Steam Power Books by Tetracon

10/07/2026

The Stanley Museum is once again at Hershey, Pennsylvania for the AACA Eastern Fall Meet! The Museum's booth is located at RWG-9, where we will host our annual gathering of members and friends on Wednesday, October 7, at 10:00 am. If you are attending the annual auto show and swap meet, please stop by!

10/07/2026

10/05/2026

Field Tube Boiler -downcomer
on Tom Kimmel's dune buggy.
June 2010: These photos show the downcomer that is inside the Field Tube. This is a 4’ length of exhaust pipe of 2” O.D. The three little feet hold it an inch from the bottom of the 2 ½” main pipe. The legs also space it in from the pipe. The exhaust pipe is open at the top and bottom. We are never certain about what is happening inside a boiler, but here is what we think happens. The incoming pre-heated make up water is injected straight up at the middle of the center of the big pipe about an inch below the half rounded chunk of steel. It flows up around the outside of the exhaust pipe causing a flow up through this narrow channel past the hot tubing where steam bubbles are forming, thus causing more natural flow. When the hot water/steam bubble mixture gets to the top of the water level, about where the top of the exhaust pipe is located, the steam bubbles bubble off into the top two feet of the main pipe and the water flows down through the downcomer. The downward flow hits the half toroid shape and is re-directed up along the outside narrow passage. It seems to work and nothing has burned out yet. We think that nothing has burned out because there is always water in the pipe and as the water gets hotter with more steam bubbles formed the natural circulation flow gets faster, cooling down the metal.
More details on his website: http://kimmelsteam.com/kimmel-dunebuggy.html and scroll.

10/05/2026

10/02/2026

The Doble Book Set
Get your copy now at https://tetraconsteambooks.wpcomstaging.com/store/
Free domestic shipping.