Steam Turbines " LOW TECH "?

Question

Is it possible to harness steam to power a Dynamo ? Nothing too high tech in terms of potential high maintenace costs.

Thanks for the answers so far.

in terms of budget, the cheaper the better.

I would initially be interested in small scale.

If you could advisde me on where to obtain plans or suggestions for the designs etc, that would be fantastic.

Answer 1

The problem you've got is that you need higher pressure steam and high speed rotation. Bearings tend to be fairly expensive, and are what would drive maintenance.

Cheapest available turbine I could think of would be a turbo out of a junkyard.

Basically, we need a lot more information on what kind of scale and budgent you're trying to work with before providing any useful information.

Answer 2

well most modern steam turbines are impulse turbines. work at a high pressure head and a low flow rate. a reaction turbine can be simpler like the old greek Aeolipile.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolipile
You'll need to calculate the specific speed of your turbine. based on you pressure head and flow rate. you should then be able to find a graph derived experimentally that will suggest the most efficient design for your specific speed.
but again if you just want your model to work and not bothered about the efficieny then go for the Aeolipile.

Answer 3

Yes it is,

Steam ships used steam not only for propulsion but to generate electricity. Dynamo were used to generate DC. Last real dynamo usage I am aware of would be ship board usage prior to 1920 or mid 1930's. After that DC generators and AC Generators replaced dynamos

Answer 4

That is what they are made for, driving steam turbines.
In the old days the same steam was then used in 3 Stage Steam engines before becoming condensate.

Answer 5

yes