Boiler is in position

My next milestone has been achieved.  The boiler is now sitting proudly in the middle of the Lyka.

The biggest problem was the lack of headroom in the garage.  This meant that the rear cross member of the car had to be removed to let in the boiler, which could be raised no higher before the lifting gear hit the garage roof.  It looks less than the progress really is, because the side panels and water tanks have been taken out to enable access to the boiler and its mountings.  The final manoeuvring needed the help of a car jack under the boiler to take some of the weight while it was wriggled into place.  Following the experiences of other builders, there is a small block under the front of the boiler to enable the burner tray to be moved into place. 

It seems that in spite of trial fittings 'on the bench' the smoke hood, boiler, and boiler cladding will not meet in the intended positions - the hacksaw will have to come out again. 

The smoke hood has tabs cut which will be bent back to make a rearward opening exhaust.  That is a future development.

Time to think about next steps.
The towing A-Frame can be completed to enable the car to pull the Lyka as a trailer.
The burner, burner tray and pipework need to be assembled and sealed. Thanks to STW for helpful advice on their forum.
The chain will need to be fitted. The chief inspector has found a way round the 2m isolation rule, and visited the workshop.  His report was on the lines of "Where is the chain, Grandpa?"

I have been putting off bleeding the brakes, which have to be done.
The side panels and water tanks will be put back. I measured the tanks and, as noted by others, we have about 30 gallons capacity on board, giving a range of about 30 miles.
The bodywork and seat have been received and can be assembled and put into place.
A lot of paintwork will need to be repaired for chips and wear and tear.
My control panel will be mounted conveniently for the driver.

Before steaming, we shall need supplies of some consumables, including:
steam cylinder oil;
feed water conditioner to prevent scaling and enable removal of detritus via a blowdown;
diesel bug inhibitor, to stop the growth of algae and bacteria which can build up and clog fuel systems.  Modern diesel can include quantities of bio-diesel which is reported to be more susceptible to such contamination.  Diesel fuel is cheaper at the petrol station than buying paraffin in 4l plastic containers.

I think a collection of Jerry cans for spare water and fuel is also called for.

Burner layout and safety

I am pleased that I am not able to install the burner (Kit 20) straight away.
I contacted STW with a query about the safety of the installation as described conflicting with the burner manufacturer's safety instructions.  Apparently, the orientation which has been used previously, with success, on previous Lykamobiles, is "forbidden for safety reasons", by Riello.
Consequently, STW are trialling a sideways installation which is slightly less elegant but should work.  It will involve a new adapter and basket, and new fitting instructions, to be supplied with the next kit.  Riello are locked down and cannot provide any further advice.
I shall carry on with my tin bashing to install the boiler, and wait for further instructions.

Power tools

I have had a reluctance to use power tools, since they form a barrier between operator and workpiece, and also represent additional safety and accuracy issues. My joints/bones have forced me to re-consider, so I have bought a small Dremel rotary tool drive. Although the speed is comparable to using a hacksaw, the wear and tear on my joints and arthritis is virtually removed :). Boringly, I have also read the safety instructions.

Boiler Progress!

Firstly, I must thank my co-builders who have gone ahead of me and blogged their experiences; together with comprehensive photos.  I am looking at their blogs and hope to learn from their experiences.
I have gone as far as I can to install my electrical add-ons.  The control box will be mounted  just in front of and below the controls for the handbrake and reversing gear control lever, with easy access for the driver; until I have the seat and top assembled, the details will have to wait.    The wiring has been secured with lacing cord in the manner learnt from wiremen in the defence industry in the 1970's - a bit of history re-created? 

All the lights on the rear-facing towing light panel can be driven from the battery via the control box switches: side lights, number plate lights, left and right indicators, fog light, stop lights (driven from a pressure switch on the hydraulic brake circuit).  The key on the control panel disables everything driven from the battery, including the burner; I hope this will deter any joy-riders (or grandchildren?).  I have yet to build the light clusters for the front of the car, so they can't be tested yet; only a connector strip has been included.
The boiler has been painted with high temperature paint.  The piston blocks have been given a second coat of the same paint while it was there.  The chimney flue also got a coat.  The boiler is about as heavy as I can manage - I have re-discovered the usefulness of a barrel hitch which I learnt a long time ago;  a single loop supports the boiler while a belt keeps it from toppling while using a block and tackle to take the load. 

The fittings are in place but not yet sealed using Steam Seal.  As advised by another builder, the lower fittings are protected from damage using packing spacers on a dolly.  The warning from STW that one boiler had been found with the top welded on upside down was taken into account - my boiler is OK, thank goodness.  Like other builders, I am going to have fun assembling the insulation and cladding for the boiler.  The sheet work is not high tolerance work, so some fitting (filing, cutting and hammering, and making a loud noise) will be needed.

In due course, I hope to re-direct the exhaust downwards from the back of the boiler, rather than following the original T-shaped flue design. To enable this alternative. I shall need to cut some slots in the smoke hood while I can get at it.  At the moment, there appears to be space for it, but I don't know if the space will be taken up with equipment we have not yet received.  It would be nice to include a heat exchanger for pre-heating the boiler feed water, and save on fuel. 
In my "spare time" I am making an A-frame for towing.  I think the material I bought is made of a higher grade steel than I expected, as my drills get blunt quickly (although it might be a case of the bad workman blaming his tools).

I have the woodwork for the seat, which I shall tackle when the boiler has submitted to my efforts.  The wood will probably be painted green to match the rest of the paintwork, but not yellow which is reserved for fast moving parts.








We have received a flyer for the local gym, which I have ignored.  Weight training can be achieved by lifting the boiler.  Running can be indulged in by rushing down to the tool store in the village to replace tools or buy any I don't yet have.  There are no plans to do a lot of cycling. 

Electrics

I have taken some time out to prepare some electrics, as I have outlined earlier.
The first picture shows the box provided as part of the Lyka build, together with a lighting control box.  In the photo, the wires are laid out in much the same way as they will be when installed.  I have done as much as I can in the warmth of my study, the next stage is to install them.  The picture shows (top left) that additional wires go to the Lyka control box.  The new lighting control box will be mounted just in front of the reverser/ handbrake quadrant.  Switches are included for:

•  indicators 
•  sidelights/ headlights (including water gauge illumination)
•  dip/ main beam
•  headlight flasher
•  rear fog light
•  beacon (as required for slow moving vehicles on dual carriageways)
•  burner on/off
•  key switch to enable all electrics.

A 7-pin connector is used to attach to a trailer lighting board, which can double up as rear lights for the Lyka;  The lighting board is not shown.

A 13-pin connector is used for all other connections to the lighting control box, but not wired in the conventional manner. 

The cables go:

• from the main box to the lighting box, via the battery and chassis holes, and including lighting power
• from the main box to the burner, via the chassis
• from battery to cigarette lighter socket
• from the main box to the boiler pressure sensor, via the chassis
• from the lighting box to the forward facing lights (ending in a connector strip at present)
• from the lighting box to the pressure sensor (making one original wire redundant)
• from the lighting box to the brake pressure switch fitted to the rh rear caliper
• from the lighting box to the beacon.

The inside of the lighting box is wired from plugs to switches, as seen.  There is also a LED compatible indicator flasher.  

 The main control box has been modified by inserting a connector strip in series with the main switch so that the key switch can be attached.

I was glad to mainly use crimped or screwed connections, as I do not yet have the skill to solder quickly with modern lead-free solder - I learnt with lead solder half a century ago, and before the awareness of "Hazardous Substances" had raised its head.
As I shall use only LED bulbs, I have used lighter weight wiring, for the reduced current load.

I can no longer put off working outside again!

Progress

I have received the boiler and the cladding (Kit 18), but without the insulation!
The painting programme is ongoing; so far I have removed the pedals, battery box, towing rings and fuel tank, and repainted the spoilt finish revealed.  Phase one is complete, with the removed components and foremost sections of the chassis re-painted (except the points where the chassis rests on the axle stands), with emphasis on those areas which seemed to be susceptible after last winter in storage.  The battery box can now go back.
Once the battery box is re-fitted, then the electrics and hydraulics can be worked on.  Bleeding the brakes will be high on the list.  With the extras to be added now that we know that there will be a battery, those can be added as described in my earlier post.  The final electrical bits need to be ordered.  The batteries are receiving a periodic charge to keep them in good condition.
I plan to braze up a couple of lanterns and put some LED bulbs in them, I expect to apply that experience to building a steam whistle from plumbing parts.
I was having trouble with the grommets, so have used round grommets cut in half for the ends of the oval cutouts, with the supplied straight sections for the longer sides.
I have an A-Frame towbar to make.
I am not totally convinced that the chimney is an optimal design, although it was good enough for the Stanley brothers. I am thinking that a lower point for the exhaust could be better, with the help of a blast pipe from the engine exhaust feeding into an expanding chimney. Feed water could be pre-heated if water pipes were stuck to the smoke box. I am wondering if a small amount of super-heating could be achieved by brazing some fins onto the steam outlet pipe which crosses the top of the boiler.
No pictures yet, there is nothing presentable to show.

Detection of boiler water levels

I have been thinking about this topic and tried out some ideas:


The Lykamobile series 2 (“Lyka2”) provides for the driver to monitor boiler water levels using the sight glass, in common with established practice for steam engines, steam cars and locomotives.  Modern static steam generating facilities are required to use automatic means for monitoring and responding to boiler water levels.  It is a sensible argument that mobile steam generation should do the same (but don’t push for this as a new regulation to haunt existing steam locomotive users). 

As a desirable objective, the various means of detecting boiler water levels should be considered:

-        - Conductive detection:

-        - Physical level detection;

-        - Capacitive detection;

-        - Optical detection.

Conclusions on the above methods in the context of Lykamobile construction have been subject to my preliminary observations.

1.      Conductive

The original Lykamobile used a set of conductive probes in a separate vertical copper tube, in the position normally used for the optical sight tube, to determine boiler water levels at pre-set points.  The plumbing is an extra for Lyka2.  The electronics is not complex, but requires some expertise for design and assembly.  Some users have reported using spark plugs as suitable detectors, as they isolate the detection probe and provide for a seal against pressure.  I had some left over from the car I maintained 50 years ago!  At room temperature and pressure, their resistance measured >20Mohms when dry and ~400kohms when immersed in water. A simple detection circuit could be arranged to drive the burner relay and a warning light.  I have no information on the electrical characteristics of water and steam at 200+ psi, so cannot assess if my assumptions would be valid.

2.      Physical

a.      Pressure

Some modern systems use a differential pressure monitor to measure water height – I have not investigated this option – it looks a bit complicated for an ”Add-on”

b.     Flotation

It should be possible to attach a magnet to a float in the sight glass (or a copper tube in parallel) , and then use a reed switch to detect the position of the magnet -  no extra plumbing is needed for the sight glass.    I am not sure about the material for the float.  Many plastics sink; others melt at the temperature reached by water boiling at 200+ psi.  When I put expanded polystyrene in my cooker at 220deg C, it started to melt and shrink, but remained buoyant.  Polypropylene (the lid on my Swarfega container) just floats, and seems to have a tolerable melting point.  I would worry about putting plastics in the sight tube;   we could end up with gloop to block the waterways, or re-inventing the 1960s-style lava-lamp but for high pressure boiling water.  Perhaps the plastic could be contained in a metal cap from a water bottle (e.g. tonic – let’s all have a gin and tonic for experimental purposes).  This looks like a possibility.

3.      Capacitive

Some modern systems rely on the capacitive properties of water. I have not investigated. It seems to involve the use of an a.c. detector voltage.

4.      Optical.

Both refractive index and opacity vary between water and steam.  These could be used to trigger a response when a certain water level is reached in the sight tube.


I have found that a glass container will not trigger a response from my battery operated soap dispenser, but when filled with water, the same glass container will set off the trigger.  I can only conclude that the detector and electronics respond to water as if it were opaque – quite possible if the source were an infra-red LED.  To buy and re-work such a dispenser (from Reckitt) might be a solution.  There would be no need to re-work the Lyka2 pressure pipe-work.

If a black and white pattern is placed behind a half-full bottle, then the refractive index of water causes the pattern to move (as in a magnifying glass); careful alignment of an optical detector might be used to measure water level.