How does a steam engine work? Detailed answer

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How does a steam engine work? Detailed answer

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How does a steam engine work?

In order to create machines that work for him, man had to look for the energy that exists in nature. When we boil water, it turns into a gas called steam. This steam tends to break out, sweeping away everything in its path. In a steam engine, this property of steam is used so that it does work not in vain. When we watch a boiling kettle, we see that the steam spreads as soon as it leaves the kettle. If we plug the spout of the kettle with a cork and then close the lid tightly, the cork will fly out.

A steam engine resembles a kettle with a lid that rises and falls to stay in place. In a steam engine, this cover is called the "piston". Many tried to create a steam engine, but could not solve certain problems. In some cases, the steam was under too high pressure to do work. This led to the fact that the boilers exploded. In other cases, it was necessary to constantly heat the water, and this took too much coal.

Finally, James Watt invented the steam engine, in which the force of the released steam was applied directly to the piston during its stroke, and work was done. In his engine, the piston rose three feet in the cylinder under the pressure of the steam. Then, under the action of gravity, the piston rod was lowered to its original position. This is called a single acting motor. If steam constantly enters the cylinder during the movement of the piston, this requires a large amount of it.

In modern engines, only a small amount of steam enters the cylinder. And steam costs are low. Later, Watt invented an additional part of the engine - a capacitor. It was a hollow container connected to the cylinder by pipes and valves. Steam entered it, condensed back into water, so that it would then turn into steam again.

And the third improvement introduced by Watt is that he found a way to move the piston in such a way that the steam pushes it in one direction and the other.

If you do not resort to gravity when lowering the piston, but press on it, then the work produced by steam will be done. In this case, the piston will do work, moving both up and down. This is called a double acting motor. The piston of a steam engine can be connected to a pump, a lever, a wheel, and make the machinery move.

Author: Likum A.

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