Internal Combustion

RogueWarrior wrote:There are types of WWII fighters and tanks that had an oversized shotgun shell to start the engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffman_engine_starter

Big savings on weight.

Or just use a huge compressed air tank.

Given that Houseman's factories have all converted to pneumatic power, I'd bet on compressed air tanks.

Hmm... so how far can pneumatic power go as an electricity substitute.

Expert snuggler wrote:By definition, not. The ignition source in a diesel is that the air in the cylinder is heated up by compression to the point that the fuel ignites on contact.

You may be thinking of "glow plugs", sometimes needed to pre-heat the engine in cold weather.

Or, there's the early and intermediate "hot bulb" engine which could be an ICE or alternatively a CIE.

For marine use the big "Doxford" 2-stroke diesels were relatively uncomplicated and at 11,000BHP per cylinder could drive very large ships.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... Yjf46Z_Q8w

evilauthor wrote:

RogueWarrior wrote:There are types of WWII fighters and tanks that had an oversized shotgun shell to start the engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffman_engine_starter

Big savings on weight.

Or just use a huge compressed air tank.

Given that Houseman's factories have all converted to pneumatic power, I'd bet on compressed air tanks.

Hmm... so how far can pneumatic power go as an electricity substitute.

Not far. It is horribly inefficient. Compressed air, liquid air, is about as poor of a medium as one can use to transmit power. If nothing else, they do not have the ability to produce proper seals yet. Let alone machine an efficient compressor or efficient turbine blades for machines/tools etc.

Relax wrote:If nothing else, they do not have the ability to produce proper seals yet. Let alone machine an efficient compressor or efficient turbine blades for machines/tools etc.

They don't? Because I haven't read ANYTHING about anyone in universe complaining about leaky air pressure seals.

evilauthor wrote:

Relax wrote:If nothing else, they do not have the ability to produce proper seals yet. Let alone machine an efficient compressor or efficient turbine blades for machines/tools etc.

They don't? Because I haven't read ANYTHING about anyone in universe complaining about leaky air pressure seals.

Author(DW), meet reality. Handwavium at its finest. Simply ignore the entire science required of seals that makes compressed air even possible. May as well jump to hydraulics. At least Hydraulic seals are EASIER to produce than AIR seals and hydraulics are far more efficient.

air.... phhhttttttt

It's 1870 technology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_o ... er#History

Relax wrote:...May as well jump to hydraulics.

You do realize that Safehold had and used hydraulics and developed hydraulic accumulators before they began dabbling in pneumatics? Granted, they're just now getting into high pressure hydraulics with something other than water as a working fluid, but they've used hydraulics in the form of water power for a long time.

If aircraft pneumatic systems that run around 2000-2500 psia are any example, anyone with the proper hand tools can form an adequate seal in just a minute or two. For some types of seal, you just need the parts and a wrench.

Relax wrote:Author(DW), meet reality. Handwavium at its finest. Simply ignore the entire science required of seals that makes compressed air even possible. May as well jump to hydraulics. At least Hydraulic seals are EASIER to produce than AIR seals and hydraulics are far more efficient.

air.... phhhttttttt

You can do 1500-2000 Psi pneumatic with altered waxed leather seals. Those are quite large compared to a modern o-ring, but they work very well. I saw a pneumatic drop hammer with those that was quite efficient.

They won't handle heat above 80°C though.

At low speed, cork seals work equally well, and those handle heat.

If you dont care about interchangeability, with good steel that accept work hardening you can even use honing and don't use any seal at all, and in modern use, this goes above 6000 Psi.

Honed cylinders and pistons were made in Switzerland by early XIX° C so they are in reach of Safehold tech level. This just take a long time to do without modern tooling.

evilauthor wrote:

RogueWarrior wrote:There are types of WWII fighters and tanks that had an oversized shotgun shell to start the engine.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffman_engine_starter

Big savings on weight.

Or just use a huge compressed air tank.

Given that Houseman's factories have all converted to pneumatic power, I'd bet on compressed air tanks.

Hmm... so how far can pneumatic power go as an electricity substitute.

~80% of my 1984 Dodge Charger's control systems (gauges, sensors, and controls) were pneumatic (either vacuum or pressurized) and my '78 Honda was just shy of ~95% (Vacuum powered brakes totally suck when the master hose collapses - thank god it was a stick). These controls usually included the carburetor, emissions controls, gauges. Before the mid 80's only a handful of items on cars were "fully" electric.

The German ME-163 Rocket plane had a Pressurized air tank to power it's flight controls. There were instances where the pilot had run out of air pressure and lost control of the aircraft prior to (or during) landing if he had been maneuvering too much.

I saw a documentary several years ago, where the last surviving steam shovel used to dig the original Panama Canal was discovered in some Minnesota woods, where it had been rotting for ~20 years. They spent 2-3 days replacing some steam lines and chipping the worst of the rust - hitched a Sull-air industrial compressor trailer to it, connected the air lines, and drove the shovel out of the woods using it's own tracks (notice, no one trusted the steam engine...).

These "Large" Bucyrus Steam Shovels were about the size of a medium sized backhoe today, but we're still talking about something weighing 10+ tons, so along with everything else, yes, a pneumatic tank is 100% possible.

chrisd wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:By definition, not. The ignition source in a diesel is that the air in the cylinder is heated up by compression to the point that the fuel ignites on contact.

You may be thinking of "glow plugs", sometimes needed to pre-heat the engine in cold weather.

Or, there's the early and intermediate "hot bulb" engine which could be an ICE or alternatively a CIE.

For marine use the big "Doxford" 2-stroke diesels were relatively uncomplicated and at 11,000BHP per cylinder could drive very large ships.

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... Yjf46Z_Q8w

The Emergency diesel engines of US Nuke subs have a charged air tank mounted above each one of them. As an emergency start method, someone connects an air ratchet to the crank shaft to turn the engine over - no electricity needed.