Pic of the Day

[ted.walsh]

umm, ahh, interesting........
loving the fuel flow discussion. not entirely sure it should be here or in tech talk but i ponder this.
on the numbers from Adrian I make it that the Orph at full beans wants to guzzle 40 - 45 litres per min on stock settings the beryl half that. taking that all the boost pumps tanks and other gubbins put in the way between the main fuel tank and the engine is just a buffer, can we theorise the fuel flow out of the siphon on the tank to be (based upon a 15in head height, Bill?, Mike?)? using Bernoulli theory and the power of google it pops the numbers of 88 liters per min i.e plenty
with 0.75 bore this drops to 49 liters and a lot closer to the max fuel requirement.
that is all based on a non pumped/sucked gravity fed system and without any compensation for losses as the fuel got used or even if they used to brim the tank for each run, which with not much tinkering can drop the numbers below 40 and into the mid thirties. not enough by the guesstimates for max throttle performance on the orph but plenty for the beryl.

is this something we can actually test in a rig or better still a live environment?

[Renegadenemo]

is this something we can actually test in a rig or better still a live environment?

The main elements of the setup have already been rig tested and we have proven data on them, those being the piston pump and the two electric boost pumps. The biggest part of the problem seems not to be the amount of fuel that the system can flow, though this is compromised when it comes to the Orph' on the old Beryl setup, but the LP boost pressure that can be achieved through the lashed-up and underrated plumbing. In a nutshell, the piston pump governor references its servo pressure (and servo pressure is the Holy Grail so far as controlling the engine is concerned) against the LP boost pressure. No LP boost - no servo pressure - nothing works properly.
Some very serious engineers / boffins have provided a spec for rig-testing the fuel system so when all the parts are back in one place we'll do as we've done with the hyd system and run everything away from the boat until we have it performing properly. The 66/67 team had many things going on that they didn't understand, we're not going to do that.

[ted.walsh]

that will be a very interesting day indeed...

[rob565uk]

Given the importance of LP boost pressure and the apparent lack of thrust when K7 became airborne in 1967, I am drawn back to a fact and a theory. The fact is that on disassembly of the main electrical connection blocks, I found the main positive connection from the batteries was not secured properly and was likely making unreliable contact. This could have caused intermittent LP boost pump operation. Also, seeing how hard it is to service the batteries in their location beneath the Orpheus' inlet trunk, I wonder how well the Team was able to maintain them, despite what I am sure would have been their very best efforts. It would have been very difficult to see into the cells of the batteries to check and top up the electrolyte levels. In addition, the weather was freezing much if the time and particularly on the final run. Such low temperatures have a serious effect on the chemistry of lead-acid batteries. So a number of factors could have led to the batteries not giving full and reliable power to the LP boost pumps - which as we now know, could have resulted in flameout at a critical time.

[Renegadenemo]

Just a small addition to the above - all true and accurate but the current thinking on the cause of the flameouts is the fuel system drawing air from somewhere. low LP boost would cause the performance to fall away quite dramatically but it wouldn't put the fire out. Air in the system, on the other hand, would put it out given so much as a sub-second chance. Considering that no means was provided to bleed the aux tank and that the rest of the system was dubious at best it seems probable that air was getting in somewhere and that this is the most likely culprit.

[no1traumanurse]

Todays pic of the day induced an old panic thought I have triggered by your last words "when will Bluebird be finished..."
I have this recurring mightmare that one day I will log on, not only has she been finished but I missed her getting wet again and there she is, in the museum.
No, I don't want to know how long it will be, that is a pressure you dont deserve, but please don't be quiet when the end is in sight. There are days off to be sorted, massive traffic jams to plan for, new teeth to be ordered...got to look my best.
Seriously, I wish you all a happy, peaceful and safe 2016 and work your magic in your own good time.

[malcolm uk]

but please don't be quiet when the end is in sight. There are days off to be sorted, massive traffic jams to plan for,

If I may 'jump in' - I can let everyone know that provide they stay awake, enthusiasts will not miss anything that happens with Bluebird K7 once the craft is completed. Can you imagine the build team being quiet - let alone those involved with the Operations? Fireworks over Hudson Street may be extreme but who knows .............

There are a number of stages in the process of getting K7 from North Shields, through the Proving Trial on Coniston Water and then placed into the Ruskin Museum. There are many organisations who will be involved with the holding of the Proving Trial (which the byelaws allow) and they will have to demonstrate to their public that they are 'doing the right thing(s)' and they cannot and will not remain silent. The 'days' will be known in advance.

Then in this 'enlightened age' of modern communication technology (facebo****ks Bill! ), the first sighting of a big blue boat leaving the North East on a trailer will be known to the World in what ........ five minutes ........... maybe even less. My guess is that everyone who wants to see her, could wait for that sighting and then make their way to Coniston to see the craft arrive in the village.

Plans will be in place to try to prevent any traffic jams along the transport route and in the village itself. Once unloaded, the tethered events on the edge of the shore will lead into the sub 100mph development runs of Bluebird K7. [And do not forget that there are 12 proving runs without any stipulated speed, which Ted will not be expected to complete in a day].

[no1traumanurse]

Malcolm
Thanks for the detailed reply, obviously my post was slightly tongue in cheek in that I realise she wouldnt quietly sneak back to Coniston. I didn't know that so many runs were in the planning, its going to be a special time for so many people. The level of pre-planning done goes to show how much has been dovetailed together that I for one was unaware of.
Huge respect to everyone that's been involved down the years.
Thanks again
Dave

[Black Knight]

Is the subject of todays pic of the day the part that broke during the crash & was incorrectly manufactured originally?

[Renegadenemo]

Is the subject of todays pic of the day the part that broke during the crash & was incorrectly manufactured originally?

There's no evidence that there was anything wrong with the original, it just that it wasn't designed to be placed in tension then hammered with high frequency shock-loads until it snapped. It was designed for the more gentle (relatively speaking) loading and unloading experienced in an aircraft in flight. And only very recently have we also discovered just how easily the inlet trunk would have been displaced in that event and then everything would have gone horribly wrong.