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Reply to "Question for the Steam Experts"

I don't think anyone was seriously proposing a steam engine for revenue service, that ship has sailed, I think again this was just a fun thought experiment. People have pointed out, quite correctly, that between maintenance and things like emissions, such a beast would likely not be practical. We could build a steam engine that was a lot more clean burning and efficient than the ones we had in the past, but even at 100% of the rated efficiency, an external combustion engine is significantly less efficient than an internal one (if I remember thermo class correctly, on the absolute scale, an external combution engine's theoretical heat efficiency is around 6%, an internal like a diesel or gasoline engine is around 11 or 12%, based on t2-t1/t2 x100). 

As far as catalytic converters fouling, yes they can, but for example they have catalytic converters now on things like woodstoves. The catalytic converter on a car is made up of exotic metals (platinum, I think rubidium (sp?) and some others), and it can get fouled by some things. Not so much oil, what gets fouled with that is the O2 sensor in the exhaust from what I recall, the catlytic converter on the other hand gets fouled by other metals (it was a blessing that the catalytic converter came about, it single handedly got tetraethyl lead out of gasoline, because lead fouled the catalytic converter, they only banned lead in fuel after basically it wasn't being used any more). The point being there are  a variety of catalytic converters around, wouldn't necessarily be the same one used in cars....and if a relatively clean burning fuel were used in the firebox, like natural gas, likely a converter could be used to help lower emissions. 

The point is I think that such an engine could be built, but it would be basically as someone else said, a modern reproduction of an old technology, not a viable commercial product. The whole point of a thought experiment is to imagine and dream and BS about the possibility, given that none of us is likely to have the capital or experience to do this, it is all in fun, like having trains, the whole point is to have fun with it, should be nothing serious about it. And what makes these kinds of things great is how much you learn or are forced to remember, with things like thermodynamics and the like

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