Question: Could a modern steam engine that is made with modern materials and electronic valves be a viable solution to the internal combustion engine?

Motivation: Steam engines create power from steam in a cycle that is more efficient than the internal combustion cycle and produces more low end torque than a comparable size IC engine . Steam can be generated from a wide variety of renewable sources including biomass as well as solar. These provided the incentive to explore whether a steam engi...
Continue reading ...

10/27/2009- Durham, NC, After a frantic finish to get our candy dispenser operational which included a last minute design change after clogging was an issue for the first design I am very satisfied with the result. By the time we had finished building our project we had used less than 40% of the budget. An consensus was reached to invest in decorations to add to the Halloween feel of the machine. A fog machine and speakers as well as an orange light and strobe were added to increase the spook...
Continue reading ...