Rick Heinig Possible Ofeldt Boiler and Car
(writtten by Rick and sent to me)
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| I’m always looking for information about Steam Automobiles and their propulsion systems such as the Ofeldt. I searched “Ofeldt automobile boiler” and found the book, Self-propelled Vehicles: A Practical Treatise on the Theory, Construction, Operation, Care and Management of All Forms of Automobiles by J. E. Homans. Another thing is that your Kimmel Steam site comes up a lot during Ofeldt searches. I enjoy studying this information also (pages 198-99). |
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| The Google Book version is pretty clear and good to study. I do like the Ofeldt design and as you said, offers some good points. I think the best point is it offers natural circulation for steam generation. As I stated earlier, I do like tooling through the book to let my imagination try to develop new ideas to improve boiler design and efficiency. The design featured has tubes coiled within coils, a water wall coil and fits into a burner base. However, I do like the chain link version or overlap version as in Tony’s Delora. I thought of an improvement to the Ofeldt coil design by having all coils wound the same direction and then overlapping them. I thought of this during the 2013 Chicagoland Steam Meet and after observing Terry demonstrating the motorcycle boiler. The fire followed the water tubes in a circular path. In the Ofeldt version, perhaps the fire would follow an ascending spiral path with them all wound in the same direction and linked. |
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(Note: Click on a picture to see a larger view and then use your browser to enlarge it further.) |
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Just a couple of mentionable items, I do intend to build a coffin nose version of a Gentleman Speedy Roadster, H5, concept (left).
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| The boiler being in the nose and a modified version of the Ofeldt. As you know, I have these spiral fire tubes in my Scooter Boiler, (right above). I had them made in Korea. I’m still trying to figure out how to make them and incorporate into an Ofeldt. |
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Another item: I found this Ofeldt design (left), of triangle shape tubes and liked the potential for the increase in surface area. Again trying to figure out how to make them. |
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| Last item: how to incorporate the field tube design into an Ofeldt design. Perhaps have the field tubes come vertical down & out of the bottom tube sheet a short distance, turn 90 degrees and extend radially out like a porcupine. Use about 16–18 of them. Tony’s picture (right) inspired me for this idea. Last, trying to figure out how to make this design. |
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