Caldercraft-Imara 1/32- RC with twin steam engines

[NMBROOK]

Hi Nigel,

Coming along very nicely.
Do you intend to rely on the pipe work to support the displacement lubricators and globe valves or is there going to be some sort of support for that assembly?

Cheers,
Stephen.

Thanks Stephen

In answer to your question, now I have the two pipes made up and in position, yes.

I had decided to see how rigid it was when all together before committing to bracketry.

It is pretty solid now before I lag the pipes. Lagging with string, soaking the lagging with thin CA then finally enamel paint makes for really sturdy steam lines

 

[NMBROOK]

The two steam feed pipes have been made up and temporarily fitted. These will be lagged as the rest of the steam pipes



The remaining gas pipes have been made up and fitted



Things are very snug but there is clearance between gas pipe and boiler pipe. Thankfully the gas pipe will not be lagged



The brass rod in the picture is a mockup of where the servo pushrod will run from the gas shut off valve and a servo mounted to the forward bulkhead. Like I say, all very tight but doable

 

[Roger Pellett]

My career was spent fabricating piping systems for power plants; aka pipework in Great Britain. I enjoyed learning the surprisingly complex technology involved in engineering these huge assemblies. I once made a trip to Ations’ in Darbyshire to compare British piping technology with ours. They had a segment of the main steam pipe from the destroyer HMS Cossack in their lobby. The pipe had been pierced by a German shell while Cossack was rescuing prisoners captured by the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee. The purpose of the trip was to to determine if we could work together on a project. We could not; the BSA standards were completely different from our ASME code.

A problem with piping carrying high temperature steam is to control thermal expansion. Connections to boilers and turbines anre areas of particular concern. With relatively fragile connections at the boiler and engine, is this a concern for you?

Roger

 

[NMBROOK]

My career was spent fabricating piping systems for power plants; aka pipework in Great Britain. I enjoyed learning the surprisingly complex technology involved in engineering these huge assemblies. I once made a trip to Ations’ in Darbyshire to compare British piping technology with ours. They had a segment of the main steam pipe from the destroyer HMS Cossack in their lobby. The pipe had been pierced by a German shell while Cossack was rescuing prisoners captured by the German Pocket Battleship Graf Spee. The purpose of the trip was to to determine if we could work together on a project. We could not; the BSA standards were completely different from our ASME code.

A problem with piping carrying high temperature steam is to control thermal expansion. Connections to boilers and turbines anre areas of particular concern. With relatively fragile connections at the boiler and engine, is this a concern for you?

Roger

Hi Roger, a valid point which is why I have refrained from locking pipe work in place with brackets. All steam lines are only fixed at their ends and none are straight. Bends give the pipe runs some compliance to allow for expansion and contraction

The 1/4 x 40 pipe fittings are rated for superheated steam and pressures higher than my 60 psi limit on the boiler safety valve. I know all fittings should ideally be bronze to prevent dezincification but brass is deemed enough on models that spend a limited time of their life running