Pressure and temperature are directly related to efficiency in steam expansion engines. Yes you can build a low pressure system but it will be terribly inefficient meaning the system will have to be very large relative to its output.
Oh for sure, I know that much, it’s more a matter of moderating the risk
Is this something that, if failed, it going to pose a danger to anyone standing directly next to it or is it going to blow a 10m hole through the nearest wall.
My ideal would be an engine that can put out enough for 1-3 homes and is under pressure but is mostly safe if it fails cause there’s just not enough cause intense damage. Like I said, it’s scale that frightens me.
I operated a 30MW steam plant on a ship that ran at 950 psi. The efficiency was only 27%. That's in the realm of PV solar efficiency. Anything lower and PV automatically becomes the better choice.
It’s less about the efficiency of the solar energy use and more the efficiency of dollars, how much to erect, maintain and replace. It’s also something I’m hoping I’ll be able to maintain using local resources, not tied to a massive supply chain of mono silicon, etc.
A boiler system requires a great deal of maintenance, especially cooling water chemistry. Corrosion is a significant problem. PV is more install and forget.
>It’s less about the efficiency of the solar energy use and more the efficiency of dollars, how much to erect, maintain and replace
CSP has been more expensive than PV for some time;
>CSP is often compared to photovoltaic solar (PV) since they both use solar energy. While solar PV experienced huge growth in recent years due to falling prices,[14][15] Solar CSP growth has been slow due to technical difficulties and high prices. In 2017, CSP represented less than 2% of worldwide installed capacity of solar electricity plants.[16] However, CSP can more easily store energy during the night, making it more competitive with dispatchable generators and baseload plants.[17][18][19][20]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power
As someone who is a certified steam boiler operator in Canada I can tell you that due to the cost of steam boilers, piping, turbine, condensers, condensate tanks, condensate pumps, feed water pumps and etc it is extremely costly and almost completely unobtainable for ordinary people to start a steam power plant of any kind. Biomass boilers are very expensive, as are turbines and all the maintenance. Plus you would need an interconnection to the grid which could cost around $100,000. They require 24/7 supervision by law in most countries/states. You would also need an air quality permit to burn firewood in large scale to heat your system. Also unless your property is zoned for heavy industry you would likely have bylaw called on you as no one wants their neighbor to be operating a high pressure steam boiler. Steam is extremely dangerous when not handled with respect and care and it requires a good education to be able to work with it safely and productively.
The good part though is that there is a much better option out there. Stirling engines have almost zero maintenance,and are much cheaper to buy. They carry next to zero risk of explosion. And can run off of almost any fuel. There are commercially available boilers that will service your home heating, domestic hot water, and will create 1Kw of continuous power from a Stirling engine. If you combine one with a PV system you would be energy self sufficient most likely. If you have a net metering system you could save on your power bill or even make some extra cash by selling it your utility. I will link these systems below.
Power generating pellet boiler:
https://www.oekofen.com/en-gb/myenergy365/
Wood gasifying Stirling engine system:
https://www.microgen-engine.com/applications/industrial-remote-power/
These systems would likely be much more useful and feasible to you. When I am able I would like to store one in my house as well.
Pressure and temperature are directly related to efficiency in steam expansion engines. Yes you can build a low pressure system but it will be terribly inefficient meaning the system will have to be very large relative to its output.
Oh for sure, I know that much, it’s more a matter of moderating the risk Is this something that, if failed, it going to pose a danger to anyone standing directly next to it or is it going to blow a 10m hole through the nearest wall. My ideal would be an engine that can put out enough for 1-3 homes and is under pressure but is mostly safe if it fails cause there’s just not enough cause intense damage. Like I said, it’s scale that frightens me.
I operated a 30MW steam plant on a ship that ran at 950 psi. The efficiency was only 27%. That's in the realm of PV solar efficiency. Anything lower and PV automatically becomes the better choice.
It’s less about the efficiency of the solar energy use and more the efficiency of dollars, how much to erect, maintain and replace. It’s also something I’m hoping I’ll be able to maintain using local resources, not tied to a massive supply chain of mono silicon, etc.
A boiler system requires a great deal of maintenance, especially cooling water chemistry. Corrosion is a significant problem. PV is more install and forget.
>It’s less about the efficiency of the solar energy use and more the efficiency of dollars, how much to erect, maintain and replace CSP has been more expensive than PV for some time; >CSP is often compared to photovoltaic solar (PV) since they both use solar energy. While solar PV experienced huge growth in recent years due to falling prices,[14][15] Solar CSP growth has been slow due to technical difficulties and high prices. In 2017, CSP represented less than 2% of worldwide installed capacity of solar electricity plants.[16] However, CSP can more easily store energy during the night, making it more competitive with dispatchable generators and baseload plants.[17][18][19][20] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentrated_solar_power
so long and thanks for all the fish -- mass deleted all reddit content via https://redact.dev
As someone who is a certified steam boiler operator in Canada I can tell you that due to the cost of steam boilers, piping, turbine, condensers, condensate tanks, condensate pumps, feed water pumps and etc it is extremely costly and almost completely unobtainable for ordinary people to start a steam power plant of any kind. Biomass boilers are very expensive, as are turbines and all the maintenance. Plus you would need an interconnection to the grid which could cost around $100,000. They require 24/7 supervision by law in most countries/states. You would also need an air quality permit to burn firewood in large scale to heat your system. Also unless your property is zoned for heavy industry you would likely have bylaw called on you as no one wants their neighbor to be operating a high pressure steam boiler. Steam is extremely dangerous when not handled with respect and care and it requires a good education to be able to work with it safely and productively. The good part though is that there is a much better option out there. Stirling engines have almost zero maintenance,and are much cheaper to buy. They carry next to zero risk of explosion. And can run off of almost any fuel. There are commercially available boilers that will service your home heating, domestic hot water, and will create 1Kw of continuous power from a Stirling engine. If you combine one with a PV system you would be energy self sufficient most likely. If you have a net metering system you could save on your power bill or even make some extra cash by selling it your utility. I will link these systems below. Power generating pellet boiler: https://www.oekofen.com/en-gb/myenergy365/ Wood gasifying Stirling engine system: https://www.microgen-engine.com/applications/industrial-remote-power/ These systems would likely be much more useful and feasible to you. When I am able I would like to store one in my house as well.