A small monotube

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Qiset
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Joined: Mon Feb 17, 2020 11:22 am

A small monotube

Post by Qiset »

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?
“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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Location: Fresno, CA

Re: A small monotube

Post by Greg_Lewis »

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.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
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NP317
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Re: A small monotube

Post by NP317 »

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
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