Recent content by HMEL

Well for the fun of it am giving you my answer. Its a fun project and maybe challenging to build. But for accuracy its not going to tell you where you are. Need the larger arc to reduce error in reading and you can probably tell the accuracy by the separation in degree marks. The old navy...

I believe this compass is an artillery compass these units 64 are in mills. There are different mill scales in use dependent on the time in history and the military using the standard. You can with some training estimate range using those numbers. My old military compass has only degrees a...

Very interesting post. I have been researching this subject myself. I believe its possible to mechanically drive the pump but have had a very difficult time with the issue of fuel metering. The smaller the air flow the more difficult it seems to be. I like the idea of solenoid but have never...

It is experience based on calculations but a Babcock and Wilcox Steam its Generation and use has detailed chapters on how to calculate these numbers. The way it works is you choose the material and thickness and then based on temperature assumptions determine wall stresses it is a trial and...

Do not ignore the fact that wall temperatures subjected to heat transfer can be anywhere from 50 to 70 degrees higher then steam temperature.

Soft start systems generally are applied to three phase systems. They are also used with systems that can unload while starting. Not so sure it will help on a single phase system. When its all said and done the incremental cost of a larger generator is in the prime mover and that is where I...

I agree, good programs can indeed make gcode files. But shops usually have a good quality assurance program to make sure they work they way they are supposed to. Not so sure the rest of us have the resources and finely tuned programs at home to do that. Even simple parts can be a problem...

No, in simple terms the higher the Kv the more rpm and the more power the motor has. Has to do with the windings. With a generator you want the windings to be able to conduct the current the magnetic field will generate. Being of old school I hate when naming conventions conflict with...

There are several older text books that describe how to use a slide rule. It is based on logarithms and so when you move the slides you simply are adding the logs of numbers and are multiplying and dividing. A good rule will have several scales to use. The challenging part of using one is...

Of all the high temperature rotating equipment I have been around they all used metal for couplers. I think with your machining skills you could easily make one they are designed for expansion and will accept slight misalignment of the shafts. The only polymer ones used were on lower...

You might consider trying to locate the winding diagrams if possible. Would give you a head start. Ac motors require a method of starting in singe phase operation which can be either start windings or capacitors. You would get better performance if the windings were working together. A rotor...

I know of at least one commercial boiler made of stainless. It is still in operation. Went in to a facility that supplied starch product to a major brewery. However, you still have to maintain could water treatment same as all the other boilers in existence. It is however a costly material...

I looked at the burner configuration. There is no way it could not choke. Not enough clearance to the furnace top. Probably would work very well if the nozzles were turned 90 degrees toward the stack. I suspect if it was modified to be larger and placed in a short venturi the gases would act...

The simple answer is no. You would reduce the safety factor by over half. ( If there is one). Here is a simple explanation. The simple formula for calculating the stress in a cylinder not including other factors is wall stress S is equal to the Presure times the inside radius divided by the...

Ok, that definition makes sense but I have operated turbines where the throttle valves were split into as many as four sections so that the wheel actually saw a fairly high proportion of nozzles to the blades on the wheel. Never thought about the percentage. These valves worked together. You...