Steam Engine Design/White Cliffs

The White Cliffs Solar Steam Engine project was conducted in the 1980's by the Australian NSW Dept. of Energy. Part of the project involved the construction of a large heliostat to collect solar energy converted to steam which drove custom steam engine to generate electricity. The project was discontinued to 1991 when White Cliffs joined the national power grid.

See Erik Rossen's review at http://www.rossen.ch/solar/wcengine.html.
NSW DOE contact information at http://www.rossen.ch/solar/miniheliostatfaq.html#q10.
Erik's visit to Department Engineering Physics of the Australia National University in Canberra at http://www.rossen.ch/solar/anu.html.

Things to note about this design:

• Use of bump pins on the cylinder head to open ball valves.
• Three cylinder design based on a recycled Lister Diesel Engine.
• Splash oil lubrication