9
1. Basics about the steam engine
Steam engines are heat engines and they work in contrary to the combustion
motors without inner combustion. Mechanical energy is provided through
the pressure of the steam. One can use different sources of heat to make the
engine work; so all liquid, solid and gaseous fuels. Steam engines are also
capable to transform solar energy and growing fuels for our needs. They do
this in a low emission and climate neutral way.
1.1 The steam engine and its development
Constructions and their precursors, which work with steam pressure, have
been already used in the Greece antique. It is described that the doors of the
temple after lightening the holy fire would open in a magic way due to a
construction which worked with steam.
Leading steps in the development of the steam engine principles happened
during the time of the industrial revolution, f. ex. through Denis Papin. 1690
he invented the pressure cooker, where he developed a first prototype of a
steam engine with cylinder and piston. In 1698 the British engineer Thomas
Savery constructed an engine, working on steam, which was supposed to
pump the groundwater. In 1712 the engineer Thomas Newcomen developed
the principle even further into an atmospheric steam engine.
Information:
The atmospheric steam engine is a precursor model with the following
function: water steam is pressed into the space of the cylinder below the
piston, which cools down through added cold water and finally condenses.
This causes a negative pressure and because of the higher external
atmospheric pressure now the piston is pressed into the cylinder. Through
the flywheel mass and the opened steam valve the piston is again pressed
into the cylinder. The energetic efficiency of this construction is about
1%.
In 1769 James Watt managed to patent a double functioning steam engine.
In this construction the piston is alternately shifted from one side to the
other through steam. This increased the efficiency enormously. James Watt
described the out put of his engine in horsepower, which had been used as a
measurement for power engines for a long period of time, f. ex. with
automobiles.
Summary of Contents for D100E
Page 1: ...1 A b b 2 2 1 M o nt a g e d es K es se ls Steambox D 100 E E Box E 50 ...
Page 2: ...2 ...
Page 6: ...6 ...
Page 27: ...27 Fig 2 3 2 Steam engine of the Steam Box with generator ...
Page 28: ...28 ...
