What are the concerns/safety of an unfired >100C vessel

A special section just for steam engines and boilers, as without these you may as well fit a sail.
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PeteThePen1
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Re: What are the concerns/safety of an unfired >100C vessel

Post by PeteThePen1 » Fri Jun 01, 2018 3:43 pm

Hi

I have come rather late to this thread, but keeping in mind the idea of having a canoe as one's tender and also having it steam driven, it might be worth looking at the the SBA Register for Taniwha. This is powered by a gas fired coil boiler that meets SBA boiler regs and the total weight of the plant is apparently 12kg while the displacement is 80lbs.

Mike Robinson is a nice bloke and might easily allow his arm to be twisted for a copy of his boiler drawings.

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Pete
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Re: What are the concerns/safety of an unfired >100C vessel

Post by dhic001 » Fri Jun 15, 2018 7:00 am

Shhh,
Don't mention that kind of thing on here, the US boiler squad will be down on you like a ton of bricks, telling you that stainless tube can't be used and that we'll all die, because that's what some ASME reg says. Never mind that the tube probably has a burst rating of 5000 psi etc etc. A friend of mine has similar monotube boilers and the plant for his 15 ft boat weighted so little that the whole boat and plant could be carried around by two people easily. As the boiler is currently in my shed, I just weighed it and that one is 18kg, so it can be done. See [Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAe5SSQACpc [/Youtube] for some shots of the boat.

Daniel
PeteThePen1 wrote:Hi
it might be worth looking at the the SBA Register for Taniwha. This is powered by a gas fired coil boiler that meets SBA boiler regs
Regards

Pete
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Re: What are the concerns/safety of an unfired >100C vessel

Post by DetroiTug » Fri Jun 15, 2018 10:39 pm

Quote: "the US boiler squad will be down on you like a ton of bricks, telling you that stainless tube can't be used and that we'll all die, because that's what some ASME reg says. Never mind that the tube probably has a burst rating of 5000 psi etc etc."

The US ASME boiler regulations are based on known scientific principles and facts. It's a known scientific fact that Chlorides in untreated or non-distilled boiler water can attack stainless steel and cause pitting and eventual failure, it is also known that Stainless steel is far less malleable/more brittle than mild steel or copper, can work harden and fracture if not supported properly and may even with repeated thermal expansion/contraction. Many of the Steamboaters here on this forum are in the US and why the subject of the ASME comes up so often. The warnings about Stainless steel are due to the above reasons and also if someone lives in a state where boiler inspection is required, their new stainless steel boiler would not pass an inspection.


-Ron
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Re: What are the concerns/safety of an unfired >100C vessel

Post by fredrosse » Sat Jun 16, 2018 4:18 am

Quote: "the US boiler squad will be down on you like a ton of bricks, telling you that stainless tube can't be used and that we'll all die, because that's what some ASME reg says. Never mind that the tube probably has a burst rating of 5000 psi etc etc."

A bit over the top with the "we'll all die" drama. Ron is right, the ASME rules are indeed based on established technical facts, and the ASME Code is not there to spoil the fun of someone who thinks they know better, they make the rules to attempt to have safe boilers.

Yes, there have been stainless boilers that have not blown up, and there are stainless coil boilers that would probably have small consequences if a tube were to rupture, but that does not necessarily imply that stainless boilers are a good idea.
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