What is a Steam Engine?

A steam engine is a reciprocating power machine that converts the energy of steam into mechanical work. The emergence of the steam engine caused the industrial revolution in the 18th century. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was still the most important prime mover in the world, and then gradually gave way to internal combustion engines and steam turbines.

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A steam engine converts the energy of steam into

The world's first steam engine was made by

In 1764, the school asked Watt to repair a Newcomen steam engine. During the repair process, Watt was familiar with the structure and principle of the steam engine and found two major shortcomings of this steam engine: the piston is not continuous and slow; the steam is used Low rate, waste of raw materials. Later, Watt began to think about ways to improve. Until the spring of 1765, during a walk, Watt thought that since the low thermal efficiency of the Newcomen steam engine is caused by the condensation of steam in the cylinder, why can't the steam be condensed outside the cylinder? Watt has adopted Adopt Separation

The biggest advantage of modern steam engines is that they can use almost all fuels to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy. Unlike an internal combustion engine, it is not picky about its fuel. In addition, atomic energy cannot be used without a steam engine. Atomic reactors do not directly generate mechanical energy or electrical energy. Atomic reactors actually only heat water. This water is converted into useful work by the steam through the steam engine. Steam does not necessarily need to be generated by combustion. For example, the use of solar collectors can also generate steam to propel the steam engine.

Another compact external combustion engine with similar advantages is

The weakness of the steam engine is: without the boiler, the entire device is bulky and bulky; the pressure and temperature of the new steam cannot be too high, the exhaust pressure cannot be too low, and the thermal efficiency is difficult to improve; it is a reciprocating machine, and the inertia limits the speed The work process is discontinuous, and the flow of steam is limited, which limits the increase of power.

Therefore, the internal combustion engine of the bulky boiler was abandoned, and eventually it replaced the steam engine on ships and locomotives due to its light weight, small size, high thermal efficiency, and flexible operation. Steam turbines have extruded steam turbines out of the power station due to their high thermal efficiency, high single power, high speed, light weight and stable operation.

Then the electric motor replaced the application of the steam engine in industrial equipment for its convenience. However, the thermal efficiency of low-power steam engines is higher than that of steam turbines, so there is still room for steam engines to play a role in coal-producing areas or areas with only inferior fuels or in some special occasions.

The steam engine has a great historical role. It has promoted the development of the machinery industry and even society, solved the most critical problems in the production of large machines, and promoted unprecedented progress in transportation. Thermodynamics and

Watt is improving steam engine

Mechanism studies have laid the foundation for the development of steam turbines and internal combustion engines; steam turbines have inherited the characteristics of steam engines using steam as the working medium, and the advantages of using condensers to reduce exhaust pressure, abandoning the shortcomings of reciprocating motion and intermittent steam intake; internal combustion engine inheritance The basic structure and transmission form of the steam engine were adopted, and the fuel was directly input into the cylinder for combustion, forming a thermal cycle with much higher thermal efficiency. At the same time, the cylinder, piston, flywheel, fly hammer governor, and valve used by the steam engine And seals, etc., are the basic elements that make up many modern machines.

Part of the reason for the industrial revolution was the improvement of the steam engine (Watt did not invent the steam engine, he only improved it), and the generation of the steam locomotive was also due to the improvement of the steam engine and the application of future generations. At that time, Britain encouraged the invention, and the population increased. When the need to increase production speed, some people began to work hard to improve the production equipment at that time, Watt was one of them, and Watt's improvement of the steam engine led to a series of technological revolutions that caused a shift from manual labor to power machine production. Therefore, the improvement of the steam engine is definitely one of the reasons for the industrial revolution. The steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that uses a steam engine as a source of power. Therefore, it would not be possible to have this vehicle without the improvement of the steam engine.