I'm planning to make a small monotube boiler to drive a Tesla turbine. The turbine is about 6 inches in diameter.
What I have in mind is a 2-inch by 6-inch inner tube with a 3-inch outer tube. I may decide to make it 8 inches long too.
I'm trying to determine what diameter tube to use. My first thought was to use 6mm tube but that makes the i.d. pretty small.
Any advice?
A small monotube
A small monotube
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche
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- Greg_Lewis
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Re: A small monotube
Are you planning on the turbine to do real work? Is this a turbine you have made or a commercial item?
My first reaction is that a 6-inch diameter turbine will require orders of magnitude more steam than you'll get out of a boiler that is only 8 inches long and 3 inches in diameter. I think you need to do some math to figure out the steam consumption of the turbine and then figure the steam output of a given boiler.
My first reaction is that a 6-inch diameter turbine will require orders of magnitude more steam than you'll get out of a boiler that is only 8 inches long and 3 inches in diameter. I think you need to do some math to figure out the steam consumption of the turbine and then figure the steam output of a given boiler.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Re: A small monotube
If this Tesla Turbine is the one from the "Steam and Stirling" book, it will require a fair amount of steam.
One of my students built that one and the boiler was at least twice the size you suggested.
The turbine was driving a small generator to produce a measurable output. Part of an engineering project.
RussN
One of my students built that one and the boiler was at least twice the size you suggested.
The turbine was driving a small generator to produce a measurable output. Part of an engineering project.
RussN