Here is another from the forum discussion: http://quasiturbine.promci.qc.ca/
There are companies in the U.S. trying to develop small-scale natural gas turbines, such as Capstone. Internal combustion turbines, that is. We need something like an external combustion low temperature small-scale steam turbine. I do not think there is a market for such things at present but apparently some people are making them.
Cyclone power is aiming for the CHP (cogeneration) market, among others. Yesterday I mentioned that I thought this would be a logical market to look for an existing small-scale steam turbine.
The quasiturbine site says they have a steam powered "zero-vibration" chainsaw. A prototype, I suppose. It is characteristic of steam powered devices that they have fewer vibrations and they are quiet compared to internal combustion engines. You can see that in videos of large, slow-moving 19th-century steam engines. The comedian Jay Leno has a large collection of 19th century steam engines and early automobiles. He knows a great deal about them. He did an excellent video and demonstration of restored steam engines, in which he showed how quiet they are.
Air powered tools (pneumatic tools) are widely used in garages and by carpenters. They do not seem quiet to me, come to think of it. I guess because they move quickly. Pneumatic wrenches used to remove car wheels make a heck of a racket. They are used in place of electric tools and garages partly because they are safer. They do not spark, which could be a problem in the presence of volatile liquids.
A little history . . . The concept of on-demand instantaneous power was first proposed by Charles Babbage using tools driven by water pressure. Some of Edison's early phonographs were driven by water pressure, not very successfully. The water gushing through made a lot of noise, drowning out the music. The rapid spread of electricity made this idea obsolete, although a few elevators in large cities operated on water power for many years.
- Jed
