[Land-speed] British steam car

[Jon Wennerberg]

On Aug 1, 2009, at 6:50 AM, Malcolm Pittwood wrote:

> The burner design on the British Steam Car is one where the flame  
> length is
> very short - I am trying to recall a design talk from Glynne Bowsher  
> some
> years ago - at perhaps no more than an inch (25mm in Europe).  The  
> 'burner'
> is more like a tile of intense flames rather than the long single  
> flame of a
> hot air balloon burner.  Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) gives the  
> opportunity
> to create these short intense flames because of the velocity of  
> combustion.
>
> There are probably other ways to generate the steam needed but another
> vehicle shape would arise in the design process.  So if the record  
> falls as
> we expect after Speedweek, perhaps an American team will try to  
> recapture it
> using Propane as the fuel?
>
> Malcolm UK .



Malcolm. I think we need a definition of Liquid petroleum gas as you  
mention it.  From my experience in heating the house and our food with  
it -- the two names (propane and LPG) are interchangeable.  I call the  
lpg company to order a refill for the big tank outdoors and he brings  
the stuff in a tanker truck labelled "propane".  The guy pumps a  
compressed liquid, but at ambient temperature, into the tank, and as  
it flows through a regulator is gassifies into propane. To my  
knowledge they're the same -- at least on this side of the Atlantic.   
Would you be so kind as to enlighten me if there's a difference where  
you are?

Jon Wennerberg