2014-10-08
The old twin-cylinder Bolinder hot bulb still got the job done. In a crew of 8 we could keep it running for about 19 days and just shut it off about 3 or 4 times. Restarting required some pre heating with a kerosene lamp for about 15 to 30 minutes at each round. That was my first experience with a hot bulb engine, not sure if that is going to be the only one since they are getting quickly phased out. I knew there were some NGOs seeking to reintroduce them on the mainstream market for stationary operations in the so-called "developing world", but it doesn't sound so promising as it was supposed to be.
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I have seen only one hot-bulb engine operating, it was mounted in a stationary stand in the backyard at the house of an old uncle in the 2002-2003 Reveillon. That was a German-made single-cylinder unit, not sure about its brand, but it was supposed to be prior to 1900, previously used in some old boat which used to belong to Uncle Julio, and made a hell of a noise and lots of smoke. Last year I saw other 2 hot-bulb stationary engines from early 20th Century at a museum, one was a German-made Otto and the other was an American-made Mietz and Weiss, they were restored and supposed to be in good running condition but were there for display only.
Hot bulb engines were also used in some old drilling rigs for oil fields, as they could run not just in the gasses that would be burnt away due to their lower commercial value but also on straight crude oil. A few months ago I saw one abandoned in the middle of a desert in Saudi Arabia, covered on rust but still looked like it would start-up in a heartbeat.
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