JESP steam turbine / electric engine.

[JottoT]

Hello everyone!

I'd just like to update you all on the progress of the JESP (Just Enough Steam Power) steam engine.

The JESP is currently in development, and we're fund raising on Indiegogo for the proof of concept JESP Micro.

I have the intention of using the JESP Power (a reasonable sized, not quite portable) steam turbine engine, supporting almost any sort of fuel, in my boat I have up North (when I eventually get things sorted with it). I also will be using the JESP Portable as a basis for a bicycle power plant once that's developed too.

I'm currently looking to answer any questions you have about the JESP, or anything else on Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/2buftl/we_are_a_team_working_on_a_new_design_of/

or on here, if you'd prefer.

Thanks!

 

[sarabande]

I sympathise with your view that research should be scaleable, but are you really only focussing on something like 350W output from the turbine ?


I think you need to explain how you are going to utilise "waste" heat from a marine engine more clearly and with some figures, otherwise the JESP is no more than an interesting educational project.

 

[JottoT]

The 350W is for the JESP Portable, which will be used for a bicycle.

As for a marine engine, it wouldn't be using the JESP+ICE (the one that uses waste heat from an internal combustion engine), I would be using a fuelled steam turbine engine, so using heat from a dedicated flame. This would either be geared to the propeller, or used to power an electric motor (for more control, at the expense of efficiency), depending on the power output.

 

[PCUK]

Will your engine have vastly more thermal efficiency than the 10% (if you're lucky) of normal steam engines?

 

[JottoT]

From my rough estimates (not got my notebook on my right now), it should be at least 20% (that's the minimum we're aiming for in practice, then work up from there), given that it will be using turbine power instead of piston power (somewhat more efficient as long as there's enough steam coming), and that there will be constant work on the efficiency of it once the basic design is finished, 10% shouldn't be a problem at all, and the aim is to make something that can rival some of the more efficient ICEs currently available.