I have been reading the 1973 book "Experimental Flash Steam" about powering model boats using flash steam boilers. The high pressure, easy superheat, and fast startup make these boilers really interesting, but they are a little hard to control. I am wondering how you would apply modern control technology to a flash steam boiler, i.e. controlling the supply of water and fuel, regulated by temperature and pressure.
Maybe its been done already by somebody tuning their Stanley steam car, but I would be interested in ideas about how you would go about it. Could it be prototyped using a PC, using A/D units for I/O (which I have)? I have no idea about actuators etc, and have never dabbled in microcontollers. Some pointers in this area would be appreciated.
Thanks Cheshire Steve