Wood-fired live steam madness

[bleggblogg]

I'm in the tentative test-the-waters-for-sharks-and-piranhas stage of building a live steam locomotive in 7/8ths scale. I have a Jensen No. 75 stationary steam engine that I want to use for most of the components. I've been experimenting with this engine to see if it can be fired on wood, or perhaps bits of those fake firelogs, and was wondering if anybody else had tried this or any other solid-fuel live steam project. Specifically, I'm wondering how to design the firebox. The boiler I have is a simple pot boiler, and I'm not quite sure how to proceed.

Any thoughts/ideas?

[kstrong]

Don't use pellet-stove pellets. They leave a thick residue that has to be scraped off. A friend and I tried them on a coal-fired K-27 once. Only once. The effect was cool. Lots of smoke and a very pleasant wood smell. The gunk on the boiler after only one steaming told us it was fun while it lasted.

Later,

K 

[two tone]

Can I put my penny worth in!!  Your main concern should be your boiler that is the bit that can course most problems IE pressure tests if it fails people can get hurt...      Take care

[bleggblogg]

You make an excellent point, and it is of course top of the list when it comes to building the engine. Fortunately, the Jensen company can supply any part of their engines, so the boiler I have is brand new and was factory tested. A step in the right direction, I think.

[JamesP]

In regards to pellet-stove pellets, they will work if the firebox is designed for them.  I have played with them in a 1.5" scale 4-4-0 equipped with grates for coal and got the same results that K had in the K-27.  However, if a pan is designed for the firebox that admits air over the fire as well as air from underneath, they will burn clean and efficiently.  The pellets apparently need some air from the bottom so that they have enough combustion to gasify, then need some clean air over the top of the fire for proper combustion of the gases.  With the proper amount of air above and below, they will burn pretty much without smoke or gunk.  It might be worth some experimentation...

 - James