Page 41 – Gasification
The
UK Stirling boats are fuelled from gas cylinders.
We
have been using Propane gas. Butane does not supply as much
heat.
What
happens when the gas bottle is nearly empty?
Unfortunately,
the heat supply to the burner slowly fades.
And with it, the
engine power slowly fades.
“But
the regulator will regulate and compensate for falling pressure”.
The experience is that
it doesn’t.
As
the gas bottle empties, ice can form around the outside of the
bottle.
It
is a very clear indicator of the level of the liquid gas
inside.
The
colder the gas bottle becomes, the slower the liquid gas boils and
gasifies.
The
engine power just fades away – And this takes many minutes.
It is not quick.
The
solution is to circulate the engine cooling water over the metal
of the gas bottle.
This
prevents ice forming and keeps the gasification process
active
The
bonus is that we can now circulate chilled water around the engine
cooling circuit!
The
result is that the engine power is slightly enhanced rather than
fades slowly.
The
engine power is maintained right down to the gas bottle being
entirely empty.
It
then fails quite quickly. Seconds.
And
it is time to change the gas bottle.
You
do carry a second gas bottle?
It’s
not just Andrew Hall reporting this.
If
you listen to Peter Lynn’s description of his boat, he too
describes how the engine cooling water is circulated around the
gas bottle.
Look,
and listen, to the
video.
