Long life, quick switching time, steam valve.

[acamer14]

Hello all:

I saw on Youtube where people are building make shift steam engines by putting a sprinkler solenoid on a two stroke engine or a compressor pump. However, they usually demonstrate the unit on compressed air. High temperature, high pressure steam would be rough on this low quality valve.

I was wondering if anybody knows of a valve that would work. I've seen steam solenoid valves from ASCO valve. However, there are some more properties needed for the valve.

-I want the valve to be electrically actuated. (solenoid etc.)
-Handle high pressure
-Handle High temperature
-Quick to switch (3600RPM = 60 on/of cycles per second 50% duty cycle)
-Able to handle 50% duty to continuous.
-Long life over 100,000,000 cycle would be nice

And other properties if you can think they are needed.

Lets see what we can find

 

[subchrissea]

Suggest you research TLX Technologies mini high speed Solenoids
They claim 300 mill cycles
248 deg C
0.2 milliseconds

 

[gerhardl]

To select the best commercial valve available you will have to add some essential data:
- exact pressure
- temperature limit (for saturated steam this will be given as a function of pressure)
- exact flow requirement, expressed by necessary actual trulet (light-) opening. (On solenoid valves you will have vastly different capacities/openings at one given connecting (nominal) size. Example : a 2mm screwed valve might differ from an opening of 0,1 mm diameter up to 2mm)

Good steam valves will have slower action at increasing openings. 60 cycles per second is extremly fast for valves of some size, number of cycles also.

You will most likely have to compromise on one or more of your requirements. Try to give upper and lower limits for the combinations that are interesting for you. Note: checkvalves in inlet/outlet necessary? Caretaking of hot steam /condensate out of the cylinders (safety and practical)?

But: interesting project!