Dick Smith Mini-Bike
| Richard J. Smith custom built mini-bike for Bob Noble. Butane fired with an Ohlsson & Rice model airplane engine modified for a bump valve. Typical Smith mono-tube steam generator with automatic controls, |  |
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| water pump, and an oil cooler modified for the condenser. This is a typical Dick Smith design using a helical coil steam generator and a control system based on his patent #3,507,258 that uses several bell cranks for an analogue control with inputs from steam pressure and steam temperature and outputs to the water pump feed rate and fuel control. Everything that is needed for a steam power plant is present in this mini-bike. At the present time the Ohlsson & Rice (O&R) engine is worn out and needs rebuilding. | ||
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Bob Noble wanted R. J. to make this mini-bike for him using the standard Smith butane fired steam generator. This machine had everything: a condenser made from an old oil cooler with an engine mounted fan and all kinds of automatic controls. The story is that engineering development work was abbreviated on this machine and so many of the valves and control sensors for pressure and temperature would stick. The beauty of the machine is that it is a three-dimensional blue print for a modern steam power plant. |
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