Ictineo-II: advances in the shipyard

[pedro gomez]

I’ll show you some pictures about the advance in the built of 1/10 Ictineo-II:

The two epoxy-fibreglass pressure hulls were finished and now , we are planking the first hull. The engines: flywheels and one engine’s block, after lathe and milling process.

Still It's necessary a lot of work.

Greetings

Pedro

[pirate]

That looks incredible, Pedro. Good

That looks incredible, Pedro. Good name by the way. You guys in SubComSPAIN build impressive models. Keep up the good work, and keep showing us the progress.

Pete

[raalst]

flywheels ?
are you making

flywheels ?
are you making a steam engine as a motor ?

beautiful project. good luck !

[tsenecal]

raalst....

it appears he wants to

raalst....

it appears he wants to make a truly prototypical model of the real thing:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ictineo_II

[pedro gomez]

About the engine

Hi Guys:

Yes, the Wikipedia description is good to understand the contribution of Monturiol in the submarine history. In my previous Post about Ictineo II, I gave us a link to find the Ictineo-II memories of Monturiol, with a very good description (in Spanish) and drawings about their technical contribution to the submarine systems. The biography of Mattew Stewart (English) is very good to know the history of Monturiol and his Ictineo I and II, and their difficulties in his enterprise in the Spain of 1860.
The Ictineo-II was powered with a two cylinders steam-coal for surface propulsion and another one, a one cylinder steam-chemical combustion for underwater travel.
The boiler was one for both engines, because it included the two fuels compartments in the same.
The unresolved thing was how remove the heat inside the submarine (50ºC after some hours of travel), in a wooden hull . The bankrupt didn’t permit him the possibility of solve this problem.

About the model, is a 1/10 scale model of steam powered Ictineo II, different in their exterior look with the human propulsion one (surface chimney and chemical fuel storage hatch).
I thought in the beginning of the project, power the model by a steam engine with a boiler, to the possibility to be fairly close to the real thing. But the fear to a gas leak and a explosion, coal is not possible (very difficult), methanol is also complicate, to feed the boiler, made me give up to the idea, but not the engine. So I’ll feed the steam engine with compressed air, an idea that Monturiol also thought, but not used because the range.The “Intelligent Whale” used this.
So, this Ictineo-II is engineered with a Stuart-twin cylinder steam engine feed with air compressed, with a range of half hour, according to the calculations. The air compressed source is a bottle with a pressure of 250 kg/cm2 and two pressure reducers to achieve the work pressure of 4 kg/cm2. Steam engines feeded with air compressed is a normal thing to see in inner exhibitions.

Greetings

Pedro

[hakkikt]

This is a very fascinating

This is a very fascinating concept!

I have two questions:
1. Are you using a modified scuba diving regulator? I ask because they have 2 stages too.
2. What will happen with the compressed air after it has done its work? Will it go overboard?

[pedro gomez]

About the air compressed system

Hi Guys :
Hakkikt, the mounting I have designed use the pressure reducer wich go with the air compressed bottle, a paintball gun bottle. This one, reduce the pressure from 250 kg/cm2 to 60 kg/cm2. A second regulator, a soldering industrial pressure variable regulator, reduce from 60 to 3-4 kg/cm2, the work pressure. This mounting is very cheap and very easy to made, opposite other options.

This air compressed system is used too as a blow ballast system, with a solenoid valve.

The engine escapes went to an expansion bottle, and then to overboard.
In the first engine trials, I’ll test if the escapes will empty the ballast tank. I thing it is possible because the external pressure is low, maximum 0,3 kg/cm2, and if it is
necessary, I can increase the feed pressure in the second regulator with a servo.

Gretings

Pedro