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Fri. Sep 3
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How Live
Steam Engines Work |
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new era began during the second half of the 18th Century caused by a
radical development of the steam engine; this heralded the industrial
revolution.
The various improvements were largely due to James Watt,
the most significant being the change in design that permits the steam
to drive Newcomen's piston on both the forward and return stroke,
thus increasing the efficiency. This to and fro motion was converted
into rotary movement by either a crank, patented in 1781 by James
Pickard, or by a Sun and Planet, patented by William Murdoch, Watt's
assistant. Once rotary movement was possible the way was open for the
development of steam engines for transport as well as stationary
engines for industrial power.
THE PROCESS:
Heat
being converted into mechanical energy via water (steam) as an
intermediary.
Though this process is seldom seen in transport today our electricity
supplies are generated by steam but the engines are nowadays the
sophisticated turbine and the heat source may well be nuclear.
The diagrams on the left show what actually
happens inside the power converting system (piston and cylinder) when
"fire and water" are brought together to produce mechanical
energy, energy to drive a drilling machine, a saw, locomotive or steam
roller.
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THE PROCESS OF STEAM
ENERGY
The
water in the boiler is heated by the fire, this generates steam
and because it is trapped in the boiler pressure builds up. Steam
can pass, however, to the cylinder (blue dotted lines) via the
slide valves. |
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In
the second diagram the steam can be seen passing to the left side
of the piston, pushing the piston to the right. At the same time
the exhaust steam from the previous stroke is directed, by the
other port on the slide valve, out into the atmosphere, having
done its work, (dotted green line) |
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The
water in the boiler is heated by the fire, this generates steam
and because it is trapped in the boiler pressure builds up. Steam
can pass, however, to the cylinder (blue dotted lines) via the
slide valves. |
 |
The
slide valve continues to move in the same direction this time
opening the inlet port to admit steam to the right hand side of
the piston, again pushing the piston but now to the left,
exhausting the steam through the left hand port. The whole cycle
being repeated when the "dead center" is reached once
more. |
Today
electric
motors and gas engines have replaced the steam engine, nevertheless
they still hold the interest of young and old alike. Toy steam engines engines
cater for this ageless interest in demonstrating the basic principals
of changing heat into mechanical power. |
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