized / deminerized water. While it does leave some residue over years of use, it's not what you would think.
 
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