The most over-engineered Steam Engine in the World
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- Опубликовано: 6 авг 2024
- The Swiss Steam Ship Stadt Luzern has a Three Cylinder Uniflow Steam Engine, with hydraulic Valve Gear, a Forced Lubrication System, a semi-automated hydraulic Control System, and Condensers with Water Turbines inside. This Engine is very different from the Engines found on all 14 other Swiss Paddle Steamers, and it was built in 1929 by Sulzer in Winterthur, and is the last Steam Engine ever built by Sulzer.
Usually, Passengers can't visit the Engine Room. Special Thanks to @Vierwaldstaettersee for allowing me to make this Video.
Stadt Zürich Steam Engine Video: • Escher-Wyss Steam Engi...
Original Boilers Video: • Dampfschiff Stadt Luze...
00:00 Introduction
02:47 Comparison to other Swiss Steam Engines
05:04 Uniflow Engines explained
07:07 Condensers explained
09:00 Condensers of the Stadt Luzern
12:31 Auxilary Engine
14:12 Lubrication System
17:31 Hydraulic Valve Gear
23:23 Engine Controls
25:43 Hydraulic Control System
29:34 Boiler Room
30:39 End 
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I don't agree with RUclips hiding Dislikes. 838 Likes, 14 Dislikes, 2022-12-07. Just so you know what to expect from this Video.
This Uniflow Design was chosen, because the Stadt Luzern originally had a different Engine; a Two Cylinder Compound one as on all other Swiss Paddle Steamers, but built in Germany as the Stadt Luzern was built by Gebrüder Sachsenberg in Rosslau an der Elbe (Germany). That Engine broke down catastrophically on the 2nd Day of Commercial Operation, rendering it an Economic total Loss. Sulzer was contracted to build a new Engine, that is equally large, equally heavy and equally powerful, but built more massively to prevent another Disaster like that. The large Low Pressure Cylinder makes Compound Engines a bit havy, thus removing it by going Uniflow saved a bit of Weight, that could be put into building the Engine more massively. As stated in the Video, the Uniflow Principle itself is fairly simple, but it requires the complicated Condensers. More Weight was saved with 1929 High Tech: the Engine Foundations are welded instead of riveted, which was completely new by 1920ies/1930ies Standards. Some Sources state, that the Hydraulic Valve Gear is lighter than a mechanical one, but I doubt that as many Things just don't add up. What I can see, is that the Control System just works bettwer with Hydraulics, and Sulzer probably chose that because they wanted to innovate Things. There used to be a very similar Engine on the Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Helvétie (built in 1926), had none of the Constaints of the Stadt Luzern. The Differnce between this ENgine and the Engine there is, that the Helvétie has Spring-loaded Valves in the Hydraulic Control System, while the Stadt Luzern balances the Oil Pressure against the Steam Pressure, which makes it less sensitive to Changes in Boiler Pressure. Essentially, the entire Control System works on balancing a Number of Oil Pressures against each other and against Steam Pressure.
Quick Quality Info: Apparently, RUclips is still rendering HD and 4K. It's rendering since 8 Hours, so it may take a Day or two until all Resolutions are available. Unfortunately, I couldn't run this Video through my anti-Flicker Software, that I usually use on my Videos. For some Reason, it kept stalling and crashing on all Attempts, hence I had to upload the Video without that Improvement, causing the Screens and sometimes the Lights to flicker a bit.
it was done to protect potatoe pedo president biden,who set records for dislikes,which goes against their narrative he is the most popular president in US history LOL
you are the first uploader to youtube ive ever seen willing to post what the like dislike ratio looks like, aside from posting great and informative videos that alone makes you a cut above the rest.
you can use web extensions like "Return RUclips Dislike" to have that feature back..
I need a tldr version
@@planitmc1204 get a life game boy
I am amazed by how clean everything is. You Swiss make things well AND take good care of them!
I'm not Swiss, although I grew up right next to the Swiss Border near Basel
Im Swiss. 1)We dont have a drug war. 2) We protect ourselves; especially centers of learning from the major carcinogen/detrimental bio field factor known as the EMF or electromagnetic smog that the rest of the world becomes mired/baths in. These create endless misery and loss of time/motivation/ and .,,,how do i say this? The spark of life made dull? Passion is kept dimly lit creating dimwits about ones self, personal wealth and lack of understanding of health. Sick nest of sickness eclipses all, ripe for the fall. And fall ewe do for it is the birthright of freedumb to be freelydommed. Dom minions. Same old hands of the won kingdom.
@@Genius_at_Work RICH dEEp history to these ships. It nice to have nice things that have been able to stay above board. Now no real reason to worry as the most vexing part is done. iOB. 🌐⚜️
@@Genius_at_Work 10:52 wow. She can hustle!😂
That's for sure and a reciprocating steam engine is about the hardest thing to keep clean there is.
Excellent documentation of a beautiful engine and engine room, thanks very much for this. Ships always impress me, my steam experience is a little more rough and tumble with farm Traction engines, oil everywhere, always dusty, always cleaning... but this has to be the most unique engine I've ever seen, thanks for all the trouble you took to make this available.
As long retired steam marine-engineer, I appreciate the work that goes into maintaining such machinery in tip-top condition. I miss working on steam recips especially!
I used to volunteer on the local Steam Ship Alexandra while studying Marine Engineering in Flensburg. Because I volunteered as Stoker, I mostly worked on the Boiler though.
You are so lucky to have seen this in person!! Beautifully produced video. I appreciate you filming this in 4K. The sounds are a lullaby for any engineer. So soothing.
@Coléoptère wtf did I just read lol
I am a retired marine engineer of over 40 years service and I have never seen such a clean engine room in all of that time,not even in a new ship,the E/R staff must be very proud of their achievement and rightly so..they have my full admiration.cheers Roly 🇬🇧.
Swiss machinery is always a work of art. Gorgeous. Cheers from Ohio, USA
I might have got a few Train Videos coming up then; I'm planning to make Videos about 90-100 Year old Electric Locomotives from Switzerland. Namely an Ae 3/6" from 1926, and an Ae 4/7 from 1934. The first one will be a fairly short Video with Captions only, probably showing how to start the Locomotive up, and the second one will be a longer "Walkthrough", a bit like this Video here. The Reason is that the Ae 4/7 has an interesting Propulsion System called Buchli Drive (invented in Switzerland), which can be explained much better by Voiceover than by Captions. The Ae 3/6" has Jackshafts and Siderods instead, a bit like a Steam Locomotive. The Reason for these and for the fairly complicated Buchli Drive is, that low Frequency AC (16 2/3 Hz in Switzerland) used to require large Traction Motors, which couldn't be fitted into Bogies and thus were mounted to the Frame, resulting in 4-6-2 "Pacific" (Ae 3/6") and 4-8-2 "Mountain" (Ae 4/7) Layouts, or even articulated Locomotives like the famous Swiss Crocodiles.
Such Electric Locomotive Videos actually are on my Bucket List since Years, but they're much harder to make than other Videos of mine, as Electric Locomotives are High Voltage Installations (15 kV are not to be messed with), and I only have a realistic Chance to get there since I have a High Voltage License myself, aka since July this Year.
Only in ohio🙏🙏🙏
I'm a retired Marine Engineer and I've actually worked on reciprocating engines.
Your explanation of the Uniflow principle is the cleanest and easiest to follow that I have ever seen.
You might be interested to know that sailing on lake Michigan in the USA is the SS Badger, which has a 2, 4 cylinder, Compound - Uniflow engines driving twin screws.
Wonderful video. Your explanation of how the hydraulic valve gear works as well as the lube oil system are great. I did have to pause to read that first, full-page caption, but the rest were just right, and on screen long enough to read without pausing.
This is a fantastic ship with great history. I've been in a few engine rooms and few are as clean and well maintained as this ship. Thanks so much for sharing your adventure.
Hats off to the crews maintaining these vessels. Those engine rooms are museum quality. Very, *very* impressive.
I didn't know a paddle boat could move that fast! That's a really fascinating engine, thanks for sharing. It's interesting how they use 2 different kinds of oil. I wonder what the "working oil" is made of, to be biodegradable in the environment... maybe vegetable oil or something?
A paddle steamer is actually faster and more efficient than a comparable screw given the same mechanical power. It also has a shallower draft.
However paddle need low rpm which makes them an ideal match for steam engines.
Petrol or diesel engine as well as steam turbineshave higher RPMs which makes them more suited for screws.
At the end a diesel engine with a screw takes up less space and is much lighter than the steam engine and the paddle wheels.
@@matthiasmay1977 A decent propeller can operate with a propulsive efficiency of 60% or more, while the best measured efficiency I can find for a paddle wheel is a bit less than 50%.
I think that higher efficiency paddle wheels are possible, but would be impractically large. The radius of the wheel needs to be so big that misalignment of the paddles with the water is negligable (or a complicated scheme to 'feather' the paddles can be used, as in an articulated paddle wheel) and the slippage ratio must be low to avoid inefficient 'churning' of the water by the blades. That translates to very large blades for an engine powered vessel.
Rowing boats of course have very little power (only what a human can produce, perhaps 200W per rower for a short time or 100W continuously) so they can be remarkably efficient using paddles (oars) of manageable size.
You can really tell the pride they have in what they do. They must spend an incredible amount of time cleaning and polishing!
Nice to see such an old steamer partially modernized. I would love to see steam engines like the ones in the Doble cars running in modern vehicles or applications. They were so far ahead back then with their steam technology.
With a bit of computerized parts for pressure, temperature and rpm sensors, the system can be fully automated. Since the lubrication is now closed, no need for oilers to oil them. The only left are the monitoring team. Watching pressure, temperature and rpm.
The boiler room is fully automated already. The engine itself might be fully automated.
@@kimpatz2189 The Lake Geneva Paddle Steamer Montreux was refitted with a modern, fully automated Steam Engine, after some 30 odd Years of Diesel-Electric Propulsion. The Engine is remote controlled from the Wheelhouse, and filling the Oiler Caps is a Task that can be done by Deckhands too. Hence the Montreux doesn't have Engineers at all while Sailing, but that's something I as a Marine Engineer don't exactly like. Anyway, according to the Manufacturer, the Engine is comparably expensive to operate than the previous Diesel-Electric Plant. I don't exactly know how that is supposed to work out, as Steam Engines just can't be even remotely as Fuel efficient as Diesel Engines.
Steam engines are always such a pleasure to be around while in operation. This is an exceptional working museum. Thanks for taking the time to present it for all to see.
It's not exactly a Museum, as it transports Passengers (almost) every Day from April-October. Most are Tourists from Lucerne to Vitznau, who change there to the Rack Railway to visit the Rigi Mountain. Some People use these Ships every Day as genuine Commute, as the local Geography makes Ships the fastest Transport on some Routes. If the Stadt Luzern was a Museum, I probably wouldn't have needed a special Permission to visit the Engine Room, as all Museum Ships that I know of allow every Passenger to visit the Engine Room, Most of them even allow visiting at all Times. All 15 Paddle Steamers in Switzerland are operated commercially instead of as Museum.
Vielen Dank für das ausgezeichnete Video! Als Kind habe ich mich auf dem Traunsee bei einer Fahrt mit der Gisela (damals noch mit original Kohlefeuerung) in Schaufelraddampfer verliebt. Das es so viel high-tech in einem Schaufelraddampfer gibt wie in der Luzern wusste ich nicht! Vi
Loved the voiceover and explanations! Thanks so much
This is the most interesting video I have ever seen. I now know the difference between a uniflow steam engine and a conventional one. I enjoyed every second. Is there anything more Swiss than the clean, efficient engine room of one of these steamers?
What an amazing documentary and explanation of this beautiful mechanical steam boat. I love how your walkthru described all the operation. You got a new subscriber!
Excellent explanations, very clear and great pace, thanks.
That entire engine room is so clean, they must put so much work into that
One could eat off the floor.
Outstanding video and explanation of the entire system. My attention span made it all the way through. Thank you for posting!
Roughly 1/6 Viewers do, but most that leave do so in the first five Minutes. I actually severly cut short the hydraulic Control System, because the Video would have gotten much longer, understanding it would presuppose some basic Knowledge about Governors and Regulating Systems, and because there are some Things I didn't understand myself in the 2-3 Hours of my two Visits to the Stadt Luzern.
@@Genius_at_Work I totally understand. I find myself gutting videos during the editing just to keep people's attention and not get too deep into the weeds.
Know that there are still some of us out there that 1. Watch the whole thing and 2. Understand what's going on. 🤓
i love unique steam engines. thank you so much for the look into this great engineering marvel.
Excellent video! Thank you for showing us, in detail, the engineering behind this work of art👍👍👍
Incredibly good video with many good details and explanations for an advanced steam machine, in a beautiful engine room, control system, valves, pump and much more. I am very impressed.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks. I had a lot of bad Luck while making this Video, so I'm glad that it finally pays off.
Personally I quite liked your spoken explanations! I sometimes find it hard to keep up with large amounts of text in videos and despite having worked with tandem compound steam engines I realised I'd not fully grasped how uni flow engines worked until your explanation
It's just a bit different to my previous Videos, hence I wanted to include a little "Disclaimer" for my returning Viewers. Btw. I'm planning to make a Video where I explain Compounding in a similar styled Video, on the Example of a Sulzer Tandem-Compound Engine in Schlieren. IIRC, I announced that in this Video. I'm not sure if I included any Time Schedules, but I have to postpone that Video at least until February/March 2023 (assuming that I announced my original Plans of November/December 2022).
Excellent video, thank you for this.
I will check out your other videos when I have time.
Totally AWESOME video! Thanks very much for your effort! I am so amazed by how complex this engine is!
Absolutely enjoyable. Thank you for posting.
Technological virtuosity preserved by caring people.
thanks a lot. great footage and explanation!
You did a great job with the voiceover! You claim to be a bad speaker, yet you definitely aren't. Plus - if you don't usually do voiceovers, no wonder it took 126 takes, it's a "muscle" that requires training.
Excellent video. As in previous comments...everything is so clean. I have spoken to several steam engineers, one in particular stated. I kept the engine room spotless. Looks good, however you can spot leaks easily. You narration is fine.
wow, that's fantastic. the crew is doing a great job maintaining that thing, it's a work of art.
They are maintaining four more Steam Ships on Lake Lucerne, plus the Diesel Ships there. IIRC, major Maintenance and Rebuilds of all Swiss Steam Ships is done either by the Company from Lake Lucerne, or from Lake Geneva. As in, e.g. the Lake Zürich Ship Company does only small Maintenance themselves, so does the BLS Railway, which also happens to operate two Steam Ships on the Bernese Lakes.
Fantastic, I paused the video several times to read stuff and look at things. Thanks for the wonderful video and explanation.
Excellent video and I enjoyed listening to the voice over as well as the wonderful music of the engine.
Moin! Ich drücke meine Hochachtung mal auf Deutsch aus: die hydraulische Steuerung ist spitzenklasse! Zuerst dachte ich: jaja, die Schweitzer...
Doch dann sah ich ein das das eine großartige Idee ist: die ganzen Steuerstangen und der Kram den man sich dadurch spart- grad auf nem Schiff ist man so etwas freier in der Gestaltung und der Nutzung des ohnehin begrenzten Platzes.
Bei einer Lokomotive ist die Gemengelage ja wieder anders und die Steuerung mechanisch macht wieder Sinn doch auf einem Dampfer...
Der Rest ist schon fast wieder Nebensache gegen die schiere Sauberkeit dort an Bord. Man kann ja von der Maschiene und dem Boden essen!
Und der Umbau pflegt sich absolut harmonisch ein- ich wünschte das wäre immer so. Hut ab, Schweitz!
Ich sehe das doch eher kritisch, zumindest nüchtern betrachtet. So eng ist's mit dem Platz auf Schiffen jetzt auch nicht, außer vielleicht auf U-Booten. Gegnüber der klassischen mechanischen Steuerung (meistens Stephenson oder Abwandlungen davon) hat die Hydraulik halt doch viel zu viele mögliche Fehlerquellen, die insbesondere schwieriger zu finden und zu beheben sind als eine simple klemmende Mechanik. Als "Kuriosität" ist die Maschine von der Stadt Luzern sicher hochinteressant, aber ich seh schon warum sich das nicht durchgesetzt hat. Außer in der Schweiz wüsste ich auch echt nicht, wo so etwas zuverlässig betrieben werden könnte. Apropos, "vom Boden essen" ist auf allen Schweizer Dampfschiffen s. Wobei Dampfschiff-Maschinenräume allgemein deutlich sauberer sind als Diesel, zumindest sofern keine Kohle verbrannt wird. Ist mit dem harmonischen Umbau das Plexiglas gemeint, oder das Schott zwischen Maschinenraum und dem neuen Kesselraum? Letzteres wurde notwendig, weil mittlerweile ein einzelner Raum nicht mehr als 1/3 des gesamten Volumens vom Schiffsrumpf einnehmen darf. Z.B. wurde auf dem Zürichsee die Stadt Rapperswil 2022 so umgebaut, 2023 ist die Stadt Zürich dran.
Real competent explanation! Great video😊
Great video, great voice over, thanks you!
The engine room is cleaner than most hospital operating rooms
Wahnsinn. Super tolle Aufnahmen! Bitte Bitte viel viel mehr davon 😘
That paddle is chomping that water... The sound is lovely btw
Depending on Wind Direction and other Noises around you, it can be heard up to 3 km (2 Miles) wide
Well done to the crew and engineers who have kept these engines in tip-top clean condition.
Thanks for the video - I did watch it too the end. A masterpiece of complex engineering!!!
Magnificent. An excellent presentation of superb engineering. I loved it. Subscribed.
Great video! Good editing!❤… so wait, this is a working steam room? No way too clean. I wouldn’t believe it if I wasn’t seeing it!
Wow.. that engine looks like it would have been built yesterday. It both look really fresh, but also... for a steam engine, really modern. Granted, it does look like it have had some upgrades.
Beautiful machinery. Good, concise explanations.
We had voice tubes in the engine room in the Navy. One prank was to call the lower pump level guy to the tube and when he put his ear to the opening to listen, pour ice water down and it hits him right in the ear. It was often 120F down there.
120°F is just under 50°C isn't it? I'm fairly fluent in Inches, Feet and Miles, and can at least estimate psi, but Fahrenheit really confuses me. Anyway, when I was a Cadet, I always was on the same Ship (5000 TEU, built 2014 in China), but once had another Ship from the same Company (2500 TEU, built 1999 in Germany) berthed right besides in Lagos/Nigeria. I went over for a quick Visit, and they had 45°C in the Engine Room, because the Ventilation System was broken with only one of three Fans functioning. They told me it exceeds 50°C when the Main Engine is running. When studying Marine Engineering, my Electrical Engineering Teacher used to be a Submariner before working shortly in Commercial Shipping, then becoming a Teacher. According to him, Engine Room Temperatures exceeded 60°C in Tropical Waters, as the Class 206A Submarines were designed primarily for the North and Baltic Seas, and perhaps the Mediterranean. The new Class 212A has upgraded Ventilation and Aircondition Systems, to allow worldwide Deployment. The hottest I ever experienced was on the Stadt Zürich, as the Throttle Valve is not insulated at all there, and the 350°C superheated Steam passing through it radiates a lot. Air Temperature probably isn't overly spectacular (I estimate 40-45°C), but the Heat radiating off makes one feel really hot when standing next to the Valve.
Wonderful Video!
Forget the machinery, the cleanliness is what is incredible.
Wonderful explanation thanks for the video
You're doing a great job with your speaking, friend, don't cut yourself so short, just take a moment to breathe and take your time, if it makes you feel any better I struggled with German pretty hard in school, I still speak very limited and get hung up on some characters.
Stay Safe, and thank you for sharing these amazing (and thoroughly addressed) examples, You're a fantastic contribution to the curious like myself.
Interesting to watch all this.
People designed a beautiful engine back then and has some good caretakers now.
A salute to the people who keep it in this mint condition.
this was amazing...better then any other video on steam stuff ive ever seen...i finally understand stuff ive wounded forever...and yes im splitting comments to help the algorithm hehehe
This is probably one of the nicest sounding steam engines ever.
It should be a lot quieter though. The Valves rattle a lot because they're worn out after just two Years. As stated in the Video, I recorded it two Days before the 2022 Season ended, and the Valves may be replaced right now. The previous Valves lasted much longer though; perhaps the ones replaced in the 2018-2021 major Rebuild even were the original Valves from 1929, but I'm not too sure about that.
142 takes. Perfectionist. Agree. Subscribed immediately.
Interesting musings prime cut. Perciate it Hombre 🎉 love the Show 🤩.
What a video, I enjoyed it. You might even say it's a bit mind blowing, in a good way. Thanks
What a great marvelous piece of Old Steam Engine fusion with today technology: variable valve timing hydraulic controlled, full flow close circuit main bearing Lubricating System, biodegradable cylinder Lubricating Oil, condenser with Cyclone System and Turbine, Single Lever Control with Direct Reversing and Throttle Control same as modern diesel engine, modern boiler system with comprehensive engine room monitoring, but still maintained traditional engine room layout even with, I believed Electric Engine Telegraph, Great Great marine engineering achievement.
The Condensers only look like Cyclones, I fell for that "Fallacy" too at first. But the Shape has a different Reason; they are wide at the Top because of the Turbine inside (a Pelton Wheel to be precise) and then get narrower towards the Pump Inlet at the Bottom. The Single Lever even is simpler than many Marine Diesel Engines; these often have separate Controls for the Starting Air, Fuel Rack (aka Throttle) and Rversing Cam Shaft.
super video, vielen Dank
Cannot believe how clean the whole engine room is.
Welcome to Switzerland, even Mudslides are clean there: ruclips.net/video/5ZKoIZHKRUM/видео.html
very OCD clean.
Wonderful to see this fine machinery. Best wishes from the Beckersville Steam Engineering Co.
Oh yes! Watched it all to the end! ;) And that's one ship I'd like to board and travel with!
Excellent piece of engineering, and kept so clean,
Excellent Video.
Kompliziert und faszinierend. Hydraulische Steuerung für Dampfmaschinen...
Reminds me of the SS Badger, she's got Skinner Uniflows in her, and she's still in commercial service, the last coal-fired steamship to do so.
Pretty similar to this setup, except the poppet valves are operated mechanically by a camshaft, and each crank has a pair of single-acting pistons with two cylinder heads, one small high pressure one to drive upwards, the other low pressure bigger one downwards. It's called a "steeple compound" design.
Each engine develops 3500HP, so 7000HP in all to drive the twin four-blade screws.
A great video, thank you. I often wonder what advances we would have made with steam engines if we had continued to innovate the technology.
Man, you are a Genius!. It is interesting, precise and gives me this goosebumps of engineering. Thank you!
When I renamed my Channel, I just couldn't think of a better Name than this Sign, which I used to have on my Workshop Door back then: www.ebay.de/itm/374180544579?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=707-134425-41852-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=374180544579&targetid=1404115579373&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9042346&poi=&campaignid=17935704717&mkgroupid=139162549385&rlsatarget=pla-1404115579373&abcId=9301059&merchantid=115525232&gclid=CjwKCAiAnZCdBhBmEiwA8nDQxd_nXcTb8yvswsO1R0w0fbovlDHKlC66uinP2EuiUY452RRPjtahvRoCGJwQAvD_BwE
Btw. that's no Affiliate Link, hence I don't get paid if you click it. Not that I expect you to care, but there are some Lawyers in Germany, who are very aggressive in sueing such Things and I don't want to lose 10,000+ € over such ridiculous Things.
your voice over was great!
Fascinating! Having been on the Paddle Steamer Waverly in the UK a couple of times, (Triple compound), I think I prefer mechanical systems, then I can watch them for long enough to understand them :-). With high pressure hydraulics all you see is pipework!
Life must get interesting if a pipe fails, though!
Bravo, well done.... ... .. !
Bitte richten Sie Ihren Ellbogen zur Decke und klopfen Sie sich auf die Schulter, weil Sie eine großartige Arbeit geleistet haben.
👍
Excelent video! 💪🏻
Thanks, I had a lot of bad Luck while making it so it's good to see it finally paying off now.
Superbe machine, beautifully maintained and a great video thank you. The notes in red are hard to read though, thanks anyway :-)
i think you sell yourself short, you are very well spoken. i also struggle with speaking though so i know what you mean. good work on the video! very interesting!
Great video. You may want to increase the sound volume on the narration, since it’s very valuable to hear what you’re saying!😊
That wouldn't help; what makes the Narration hard to hear are the Cooling Fans in the Background. Increasing the Sound Volume just makes Things louder but not easier to understand.
Love to see the boiler
Nice. I crewed on a steam paddle wheel river boat. Also with new fuel oil boiler.
>> 10:40
Precision is beautiful.
This is what happens when a Swiss watchmaker design a steamboat engine.
Very interesting video. If you'd like to check it out, I know of at least one other ship with a complicated Uniflow steam engine (two actually, each powering a different screw); the S.S. Badger.
It was originally used to haul railcars across Lake Michigan, but later had the car deck filled in with cement, and now hauls road vehicles. It is also the last coal fired steamship in the United States.
The main difference between its engines and the ones on the Stadt Luzern (based on what you presented in this video), is that its engines use camshafts to operate the poppet valves rather than hydraulics, and also the fact that the engines are compound. Each engine has four high pressure cylinder feeding into a larger low pressure cylinder blow that (a configuration coined as a steeple design).
You can see videos of it online, and it has quite a bit going on. Just the reversing gear for a ship that uses what appears to be a roller cam is probably going to be fairly complicated.
I'm not sure what else is going on inside, but it is quite fascinating to see operate.
I do know that this configuration makes for a very efficient steam engine, relatively speaking.
After watching more of the video, I can see how this could be more complicated in a sense. The Badger is still built more like a traditional ship in the sense that everything is directly mechanical.
Absolutely beautiful !. Thanks for the lovely video, regards from the UK.
I bet bleeding those control oil circuits is a chore - probably has to be perfectly air-free in order for the valve timing to be correct. Pretty neat!
i love how the subtitles say foreign when its the ambient part ...because steam engines are singing and talking ...not just mechanical noise like we have today :)
I for one would have gladly watched at greater length. Someday I hope you have the chance to visit the S.S. Badger in Michigan to document her Skinner Unaflows (that's how Skinner spelled it) Thanks for a great video with outstanding explanations.
The Problem is that such a Video would drag on endlessly; it would have to be more like a Lecture/Slideshow, as there just isn't enough to visualise it with Footage recorded on board. I already had to repeat the same 2-3 Clips over and over again, when explaining the relatively simple Hydraulic Valve Gear. Regulating/Control Systems are kinda tricky to epxlain in general; I lost Count on how many Hours I spent on Woodward Governors while studying Marine Engineering.
Grüezi.
Sooooo schön !!
Wie ein Diamant.
hi there very interesting thanks john
this should be "standard" not exceptional or called "overengineered", it is a marvel. if they had such a hydraulic, mechanic, old-school machine in Fukushima-Daiichi, driven by residual decay-heat steam, those reactors would have survived the tsunami flooding! No electric controls, no transistors, nowhere. Sulzer is a good company.
Next time you animate the engines use red and blue. red for hot, blue cold. Other than that great video
ngl this was thing I loved most on trip to swiss
Given that the auxiliary steam motor drives the lubrication and timing for the main engine, is there a second auxiliary motor to drive the lubrication for the auxiliary motor?
No. The Steam Motor has Cylinder Oilers similar to the Main Engine, that are driven by the same Oil System as e.g. the Sump Pump. When starting up, that System is powered by one of the two Auxilary Pumps. On other Engines, such Cylinder Oilers are Hand-cranked when starting up, but the Way I understood it, they should be powered by said Auxilary Pump too.
Beautiful machine. I have wondered whether it might be practical to operate steam valves by other means than mechanical linkage, and I thought, probably not. I had been thinking in terms of steam cylinders for them with servomechanisms, similar to those used for amplifying the reversing control on large US steam locos. But I guessed that such a system would waste too much power. Now you show hydraulically-actuated steam valves, and I think it's a very cool design. This permits more rapid opening and shutting of the valves than mechanical systems could, I suppose. More control over the timing.
Thanks for explaining uniflow.
Actually, I don't see much Practicality in the Hydraulic Valves other than the automated Controls. They have way more Points of Failure, and finding and fixing the Fault is a lot more tricky than with simple stuck Mechanics. This Engine sure is an interesting Curiosity, but I can see why such Designs didn't catch on. Simplicity, and thus by extent Reliability just rules. There are more Mechanic Valve Gears though, other than the widespread Walschaerts (Locomotives) and Stephenson (Marine Engine) Types. E.g. the Caprotti and Sulzer Valve Gears with Poppet Valves. The Caprotti Valve Gear actuates them with a Cam Shaft similar to an internal Combustion Engine, and the Sulzer Valve Gear has an Eccentric Shaft. The Tandem-Compound Engine mentioned and shown briefly here has a Sulzer Valve Gear. It is fairly common in stationary Engines, as the Sulzer Valve Gear controls the Valve Timing only and thus is great to keep Pumping or Generating Engines at steady Speed through varying Loads.
@@Genius_at_Work Plus, there's the Corliss configuration.
Every thing is so clean
Welcome to Switzerland, even Mudslides are clean there: ruclips.net/video/5ZKoIZHKRUM/видео.html
The Casablanca class escort carriers used Skinner uniflow steam engines they were supposed to be very fuel efficient and there may be a couple ferries on the great lakes that still use them.
Very interesting engine/system. I might have missed it but was is the Bore/Stroke on this triple?
Didn't know that about Mr. Watt
Another little known Fact is that James Watt's Steam Engines worked on Condenser Vacuum only. The Steam never exceeded Atmospheric Pressure, and the Condenser Vacuum sucking the Piston is what powered the Engine. The predecessing Newcomen Engine condensed the Steam directly in the Cylinder, by injecting Cooling Water into it. James Watt realised that this causes the Cylinder to be heated and cooled repeatedly, thus wasting a lot of Energy and making the Engine inefficient. He designed a separate Condenser to move Condensation away from the Cylinder, thus keeping the Cylinder hot at all Times. This boosted Efficiency to η=0.03 (aka 3%), compared to η=0.01 (aka 1%) of the Newcomen Engine. The Newcomen Engine isn't the first Steam Engine either; Thomas Newcomen designed a "Valve Gear" to control Steam Admission, Cooling Water Injection and Condensate Exhaustion. Previously, these were manually controlled by the Engineer operating the Engine. Such Steam Engines existed since the mid-17th Century, but using the Vacuum of condensing Steam has been known to the Ancient Greeks, who used it to "magically" open Temple Doors.
the last steam engine built in sitzerland is the one from DS Spiez in 2020! they built a complete new designed steam engine
Big Hickup there, I completely forgot DLM when writing the Description. Good Thing I didn't include that in the Video itself.
ruclips.net/video/-MZVIFrvIP4/видео.html
Now there's some noise I can fall asleep to
I understand that each line between the governor and the valve has some sealed amount of control oil. How is that volume compensated for thermal expansion? (Or maybe I'm wrong that each of the lines is its own closed system?)
Excellent video. Just wondering if the condensate is passed through an oil separator before discharge overboard.
Nope. If it had one, the Water could as well be reused as Boiler Feed Water. Oil Separators need Maintenance, hence it's cheaper to dump Condensate over board and use Lake/River Water as Boiler Feed Water, if it is soft enough. All Five Lake Lucerne Paddle Steamers dump oily Consensate into the Lake, but the Absence of any Oil Pollution proves the right Choice of Oil.
It’s more impressive that such complex systems and level of precision could be achieved without the aid of CAD. Like everything back then, all had to be designed by hand with very complex math calculations. Rooms full of people sitting at table after table after table drawing for hours and days on end.