Exhaust oil/water separator for a steam engine.

[Tony Bird]

Hi,

Using an oil/water separator on a model steam engine's exhaust system much reduces the oily deposits on the model, and when used on a model boat also reduces water contamination.

In its simplest form an oil separator can consist of a cylinder with a stack on it. The exhaust is fed into a pipe which nearly reaches across the cylinder. The contaminated exhaust steam exits the pipe and hits the wall of the cylinder; the oil/water going downwards and the steam up. A drainage system on the cylinder can be fitted but I prefer to use a syringe to syphon the oil water mix out it is less messy.



If the boiler has a fairly high chimney which doesn't handle the exhaust gasses from a burner it too can be used as an oil/water separator. The bottom of the chimney is sealed and the exhaust from the steam engine is fed by a pipe into the chimney and exits the pipe to its side about half way up. A drain pipe is fitted at the base of the chimney from where the waste oil/water can be collected.






The boiler being used is for use on a model steam boat and can be fuelled by either by a ceramic gas burner or Sterno in a tray.



A video I hope which shows for a very short time the oil/water separator working.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=utqXWfS4DaY

Regards Tony.

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi,

A better video of a newly made chimney separator at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gai520kRyw4

Regards Tony.

 

[MRLipsky]

Thank you for such a great piece of information Tony.

 

[10K Pete]

Tony, is this primarily a 'condensation' or an 'impact' type separator?

Pete

 

[Tony Bird]

Hi Pete,

Is this primarily a 'condensation' or an 'impact' type separator?

I am sorry I don't know the difference. It works; I think; because the steam/water/oil mix hits the inside of the cylinder where the steam travels upwards the oil sticks and the water drops.

Regards Tony.

 

[gus]

Hi Tony,

Gus need a fix very badly. Got to back to building slide valve engines which are very forgiving than I.C. Engines.
Very beautiful/impressive steam engines. Reminds me of the old days when we had Steam Sawmill,Coconut Oil Mills and Rubber Mills in our neighbourhood in the 40s-----60s. My nanny and mum hated the soot blown over and messed up our laundry in the yard.

 

[10K Pete]

Hi Pete,

Is this primarily a 'condensation' or an 'impact' type separator?

I am sorry I don't know the difference. It works; I think; because the steam/water/oil mix hits the inside of the cylinder where the steam travels upwards the oil sticks and the water drops.

Regards Tony.

Thinking about it, and watching it work in your big wheel engine set-up,
it is probably not a true impact type as the steam velocity is way too
slow. But it still sorta works the same way in that when the steam hits
the relatively cool wall of the cylinder it does as you say; sticks and runs
down.

I like it!!!

Pete

 

[Blogwitch]

After making many such oil/water traps, I have found that by angleing the inlet nozzle downwards to a position where the steam starts to run around and down the wall in a cyclone effect, you will get much more efficient separation.

John

 

[10K Pete]

Makes perfect sense, oil being denser than steam, that a cyclonic action
would improve separation! Excellent!

Pete

 

[Blogwitch]

The other way is to take the tube to the very bottom (offset fitted into the top plate) and 'bubble" the steam through the condensate.

This was an idea used about 30 to 40 years ago, where you used a sealed tank, then you emptied it by sucking the residue out of the centre pipe (which also went to the bottom of the tank) when water started to gush out of the exhaust pipe (sticking out of the side) which went overboard.

The black one is the one I am on about.

Hope this explains a few things.


John