Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Stationary Engine shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Stationary Engine offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Stationary Engine at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Stationary Engine? Wrong! If the Stationary Engine is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Stationary Engine then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Stationary Engine? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Stationary Engine and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Stationary Engine wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Stationary Engine then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Stationary Engine site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Stationary Engine, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Stationary Engine, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
A
stationary engine is an engine whose framework does not move. It is normally used not to propel a vehicle but to drive a piece of immobile equipment such as a pump or power tool.This article concentrates on oil-burning or internal combustion engines;
steam-powered engines are described separately in
stationary steam engine.
Overview
Stationary engines come in a wide variety of sizes and use a wide variety of technologies. These include:
- Beam engines used in mills and factory before the widespread use of electric power.
Types of stationary engine
Applications
Railways
In
Victorian era railway engineering, many attempts were made to replace
locomotives by stationary engines, on the grounds that it was inefficient to move something as large and heavy as a steam engine around. These attempts only succeeded where short distances were to be covered, where various kinds of cable railway were successful, particularly for steep inclines (where the inefficiency of moving the engine up and down a hill is particularly significant). A heroic failure was
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's attempt to construct an atmospheric railway from Exeter to
Plymouth in Devon, England.
Cable haulage did prove viable where the gradients were exceptionally steep, such as the 1 in 8 gradients of the Cromford and High Peak Railway opened in 1830. Cable railways generally have two tracks with loaded wagons on one track partially balanced by empty wagons on the other, to minimise fuel costs for the stationary engine.
Farms
Small stationary engines were frequently used on a
farm to drive various kinds of power tools and equipment such as circular saws,
pumps, and hay elevators. The engine was fitted to a wooden trolley with steel wheels so that it could be moved to where required, and was then coupled to the equipment by means of a flat belt.
The engines were usually powered by gasoline, but in some cases for economy it was possible to switch over to run on
paraffin after the engine had warmed up - to achieve this required a part of the inlet tract to be heated by exhaust gases in order to vaporise the less volatile fuel. Very large stationary engines ran on a heavier type of fuel oil, but this type of engine was usually too large to be moved; typical applications were electricity generation and large-scale pumping.
Initially, such engines mirrored steam engine design in having the
piston move horizontally, with the
crank and valve gear exposed and employed a drip-feed total loss lubrication system. Later for safety, cleanliness and longevity the design moved towards enclosing the working parts and using sump lubrication.
The four-stroke cycle design was by far the most common, but Petters Limited, a British manufacturer, developed a successful two-stroke cycle design.
A centripetal governor system was usually incorporated to regulate the engine's speed under varying loads. This is a simple negative feedback control system. The engine speed is sensed by a pair of weights that rotate with the crankshaft. As the speed increases,
centripetal force causes the weights to move outward against the pressure of a retaining spring. This outward movement is used to restrict the engine power to limit the speed. If the engine slows down, the centrifugal force reduces and the weights are pulled inward by spring pressure, and this movement is used to increase the engine power to maintain speed under increasing load.
The governor can use one of two techniques for controlling speed. Today, most governors open and close a butterfly valve to control the amount of fuel-air mixture entering the engine. However, in earlier engines, the governor would cut off the fuel air mixture completely. These engines are often called "hit and miss engine" (variously called "hit or miss") because they do not fire on every available power stroke. When the engine is running above a certain rpm, the exhaust valve is held open, and the Magneto (electrical) is prevented from generating a spark. Once the speed drops, the governor allows the exhaust valve to close and the magneto to fire. The engine fires and speeds back up, causing the governor to keep the exhaust valve open again.
On a medium size engine such as a 6hp, the engine can be adjusted so that it only fires every 10 seconds or so when it is not under load. These engines generally drove a wide flat belt to run a firewood cutoff saw, a pump, a reciprocating log saw, etc.
Eventually such engines were rendered obsolete by the development of a universal
power take off (PTO) system on
tractors, which could drive stationary equipment as well as mounted implements with much higher outputs than the average small stationary engines. For non-PTO equipment the arrival of the reliable electric motor or the small, light, high-speed petrol engine meant that even small machines could be driven by their own motors, making dedicated power units unnecessary.
Live steam models of stationary engines are popular among collectors and hobbyists.
Manufacturers of stationary engines
- Rider-Ericsson Engine Company
- Richard Hornsby & Sons
- R A Lister and Company
- Petters Limited
- Lister Petter
Preserved stationary engines
In the UK there are few museums where visitors can see stationary engines in operation. Many museums have one or more engines but only a few specialise in the internal combustion stationary engines. Among these are the Internal Fire - Museum of Power, in Wales, and the Anson Engine Museum in Cheshire. The
Amberley Working Museum in West Sussex also has a number of engines, as does
Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London.
Many live steam, like the Great Dorset Steam Fair, include an exhibit section for internal combustion stationary engines. These engines have been restored by private individuals and often are exhibited in operation, powering water pumps, electric generators, hand tools, and the like.
See also
- Antique Stationary Engines
- Canterbury and Whitstable#The world's first passenger railway Railway.
- Hillclimbing (railway)
- Internal Fire Museum of Power in Wales
- Anson Engine Museum in Cheshire
- Stationary engine website
- Stationary engines in South Africa
- Harry's Old Engine Home Page
A
stationary engine is an engine whose framework does not move. It is normally used not to propel a vehicle but to drive a piece of immobile equipment such as a
pump or power tool.This article concentrates on oil-burning or internal combustion engines;
steam-powered engines are described separately in
stationary steam engine.
Overview
Stationary engines come in a wide variety of sizes and use a wide variety of technologies. These include:
- Power stations of all sizes.
- Beam engines used in mills and factory before the widespread use of electric power.
Types of stationary engine
Applications
Railways
In
Victorian era railway engineering, many attempts were made to replace
locomotives by stationary engines, on the grounds that it was inefficient to move something as large and heavy as a steam engine around. These attempts only succeeded where short distances were to be covered, where various kinds of cable railway were successful, particularly for steep inclines (where the inefficiency of moving the engine up and down a hill is particularly significant). A heroic failure was
Isambard Kingdom Brunel's attempt to construct an
atmospheric railway from Exeter to Plymouth in Devon,
England.
Cable haulage did prove viable where the gradients were exceptionally steep, such as the 1 in 8 gradients of the Cromford and High Peak Railway opened in 1830. Cable railways generally have two tracks with loaded wagons on one track partially balanced by empty wagons on the other, to minimise fuel costs for the stationary engine.
Farms
Small stationary engines were frequently used on a
farm to drive various kinds of power tools and equipment such as
circular saws,
pumps, and hay elevators. The engine was fitted to a wooden trolley with steel wheels so that it could be moved to where required, and was then coupled to the equipment by means of a flat belt.
The engines were usually powered by gasoline, but in some cases for economy it was possible to switch over to run on
paraffin after the engine had warmed up - to achieve this required a part of the inlet tract to be heated by exhaust gases in order to vaporise the less volatile fuel. Very large stationary engines ran on a heavier type of fuel oil, but this type of engine was usually too large to be moved; typical applications were electricity generation and large-scale pumping.
Initially, such engines mirrored steam engine design in having the piston move horizontally, with the crank and
valve gear exposed and employed a drip-feed total loss lubrication system. Later for safety, cleanliness and longevity the design moved towards enclosing the working parts and using sump lubrication.
The four-stroke cycle design was by far the most common, but
Petters Limited, a British manufacturer, developed a successful two-stroke cycle design.
A
centripetal governor system was usually incorporated to regulate the engine's speed under varying loads. This is a simple
negative feedback control system. The engine speed is sensed by a pair of weights that rotate with the crankshaft. As the speed increases, centripetal force causes the weights to move outward against the pressure of a retaining spring. This outward movement is used to restrict the engine power to limit the speed. If the engine slows down, the centrifugal force reduces and the weights are pulled inward by spring pressure, and this movement is used to increase the engine power to maintain speed under increasing load.
The governor can use one of two techniques for controlling speed. Today, most governors open and close a butterfly valve to control the amount of fuel-air mixture entering the engine. However, in earlier engines, the governor would cut off the fuel air mixture completely. These engines are often called "
hit and miss engine" (variously called "hit or miss") because they do not fire on every available power stroke. When the engine is running above a certain rpm, the exhaust valve is held open, and the
Magneto (electrical) is prevented from generating a spark. Once the speed drops, the governor allows the exhaust valve to close and the magneto to fire. The engine fires and speeds back up, causing the governor to keep the exhaust valve open again.
On a medium size engine such as a 6hp, the engine can be adjusted so that it only fires every 10 seconds or so when it is not under load. These engines generally drove a wide flat belt to run a firewood cutoff saw, a pump, a reciprocating log saw, etc.
Eventually such engines were rendered obsolete by the development of a universal
power take off (PTO) system on
tractors, which could drive stationary equipment as well as mounted implements with much higher outputs than the average small stationary engines. For non-PTO equipment the arrival of the reliable electric motor or the small, light, high-speed petrol engine meant that even small machines could be driven by their own motors, making dedicated power units unnecessary.
Live steam models of stationary engines are popular among collectors and hobbyists.
Manufacturers of stationary engines
Preserved stationary engines
In the UK there are few museums where visitors can see stationary engines in operation. Many museums have one or more engines but only a few specialise in the internal combustion stationary engines. Among these are the Internal Fire - Museum of Power, in Wales, and the
Anson Engine Museum in Cheshire. The Amberley Working Museum in West Sussex also has a number of engines, as does Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London.
Many
live steam, like the
Great Dorset Steam Fair, include an exhibit section for internal combustion stationary engines. These engines have been restored by private individuals and often are exhibited in operation, powering water pumps, electric generators, hand tools, and the like.
See also
Stationary Engine - Serving the Stationary Engine Enthusiast
Stationary Engine is a new site which with contributions from its visitors will give everyone a wealth of information, Whether it be a Lister, Petter, Wolesley or any other type of ...
Stationary Engine Magazine - For all stationary engine enthusiasts
Stationary engine is a printed monthly magazine from Kelsey Publishing for all stationary engine enthusiasts. Subscribe, buy back issues and related books online.
Pete's Stationary Engine Pages
pete's stationary engine pages lister wolseley climax pumps engines ... My collection of Stationary Engines, Pumps and other equipment, Lister information.
Stationary Engine Parts - Lister and Petter Engines suitable for CHP ...
Welcome to Stationary Engine Parts Ltd. Welcome to our new look website, we have been busy working to make the website easier to use with better quality pictures, more detailed ...
Lister from Stationary Engine Books
Books, instruction booklets and transfers for collectors of vintage engines and other machinery.
Stationary Engines Scotland
Welcome to our webpages - dedicated to the preservation of Vintage Stationary Engines. These pages contain the only comprehensive online ...
Pete's Stationary Engine Pages
pete's stationary engine pages lister wolseley climax pumps engines ... This is a UK web site best viewed in 1024 X 768. For update record, see bottom of this page.
StationaryLarge
A typical A7 stationary engine. back to original page
Stationary Engines Scotland
Stationary Engines Scotland has moved !! You will be automatically re-directed in 5 seconds. Please update your links to www ...
SUSSEX & KENT WEALD STATIONARY ENGINE GROUP ::
Club interested in the restoration of old internal combustion stationary engines as used in agriculture and industry.
