I will skip the inspection of the museum exhibition and go straight to the engine room. Those who are interested can find the full version of the post in my LiveJournal. The machine room is located in this building:
29. Going inside, I was breathless with delight - inside the hall was the most beautiful steam engine I have ever seen. It was a real temple of steampunk - a sacred place for all adherents of the aesthetics of the steam age. I was amazed by what I saw and realized that it was not in vain that I drove into this town and visited this museum.
30. In addition to the huge steam engine, which is the main museum object, various samples of smaller steam engines were also presented here, and the history of steam technology was told on numerous information stands. In this picture you see a fully functioning 12 hp steam engine.
31. Hand for scale. The machine was created in 1920.
32. A 1940 compressor is exhibited next to the main museum specimen.
33. This compressor was used in the past in the railway workshops of the Werdau station.
34. Well, now let's take a closer look at the central exhibit of the museum exposition - a 600-horsepower steam engine manufactured in 1899, to which the second half of this post will be devoted.
35. The steam engine is a symbol of the industrial revolution that took place in Europe in the late 18th and early 19th century. Although the first models of steam engines were created by various inventors at the beginning of the 18th century, they were all unsuitable for industrial use, as they had a number of drawbacks. The mass use of steam engines in industry became possible only after the Scottish inventor James Watt improved the mechanism of the steam engine, making it easy to operate, safe and five times more powerful than the models that existed before.
36. James Watt patented his invention in 1775 and as early as the 1880s, his steam engines began to infiltrate factories, becoming the catalyst for the industrial revolution. This happened primarily because James Watt managed to create a mechanism for converting the translational motion of a steam engine into rotational. All steam engines that existed before could only produce translational movements and be used only as pumps. And Watt's invention could already rotate the wheel of a mill or drive factory machines.
37. In 1800, the firm of Watt and his companion Bolton produced 496 steam engines, of which only 164 were used as pumps. And already in 1810 in England there were 5 thousand steam engines, and this number tripled in the next 15 years. In 1790, the first steam boat carrying up to thirty passengers began to run between Philadelphia and Burlington in the United States, and in 1804 Richard Trevintik built the first operating steam locomotive. The era of steam engines began, which lasted the entire nineteenth century, and on the railway and the first half of the twentieth.
38. This was a brief historical background, now back to the main object of the museum exhibition. The steam engine you see in the pictures was manufactured by Zwikauer Maschinenfabrik AG in 1899 and installed in the engine room of the "C.F.Schmelzer und Sohn" spinning mill. The steam engine was intended to drive spinning machines and was used in this role until 1941.
39. Chic nameplate. At that time, industrial machinery was made with great attention to aesthetic appearance and style, not only functionality was important, but also beauty, which is reflected in every detail of this machine. At the beginning of the twentieth century, simply no one would have bought ugly equipment.
40. The spinning mill "C.F.Schmelzer und Sohn" was founded in 1820 on the site of the present museum. Already in 1841, the first steam engine with a power of 8 hp was installed at the factory. for driving spinning machines, which in 1899 was replaced by a new, more powerful and modern one.
41. The factory existed until 1941, then production was stopped due to the outbreak of war. For all forty-two years, the machine was used for its intended purpose, as a drive for spinning machines, and after the end of the war in 1945-1951, it served as a backup source of electricity, after which it was finally written off from the balance of the enterprise.
42. Like many of her brothers, the car would have been cut, if not for one factor. This machine was the first steam engine in Germany, which received steam through pipes from a boiler house located in the distance. In addition, she had an axle adjustment system from PROELL. Thanks to these factors, the car received the status of a historical monument in 1959 and became a museum. Unfortunately, all the factory buildings and the boiler building were demolished in 1992. This machine room is the only thing left of the former spinning mill.
43. Magical aesthetics of the steam age!
44. Nameplate on the body of the axle adjustment system from PROELL. The system regulated the cut-off - the amount of steam that is let into the cylinder. More cut-off - more efficiency, but less power.
45. Instruments.
46. By its design, this machine is a multiple expansion steam engine (or as they are also called a compound machine). In machines of this type, steam expands sequentially in several cylinders of increasing volume, passing from cylinder to cylinder, which makes it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of the engine. This machine has three cylinders: in the center of the frame there is a high pressure cylinder - it was into it that fresh steam from the boiler room was supplied, then after the expansion cycle, the steam was transferred to the medium pressure cylinder, which is located to the right of the high pressure cylinder.
47. Having completed the work, the steam from the medium pressure cylinder moved to the low pressure cylinder, which you see in this picture, after which, having completed the last expansion, it was released outside through a separate pipe. Thus, the most complete use of steam energy was achieved.
48. The stationary power of this installation was 400-450 hp, maximum 600 hp.
49. The wrench for car repair and maintenance is impressive in size. Under it are the ropes, with the help of which the rotational movements were transmitted from the flywheel of the machine to the transmission connected to the spinning machines.
50. Flawless Belle Époque aesthetics in every screw.
51. In this picture, you can see in detail the device of the machine. The steam expanding in the cylinder transferred energy to the piston, which in turn carried out translational motion, transferring it to the crank-slider mechanism, in which it was transformed into rotational and transmitted to the flywheel and further to the transmission.
52. In the past, an electric current generator was also connected to the steam engine, which is also preserved in excellent original condition.
53. In the past, the generator was located at this place.
54. A mechanism for transmitting torque from the flywheel to the generator.
55. Now, in place of the generator, an electric motor has been installed, with the help of which a steam engine is set in motion for the amusement of the public for several days a year. Every year the museum hosts "Steam Days" - an event that brings together fans and modelers of steam engines. These days the steam engine is also set in motion.
56. The original DC generator is now on the sidelines. In the past, it was used to generate electricity for factory lighting.
57. Produced by "Elektrotechnische & Maschinenfabrik Ernst Walther" in Werdau in 1899, according to the information plate, but the year 1901 is on the original nameplate.
58. Since I was the only visitor to the museum that day, no one prevented me from enjoying the aesthetics of this place one-on-one with a car. In addition, the absence of people contributed to getting good photos.
59. Now a few words about the transmission. As you can see in this picture, the surface of the flywheel has 12 rope grooves, with the help of which the rotary motion of the flywheel was transmitted further to the transmission elements.
60. A transmission, consisting of wheels of various diameters connected by shafts, distributed the rotational movement to several floors of a factory building, on which spinning machines were located, powered by energy transmitted by a transmission from a steam engine.
61. Flywheel with grooves for ropes close-up.
62. The transmission elements are clearly visible here, with the help of which the torque was transmitted to a shaft passing underground and transmitting rotational motion to the factory building adjacent to the machine room, in which the machines were located.
63. Unfortunately, the factory building was not preserved and behind the door that led to the neighboring building, now there is only emptiness.
64. Separately, it is worth noting the electrical control panel, which in itself is a work of art.
65. Marble board in a beautiful wooden frame with rows of levers and fuses located on it, a luxurious lantern, stylish appliances - Belle Époque in all its glory.
66. The two huge fuses located between the lantern and the instruments are impressive.
67. Fuses, levers, regulators - all equipment is aesthetically pleasing. It can be seen that when creating this shield, the appearance was taken care of not least.
68. Under each lever and fuse is a "button" with the inscription that this lever turns on / off.
69. The splendor of the technology of the period of the "beautiful era".
70. At the end of the story, let's return to the car and enjoy the delightful harmony and aesthetics of its details.
71. Control valves for individual machine components.
72. Drip oilers designed to lubricate moving parts and assemblies of the machine.
73. This device is called a grease fitting. From the moving part of the machine, worms are set in motion, moving the oiler piston, and it pumps oil to the rubbing surfaces. After the piston reaches dead center, it is lifted back by turning the handle and the cycle repeats.
74. How beautiful! Pure delight!
75. Machine cylinders with intake valve columns.
76. More oil cans.
77. A classic steampunk aesthetic.
78. The camshaft of the machine, which regulates the supply of steam to the cylinders.
79.
80.
81. All this is very very beautiful! I received a huge charge of inspiration and joyful emotions while visiting this machine room.
82. If fate suddenly brings you to the Zwickau region, be sure to visit this museum, you will not regret it. Museum website and coordinates: 50°43"58"N 12°22"25"E
Steam engines were used as a driving engine in pumping stations, locomotives, on steam ships, tractors, steam cars and other vehicles. Steam engines contributed to the widespread commercial use of machines in enterprises and were the energy basis of the industrial revolution of the 18th century. Steam engines were later superseded by internal combustion engines, steam turbines, electric motors, and nuclear reactors, which are more efficient.
Steam engine in action
invention and development
The first known device powered by steam was described by Heron of Alexandria in the first century, the so-called "Heron's bath" or "aeolipil". The steam coming out tangentially from the nozzles fixed on the ball made the latter rotate. It is assumed that the transformation of steam into mechanical motion was known in Egypt during the period of Roman rule and was used in simple devices.
First industrial engines
None of the described devices has actually been used as a means of solving useful problems. The first steam engine used in production was the "fire engine", designed by the English military engineer Thomas Savery in 1698. Savery received a patent for his device in 1698. It was a reciprocating steam pump, and obviously not very efficient, since the heat of the steam was lost each time the container was cooled, and rather dangerous in operation, because due to the high pressure of the steam, the tanks and engine pipelines sometimes exploded. Since this device could be used both to turn the wheels of a water mill and to pump water out of mines, the inventor called it a "miner's friend."
Then the English blacksmith Thomas Newcomen demonstrated his "atmospheric engine" in 1712, which was the first steam engine for which there could be commercial demand. This was an improvement on Savery's steam engine, in which Newcomen substantially reduced the operating pressure of the steam. Newcomen may have been based on a description of Papin's experiments held by the Royal Society of London, to which he may have had access through a member of the society, Robert Hooke, who worked with Papin.
Diagram of the Newcomen steam engine.
– Steam is shown in purple, water in blue.
– Open valves are shown in green, closed valves in red
The first application of the Newcomen engine was to pump water from a deep mine. In the mine pump, the rocker was connected to a rod that descended into the mine to the pump chamber. The reciprocating movements of the thrust were transmitted to the piston of the pump, which supplied water to the top. The valves of early Newcomen engines were opened and closed by hand. The first improvement was the automation of the valves, which were driven by the machine itself. Legend tells that this improvement was made in 1713 by the boy Humphrey Potter, who had to open and close the valves; when he got tired of it, he tied the valve handles with ropes and went to play with the children. By 1715, a lever control system was already created, driven by the mechanism of the engine itself.
The first two-cylinder vacuum steam engine in Russia was designed by the mechanic I. I. Polzunov in 1763 and built in 1764 to drive blower bellows at the Barnaul Kolyvano-Voskresensky factories.
Humphrey Gainsborough built a model condenser steam engine in the 1760s. In 1769, Scottish mechanic James Watt (perhaps using Gainsborough's ideas) patented the first major improvements to Newcomen's vacuum engine, which made it much more fuel efficient. Watt's contribution was to separate the condensation phase of the vacuum engine in a separate chamber while the piston and cylinder were at steam temperature. Watt added a few more important details to the Newcomen engine: he placed a piston inside the cylinder to expel steam and converted the reciprocating motion of the piston into the rotational motion of the drive wheel.
Based on these patents, Watt built a steam engine in Birmingham. By 1782, Watt's steam engine was more than 3 times as efficient as Newcomen's. The improvement in the efficiency of the Watt engine led to the use of steam power in industry. In addition, unlike the Newcomen engine, the Watt engine made it possible to transmit rotational motion, while in early models of steam engines the piston was connected to the rocker arm, and not directly to the connecting rod. This engine already had the main features of modern steam engines.
A further increase in efficiency was the use of high pressure steam (American Oliver Evans and Englishman Richard Trevithick). R. Trevithick successfully built high-pressure industrial single-stroke engines, known as "Cornish engines". They operated at 50 psi, or 345 kPa (3.405 atmospheres). However, with increasing pressure, there was also a greater danger of explosions in machines and boilers, which initially led to numerous accidents. From this point of view, the most important element of the high-pressure machine was the safety valve, which released excess pressure. Reliable and safe operation began only with the accumulation of experience and the standardization of procedures for the construction, operation and maintenance of equipment.
French inventor Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot demonstrated the first working self-propelled steam vehicle in 1769: the "fardier à vapeur" (steam cart). Perhaps his invention can be considered the first automobile. The self-propelled steam tractor turned out to be very useful as a mobile source of mechanical energy that set in motion other agricultural machines: threshers, presses, etc. In 1788, a steamboat built by John Fitch was already operating a regular service along the Delaware River between Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) and Burlington (state of New York). He lifted 30 passengers on board and went at a speed of 7-8 miles per hour. J. Fitch's steamboat was not commercially successful, as a good overland road competed with its route. In 1802, Scottish engineer William Symington built a competitive steamboat, and in 1807, American engineer Robert Fulton used a Watt steam engine to power the first commercially successful steamboat. On 21 February 1804, the first self-propelled railway steam locomotive, built by Richard Trevithick, was on display at the Penydarren ironworks at Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales.
Reciprocating steam engines
Reciprocating engines use steam power to move a piston in a sealed chamber or cylinder. The reciprocating action of a piston can be mechanically converted into linear motion for piston pumps, or into rotary motion to drive rotating parts of machine tools or vehicle wheels.
vacuum machines
Early steam engines were called at first "fire engines", and also "atmospheric" or "condensing" Watt engines. They worked on the vacuum principle and are therefore also known as "vacuum engines". Such machines worked to drive piston pumps, in any case, there is no evidence that they were used for other purposes. During the operation of a vacuum-type steam engine, at the beginning of the cycle, low-pressure steam is admitted into the working chamber or cylinder. The inlet valve then closes and the steam cools and condenses. In a Newcomen engine, the cooling water is sprayed directly into the cylinder and the condensate escapes into a condensate collector. This creates a vacuum in the cylinder. Atmospheric pressure at the top of the cylinder presses on the piston, and causes it to move down, that is, the power stroke.
Constant cooling and reheating of the working cylinder of the machine was very wasteful and inefficient, however, these steam engines allowed pumping water from a greater depth than was possible before their appearance. A version of the steam engine appeared in the year, created by Watt in collaboration with Matthew Boulton, the main innovation of which was the removal of the condensation process in a special separate chamber (condenser). This chamber was placed in a cold water bath and connected to the cylinder by a tube closed by a valve. A special small vacuum pump (a prototype of a condensate pump) was attached to the condensation chamber, driven by a rocker and used to remove condensate from the condenser. The resulting hot water was supplied by a special pump (a prototype of the feed pump) back to the boiler. Another radical innovation was the closure of the upper end of the working cylinder, at the top of which was now low-pressure steam. The same steam was present in the double jacket of the cylinder, maintaining its constant temperature. During the upward movement of the piston, this steam was transferred through special tubes to the lower part of the cylinder in order to be condensed during the next stroke. The machine, in fact, ceased to be "atmospheric", and its power now depended on the pressure difference between low-pressure steam and the vacuum that could be obtained. In the Newcomen steam engine, the piston was lubricated with a small amount of water poured on top of it, in Watt's engine this became impossible, since steam was now in the upper part of the cylinder, it was necessary to switch to lubrication with a mixture of grease and oil. The same grease was used in the cylinder rod stuffing box.
Vacuum steam engines, despite the obvious limitations of their efficiency, were relatively safe, using low pressure steam, which was quite consistent with the general low level of 18th century boiler technology. The power of the machine was limited by low steam pressure, cylinder size, the rate of fuel combustion and water evaporation in the boiler, and the size of the condenser. The maximum theoretical efficiency was limited by the relatively small temperature difference on either side of the piston; this made vacuum machines intended for industrial use too large and expensive.
Compression
The outlet port of a steam engine cylinder closes slightly before the piston reaches its end position, leaving some exhaust steam in the cylinder. This means that there is a compression phase in the cycle of operation, which forms the so-called “vapor cushion”, which slows down the movement of the piston in its extreme positions. It also eliminates the sudden pressure drop at the very beginning of the intake phase when fresh steam enters the cylinder.
Advance
The described effect of the "steam cushion" is also enhanced by the fact that the intake of fresh steam into the cylinder begins somewhat earlier than the piston reaches the extreme position, that is, there is some advance of the intake. This advance is necessary so that before the piston starts its working stroke under the action of fresh steam, the steam would have time to fill the dead space that arose as a result of the previous phase, that is, the intake-exhaust channels and the volume of the cylinder not used for piston movement.
simple extension
A simple expansion assumes that the steam only works when it expands in the cylinder, and the exhaust steam is released directly into the atmosphere or enters a special condenser. The residual heat of the steam can then be used, for example, to heat a room or a vehicle, as well as to preheat the water entering the boiler.
Compound
During the expansion process in the cylinder of a high-pressure machine, the temperature of the steam drops in proportion to its expansion. Since there is no heat exchange (adiabatic process), it turns out that the steam enters the cylinder at a higher temperature than it leaves it. Such temperature fluctuations in the cylinder lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the process.
One of the methods of dealing with this temperature difference was proposed in 1804 by the English engineer Arthur Wolfe, who patented Wulff high-pressure compound steam engine. In this machine, high-temperature steam from the steam boiler entered the high-pressure cylinder, and then the steam exhausted in it at a lower temperature and pressure entered the low-pressure cylinder (or cylinders). This reduced the temperature difference in each cylinder, which generally reduced temperature losses and improved the overall efficiency of the steam engine. The low-pressure steam had a larger volume, and therefore required a larger volume of the cylinder. Therefore, in compound machines, the low pressure cylinders had a larger diameter (and sometimes longer) than the high pressure cylinders.
This arrangement is also known as "double expansion" because the vapor expansion occurs in two stages. Sometimes one high-pressure cylinder was connected to two low-pressure cylinders, resulting in three approximately the same size cylinders. Such a scheme was easier to balance.
Two-cylinder compounding machines can be classified as:
- Cross compound- Cylinders are located side by side, their steam-conducting channels are crossed.
- Tandem compound- Cylinders are arranged in series and use one rod.
- Angle compound- The cylinders are at an angle to each other, usually 90 degrees, and operate on one crank.
After the 1880s, compound steam engines became widespread in manufacturing and transportation, and became virtually the only type used on steamboats. Their use on steam locomotives was not as widespread as they proved to be too complex, partly due to the difficult operating conditions of steam engines in rail transport. Although compound locomotives never became a mainstream phenomenon (especially in the UK, where they were very rare and not used at all after the 1930s), they gained some popularity in several countries.
Multiple expansion
Simplified diagram of a triple expansion steam engine.
High pressure steam (red) from the boiler passes through the machine, leaving the condenser at low pressure (blue).
The logical development of the compound scheme was the addition of additional expansion stages to it, which increased the efficiency of work. The result was a multiple expansion scheme known as triple or even quadruple expansion machines. Such steam engines used a series of double-acting cylinders, the volume of which increased with each stage. Sometimes, instead of increasing the volume of low pressure cylinders, an increase in their number was used, just as on some compound machines.
The image on the right shows a triple expansion steam engine in operation. Steam flows through the machine from left to right. The valve block of each cylinder is located to the left of the corresponding cylinder.
The appearance of this type of steam engines became especially relevant for the fleet, since the size and weight requirements for ship engines were not very strict, and most importantly, this scheme made it easy to use a condenser that returns the exhaust steam in the form of fresh water back to the boiler (use salty sea water to power the boilers was not possible). Ground-based steam engines usually did not experience problems with water supply and therefore could emit exhaust steam into the atmosphere. Therefore, such a scheme was less relevant for them, especially considering its complexity, size and weight. The dominance of multiple expansion steam engines ended only with the advent and widespread use of steam turbines. However, modern steam turbines use the same principle of dividing the flow into high, medium and low pressure cylinders.
Direct-flow steam engines
Once-through steam engines arose as a result of an attempt to overcome one drawback inherent in steam engines with traditional steam distribution. The fact is that the steam in an ordinary steam engine constantly changes its direction of movement, since the same window on each side of the cylinder is used for both inlet and outlet of steam. When the exhaust steam leaves the cylinder, it cools its walls and steam distribution channels. Fresh steam, accordingly, spends a certain part of the energy on heating them, which leads to a drop in efficiency. Once-through steam engines have an additional port, which is opened by a piston at the end of each phase, and through which the steam leaves the cylinder. This improves the efficiency of the machine as the steam moves in one direction and the temperature gradient of the cylinder walls remains more or less constant. Once-through machines with a single expansion show about the same efficiency as compound machines with conventional steam distribution. In addition, they can operate at higher speeds, and therefore, before the advent of steam turbines, they were often used to drive power generators that require high rotational speeds.
Once-through steam engines are either single or double acting.
Steam turbines
A steam turbine is a series of rotating disks fixed on a single axis, called the turbine rotor, and a series of fixed disks alternating with them, fixed on a base, called the stator. The rotor disks have blades on the outer side, steam is supplied to these blades and turns the disks. The stator discs have similar blades set at opposite angles, which serve to redirect the steam flow to the following rotor discs. Each rotor disc and its corresponding stator disc is called a turbine stage. The number and size of the stages of each turbine are selected in such a way as to maximize the useful energy of the steam of the speed and pressure that is supplied to it. The exhaust steam leaving the turbine enters the condenser. Turbines spin at very high speeds, and so special step-down transmissions are commonly used when transferring power to other equipment. In addition, turbines cannot change their direction of rotation, and often require additional reverse mechanisms (sometimes additional reverse rotation stages are used).
Turbines convert steam energy directly into rotation and do not require additional mechanisms for converting reciprocating motion into rotation. In addition, turbines are more compact than reciprocating machines and have a constant force on the output shaft. Since turbines are of a simpler design, they tend to require less maintenance.
Other types of steam engines
Application
Steam engines can be classified according to their application as follows:
Stationary machines
steam hammer
Steam engine in an old sugar factory, Cuba
Stationary steam engines can be divided into two types according to the mode of use:
- Variable duty machines such as rolling mills, steam winches and similar devices that must stop and change direction frequently.
- Power machines that rarely stop and do not have to change direction of rotation. These include power motors in power stations, as well as industrial motors used in factories, factories, and cable railways before the widespread use of electric traction. Low power engines are used in marine models and in special devices.
The steam winch is essentially a stationary engine, but mounted on a base frame so that it can be moved around. It can be secured by a cable to the anchor and moved by its own thrust to a new location.
Transport vehicles
Steam engines were used to power various types of vehicles, among them:
- Land vehicles:
- steam car
- steam tractor
- Steam excavator, and even
- Steam plane.
In Russia, the first operating steam locomotive was built by E. A. and M. E. Cherepanov at the Nizhny Tagil plant in 1834 to transport ore. He developed a speed of 13 miles per hour and carried more than 200 pounds (3.2 tons) of cargo. The length of the first railway was 850 m.
Advantages of steam engines
The main advantage of steam engines is that they can use almost any heat source to convert it into mechanical work. This distinguishes them from internal combustion engines, each type of which requires the use of a specific type of fuel. This advantage is most noticeable when using nuclear energy, since a nuclear reactor is not able to generate mechanical energy, but only produces heat, which is used to generate steam that drives steam engines (usually steam turbines). In addition, there are other sources of heat that cannot be used in internal combustion engines, such as solar energy. An interesting direction is the use of the energy of the temperature difference of the World Ocean at different depths.
Other types of external combustion engines also have similar properties, such as the Stirling engine, which can provide very high efficiency, but are significantly larger and heavier than modern types of steam engines.
Steam locomotives perform well at high altitudes, since their efficiency does not drop due to low atmospheric pressure. Steam locomotives are still used in the mountainous regions of Latin America, despite the fact that in the lowlands they have long been replaced by more modern types of locomotives.
In Switzerland (Brienz Rothhorn) and Austria (Schafberg Bahn), new steam locomotives using dry steam have proved their worth. This type of steam locomotive was developed based on the models of the Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works (SLM)'s, with many modern improvements such as the use of roller bearings, modern thermal insulation, burning light oil fractions as fuel, improved steam pipelines, etc. . As a result, these locomotives have 60% lower fuel consumption and significantly lower maintenance requirements. The economic qualities of such locomotives are comparable to modern diesel and electric locomotives.
In addition, steam locomotives are significantly lighter than diesel and electric locomotives, which is especially true for mountain railways. A feature of steam engines is that they do not need a transmission, transferring power directly to the wheels.
Efficiency
The coefficient of performance (COP) of a heat engine can be defined as the ratio of useful mechanical work to the spent amount of heat contained in the fuel. The rest of the energy is released into the environment in the form of heat. The efficiency of the heat engine is
Exactly 212 years ago, on December 24, 1801, in the small English town of Camborne, mechanic Richard Trevithick demonstrated to the public the first steam-powered Dog Cart. Today, this event could be safely classified as remarkable, but not significant, especially since the steam engine was known before, and was even used on vehicles (although it would be a very big stretch to call them cars) ... But here's what's interesting: right now, technological progress has created a situation strikingly reminiscent of the era of the great "battle" of steam and gasoline at the beginning of the 19th century. Only batteries, hydrogen and biofuels will have to fight. Do you want to know how it all ends and who will win? I won't suggest. Hint: technology has nothing to do with it ...
1. Passion for steam engines has passed, and the time has come for internal combustion engines. For the good of the cause, I repeat: in 1801, a four-wheeled carriage rolled along the streets of Camborne, capable of transporting eight passengers with relative comfort and slowly. The car was powered by a single-cylinder steam engine, and coal served as fuel. The creation of steam vehicles was undertaken with enthusiasm, and already in the 20s of the 19th century, passenger steam omnibuses carried passengers at speeds up to 30 km / h, and the average overhaul mileage reached 2.5–3 thousand km.
Now let's compare this information with others. In the same 1801, the Frenchman Philippe Lebon received a patent for the design of a reciprocating internal combustion engine that ran on light gas. It so happened that three years later Lebon died, and others had to develop the technical solutions he proposed. Only in 1860, the Belgian engineer Jean Etienne Lenoir assembled a gas engine with ignition from an electric spark and brought its design to the level of suitability for installation on a vehicle.
So, an automobile steam engine and an internal combustion engine are practically the same age. The efficiency of a steam engine of that design in those years was about 10%. The efficiency of the Lenoir engine was only 4%. Only 22 years later, by 1882, August Otto improved it so much that the efficiency of the now gasoline engine reached ... as much as 15%.
2. Steam traction is just a brief moment in the history of progress. Starting in 1801, the history of steam transport continued actively for almost 159 years. In 1960 (!) buses and trucks with steam engines were still being built in the USA. Steam engines have improved significantly during this time. In 1900 in the US, 50% of the car fleet was "steamed". Already in those years, competition arose between steam, gasoline and - attention! - electric carriages. After the market success of Ford's Model-T and, it would seem, the defeat of the steam engine, a new surge in the popularity of steam cars came in the 20s of the last century: the cost of fuel for them (fuel oil, kerosene) was significantly lower than the cost of gasoline.
Until 1927, Stanley produced about 1,000 steam cars a year. In England, steam trucks successfully competed with gasoline trucks until 1933 and lost only because of the introduction of a tax on heavy goods transport by the authorities and a reduction in tariffs on imports of liquid petroleum products from the United States.
3. The steam engine is inefficient and uneconomical. Yes, it used to be like that. The "classic" steam engine, which released exhaust steam into the atmosphere, has an efficiency of no more than 8%. However, a steam engine with a condenser and a profiled flow part has an efficiency of up to 25–30%. The steam turbine provides 30–42%. Combined-cycle plants, where gas and steam turbines are used "in conjunction", have an efficiency of up to 55-65%. The latter circumstance prompted BMW engineers to start working on options for using this scheme in cars. By the way, the efficiency of modern gasoline engines is 34%.
The cost of manufacturing a steam engine at all times was lower than the cost of carburetor and diesel engines of the same power. The consumption of liquid fuel in new steam engines operating in a closed cycle on superheated (dry) steam and equipped with modern lubrication systems, high-quality bearings and electronic systems for regulating the duty cycle is only 40% of the previous one.
4. The steam engine starts slowly. And it was once ... Even Stanley production cars "bred pairs" from 10 to 20 minutes. Improvement in the design of the boiler and the introduction of a cascade heating mode made it possible to reduce the readiness time to 40-60 seconds.
5. The steam car is too slow. This is wrong. The speed record of 1906 - 205.44 km / h - belongs to a steam car. In those years, cars with gasoline engines did not know how to drive so fast. In 1985, a steam car traveled at a speed of 234.33 km / h. And in 2009, a group of British engineers designed a steam turbine "bolide" with a steam drive with a capacity of 360 hp. s., which was able to move at a record average speed in the race - 241.7 km / h.
6. The steam car smokes, it is unaesthetic. Looking at old drawings depicting the first steam crews throwing thick clouds of smoke and fire from their chimneys (which, by the way, indicates the imperfection of the furnaces of the first “steam engines”), you understand where the persistent association of a steam engine and soot came from.
As for the appearance of the machines, the point here, of course, depends on the level of the designer. It is unlikely that anyone will say that the steam cars of Abner Doble (USA) are ugly. On the contrary, they are elegant even by today's standards. And besides, they drove silently, smoothly and quickly - up to 130 km / h.
It is interesting that modern research in the field of hydrogen fuel for automobile engines has given rise to a number of "side branches": hydrogen as a fuel for classic reciprocating steam engines and especially for steam turbine engines provides absolute environmental friendliness. The "smoke" from such a motor is ... water vapor.
7. The steam engine is whimsical. It is not true. It is structurally much simpler than an internal combustion engine, which in itself means greater reliability and unpretentiousness. The resource of steam engines is many tens of thousands of hours of continuous operation, which is not typical for other types of engines. However, the matter is not limited to this. By virtue of the principles of operation, a steam engine does not lose efficiency when atmospheric pressure decreases. It is for this reason that steam-powered vehicles are exceptionally well suited for use in the highlands, on difficult mountain passes.
It is interesting to note one more useful property of a steam engine, which, by the way, is similar to a DC electric motor. A decrease in the shaft speed (for example, with an increase in load) causes an increase in torque. By virtue of this property, cars with steam engines do not fundamentally need gearboxes - they themselves are very complex and sometimes capricious mechanisms.
On April 12, 1933, William Besler took off from the Oakland Municipal Airfield in California in a steam-powered aircraft.
The newspapers wrote:
“The takeoff was normal in every respect, except for the absence of noise. In fact, when the plane had already left the ground, it seemed to the observers that it had not yet gained sufficient speed. At full power, the noise was no more noticeable than with a gliding aircraft. Only the whistling of air could be heard. When working at full steam, the propeller produced only a slight noise. It was possible to distinguish through the noise of the propeller the sound of the flame... 
When the plane was landing and crossed the field boundary, the propeller stopped and started slowly in the opposite direction with the help of the reverse and subsequent small opening of the throttle. Even with a very slow reverse rotation of the screw, the descent became noticeably steeper. Immediately after touching the ground, the pilot gave full reverse, which, together with the brakes, quickly stopped the car. The short run was especially noticeable in this case, since during the test there was a calm weather, and usually the landing run reached several hundred feet.
At the beginning of the 20th century, records of the height reached by aircraft were set almost annually: 
The stratosphere promised considerable benefits for flight: less air resistance, constancy of winds, absence of clouds, stealth, inaccessibility to air defense. But how to fly up to a height of, for example, 20 kilometers?
[Gasoline] engine power drops faster than air density. 
At an altitude of 7000 m, the engine power decreases by almost three times. In order to improve the high-altitude qualities of aircraft, at the end of the imperialist war, attempts were made to use pressurization, in the period 1924-1929. superchargers are even more introduced into production. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the power of an internal combustion engine at altitudes above 10 km.
In an effort to raise the "height limit", the designers of all countries are increasingly turning their eyes to the steam engine, which has a number of advantages as a high-altitude engine. Some countries, like Germany, for example, were pushed to this path by strategic considerations, namely, the need to achieve independence from imported oil in the event of a major war.
In recent years, numerous attempts have been made to install a steam engine in aircraft. The rapid growth of the aviation industry on the eve of the crisis and the monopoly prices for its products made it possible not to hurry with the implementation of experimental work and accumulated inventions. These attempts, which took on a special scope during the economic crisis of 1929-1933. and the depression that followed, is not an accidental phenomenon for capitalism. In the press, especially in America and France, large concerns were often reproached for having agreements to artificially delay the implementation of new inventions.
Two directions have emerged. One is presented in America by Besler, who installed a conventional piston engine on an airplane, while the other is due to the use of a turbine as an aircraft engine and is associated mainly with the work of German designers.
The Besler brothers took Doble's piston steam engine for a car as a basis and installed it on a Travel-Air biplane. [a description of their demonstration flight is given at the beginning of the post].
Video of that flight:
The machine is equipped with a reversing mechanism, with which you can easily and quickly change the direction of rotation of the machine shaft, not only in flight, but also during landing. In addition to the propeller, the engine drives a fan through the coupling, which blows air into the burner. At the start, they use a small electric motor. 
The machine developed a power of 90 hp, but under the conditions of a well-known forcing of the boiler, its power can be increased to 135 hp. With.
Steam pressure in the boiler 125 at. The steam temperature was maintained at about 400-430°. In order to automate the operation of the boiler as much as possible, a normalizer or device was used, with the help of which water was injected under a known pressure into the superheater as soon as the steam temperature exceeded 400 °. The boiler was equipped with a feed pump and a steam drive, as well as primary and secondary feed water heaters heated by exhaust steam. 
The aircraft was equipped with two capacitors. A more powerful one was converted from the radiator of the OX-5 engine and mounted on top of the fuselage. The less powerful one is made from the condenser of Doble's steam car and is located under the fuselage. The capacity of the condensers, it was stated in the press, was not enough to run the steam engine at full throttle without venting to the atmosphere, "and corresponded approximately to 90% of cruising power." Experiments showed that with a consumption of 152 liters of fuel, it was necessary to have 38 liters of water.
The total weight of the steam plant of the aircraft was 4.5 kg per 1 liter. With. Compared with the OX-5 engine that powered this aircraft, this gave an extra weight of 300 pounds (136 kg). There is no doubt that the weight of the entire installation could be significantly reduced by lightening the engine parts and capacitors.
The fuel was gas oil. The press claimed that "no more than 5 minutes elapsed between turning on the ignition and starting at full speed."
Another direction in the development of a steam power plant for aviation is associated with the use of a steam turbine as an engine.
In 1932-1934. information about the original steam turbine for an aircraft designed in Germany at the Klinganberg electric plant penetrated into the foreign press. The chief engineer of this plant, Hütner, was called its author.
The steam generator and turbine, together with the condenser, were here combined into one rotating unit having a common housing. Hütner remarks: "The engine is a power plant, the distinctive characteristic feature of which is that the rotating steam generator forms one constructive and operational unit with the counter-rotating turbine and condenser."
The main part of the turbine is a rotating boiler formed from a number of V-shaped tubes, with one elbow of these tubes connected to the feed water header, the other to the steam collector. The boiler is shown in Fig. 143. 
The tubes are located radially around the axis and rotate at a speed of 3000-5000 rpm. The water entering the tubes rushes under the action of centrifugal force into the left branches of the V-shaped tubes, the right knee of which acts as a steam generator. The left elbow of the tubes has fins heated by the flame from the injectors. Water, passing by these ribs, turns into steam, and under the action of centrifugal forces arising from the rotation of the boiler, an increase in steam pressure occurs. The pressure is adjusted automatically. The difference in density in both branches of the tubes (steam and water) gives a variable level difference, which is a function of the centrifugal force, and hence the speed of rotation. A diagram of such a unit is shown in Fig. 144. 
The design feature of the boiler is the arrangement of tubes, in which during rotation a vacuum is created in the combustion chamber, and thus the boiler acts as if it were a suction fan. Thus, according to Hütner, "the rotation of the boiler is simultaneously determined by its power, and the movement of hot gases, and the movement of cooling water." 
Starting the turbine in motion requires only 30 seconds. Hütner expected to achieve a boiler efficiency of 88% and a turbine efficiency of 80%. The turbine and boiler need starting motors to start.
In 1934, a message flashed in the press about the development of a project for a large aircraft in Germany, equipped with a turbine with a rotating boiler. Two years later, the French press claimed that under conditions of great secrecy, the military department in Germany had built a special aircraft. For him, a steam power plant of the Hütner system with a capacity of 2500 liters was designed. With. The length of the aircraft is 22 m, the wingspan is 32 m, the flight weight (approximate) is 14 tons, the absolute ceiling of the aircraft is 14,000 m, the flight speed at an altitude of 10,000 m is 420 km / h, the ascent to a height of 10 km is 30 minutes.
It is quite possible that these press reports are greatly exaggerated, but it is certain that the German designers are working on this problem, and the forthcoming war may bring unexpected surprises here.
What is the advantage of a turbine over an internal combustion engine?
1. The absence of reciprocating motion at high rotational speeds makes it possible to make the turbine quite compact and smaller than modern powerful aircraft engines.
2. An important advantage is also the relative noiselessness of the steam engine, which is important both from a military point of view and in terms of the possibility of lightening the aircraft due to soundproofing equipment on passenger aircraft.
3. The steam turbine, unlike internal combustion engines, which are almost never overloaded, can be overloaded for a short period up to 100% at a constant speed. This advantage of the turbine makes it possible to reduce the length of the takeoff run of the aircraft and facilitate its rise into the air.
4. The simplicity of design and the absence of a large number of moving and triggered parts are also an important advantage of the turbine, making it more reliable and durable compared to internal combustion engines.
5. The absence of a magneto on the steam plant, the operation of which can be influenced by radio waves, is also essential.
6. The ability to use heavy fuel (oil, fuel oil), in addition to economic advantages, determines the greater safety of the steam engine in terms of fire. It also creates the possibility of heating the aircraft.
7. The main advantage of a steam engine is to maintain its rated power with the rise to a height.
One of the objections to the steam engine comes mainly from aerodynamicists and comes down to the size and cooling capabilities of the condenser. Indeed, the steam condenser has a surface 5-6 times larger than the water radiator of an internal combustion engine.
That is why, in an effort to reduce the drag of such a capacitor, the designers came to place the capacitor directly on the surface of the wings in the form of a continuous row of tubes, following exactly the contour and profile of the wing. In addition to imparting significant rigidity, this will also reduce the risk of aircraft icing.
There are, of course, a number of other technical difficulties in operating a turbine in an aircraft.
- Nozzle behavior at high altitudes is unknown.
- To change the fast load of the turbine, which is one of the conditions for the operation of an aircraft engine, it is necessary to have either a supply of water or a steam collector.
- The development of a good automatic device for adjusting the turbine presents certain difficulties.
- The gyroscopic effect of a rapidly rotating turbine on an aircraft is also unclear.
Nevertheless, the successes achieved give reason to hope that in the near future the steam power plant will find its place in the modern air fleet, especially on commercial transport aircraft, as well as on large airships. The hardest part in this area has already been done, and practical engineers will be able to achieve ultimate success.
The invention of steam engines was a turning point in human history. Somewhere at the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, inefficient manual labor, water wheels, and completely new and unique mechanisms began to be replaced - steam engines. It was thanks to them that the technical and industrial revolutions, and indeed the entire progress of mankind, became possible.
But who invented the steam engine? To whom does humanity owe this? And when was it? We will try to find answers to all these questions.
Even before our era
The history of the creation of a steam engine begins in the first centuries BC. Hero of Alexandria described a mechanism that only started working when it was exposed to steam. The device was a ball on which nozzles were fixed. Steam came out tangentially from the nozzles, thereby causing the engine to rotate. It was the first device that worked on steam.
The creator of the steam engine (or rather, the turbine) is Tagi al-Dinome (Arab philosopher, engineer and astronomer). His invention became widely known in Egypt in the 16th century. The mechanism was arranged as follows: streams of steam were directed directly to the mechanism with blades, and when the smoke fell, the blades rotated. Something similar was proposed in 1629 by the Italian engineer Giovanni Branca. The main disadvantage of all these inventions was too much steam consumption, which in turn required a huge amount of energy and was not advisable. Development was suspended, as the then scientific and technical knowledge of mankind was not enough. In addition, the need for such inventions was completely absent.
Developments
Until the 17th century, the creation of a steam engine was impossible. But as soon as the bar for the level of human development soared, the first copies and inventions immediately appeared. Although no one took them seriously at that time. So, for example, in 1663, an English scientist published in the press a draft of his invention, which he installed in Raglan Castle. His device served to raise water on the walls of the towers. However, like everything new and unknown, this project was accepted with doubt, and there were no sponsors for its further development.
The history of the creation of a steam engine begins with the invention of a steam engine. In 1681, a scientist from France invented a device that pumped water out of mines. At first, gunpowder was used as a driving force, and then it was replaced with water vapor. This is how the steam engine was born. A huge contribution to its improvement was made by scientists from England, Thomas Newcomen and Thomas Severen. The Russian self-taught inventor Ivan Polzunov also provided invaluable assistance.
Papin's failed attempt
The steam-atmospheric machine, which was far from perfect at that time, attracted special attention in the shipbuilding field. D. Papin spent his last savings on the purchase of a small ship, on which he set about installing a water-lifting steam-atmospheric machine of his own production. The mechanism of action was that, falling from a height, the water began to rotate the wheels.
The inventor conducted his tests in 1707 on the Fulda River. Many people gathered to look at a miracle: a ship moving along the river without sails and oars. However, during the tests, a disaster occurred: the engine exploded and several people died. The authorities got angry at the unfortunate inventor and banned him from any work and projects. The ship was confiscated and destroyed, and Papen himself died a few years later.
Error
The Papin steamer had the following principle of operation. At the bottom of the cylinder it was necessary to pour a small amount of water. A brazier was located under the cylinder itself, which served to heat the liquid. When the water began to boil, the resulting steam, expanding, raised the piston. Air was expelled from the space above the piston through a specially equipped valve. After the water boiled and steam began to fall, it was necessary to remove the brazier, close the valve to remove air, and cool the walls of the cylinder with cool water. Thanks to such actions, the steam in the cylinder condensed, a vacuum formed under the piston, and due to the force of atmospheric pressure, the piston returned to its original place again. During its downward movement, useful work was done. However, the efficiency of Papen's steam engine was negative. The steamer's engine was extremely uneconomical. And most importantly, it was too complicated and inconvenient to use. Therefore, Papen's invention had no future from the very beginning.
Followers
However, the history of the creation of the steam engine did not end there. The next, already much more successful than Papen, was the English scientist Thomas Newcomen. He studied the work of his predecessors for a long time, focusing on weaknesses. And taking the best of their work, he created his own apparatus in 1712. The new steam engine (photo shown) was designed as follows: a cylinder was used, which was in a vertical position, as well as a piston. This Newcomen took from the works of Papin. However, steam was already formed in another boiler. Whole skin was fixed around the piston, which significantly increased the tightness inside the steam cylinder. This machine was also steam-atmospheric (water rose from the mine using atmospheric pressure). The main disadvantages of the invention were its bulkiness and inefficiency: the machine "ate" a huge amount of coal. However, it brought much more benefits than the invention of Papen. Therefore, it has been used in dungeons and mines for almost fifty years. It was used to pump out groundwater, as well as to dry ships. tried to convert his car so that it was possible to use it for traffic. However, all his attempts were unsuccessful.
The next scientist who declared himself was D. Hull from England. In 1736, he presented his invention to the world: a steam-atmospheric machine, which had paddle wheels as a mover. His development was more successful than that of Papin. Immediately, several such vessels were released. They were mainly used to tow barges, ships and other vessels. However, the reliability of the steam-atmospheric machine did not inspire confidence, and the ships were equipped with sails as the main mover.
And although Hull was more fortunate than Papen, his inventions gradually lost their relevance and were abandoned. Still, the steam-atmospheric machines of that time had many specific shortcomings.
The history of the creation of a steam engine in Russia
The next breakthrough happened in the Russian Empire. In 1766, the first steam engine was created at a metallurgical plant in Barnaul, which supplied air to the melting furnaces using special blower bellows. Its creator was Ivan Ivanovich Polzunov, who was even given an officer rank for services to his homeland. The inventor presented his superiors with drawings and plans for a "fiery machine" capable of powering bellows.
However, fate played a cruel joke with Polzunov: seven years after his project was accepted and the car was assembled, he fell ill and died of consumption - just a week before the tests of his engine began. However, his instructions were enough to start the engine.
So, on August 7, 1766, Polzunov's steam engine was launched and put under load. However, in November of the same year, it broke down. The reason turned out to be too thin walls of the boiler, not intended for loading. Moreover, the inventor wrote in his instructions that this boiler can only be used during testing. The manufacture of a new boiler would easily pay off, because the efficiency of Polzunov's steam engine was positive. For 1023 hours of work, more than 14 pounds of silver was smelted with its help!
But despite this, no one began to repair the mechanism. Polzunov's steam engine was gathering dust for more than 15 years in a warehouse, while the world of industry did not stand still and developed. And then it was completely dismantled for parts. Apparently, at that moment Russia had not yet grown up to steam engines.
The demands of the time
Meanwhile, life did not stand still. And humanity constantly thought about creating a mechanism that would allow not to depend on the capricious nature, but to control fate itself. Everyone wanted to abandon the sail as soon as possible. Therefore, the question of creating a steam mechanism was constantly hanging in the air. In 1753, a competition among craftsmen, scientists and inventors was put forward in Paris. The Academy of Sciences announced an award to those who can create a mechanism that can replace the power of the wind. But despite the fact that such minds as L. Euler, D. Bernoulli, Canton de Lacroix and others participated in the competition, no one made a sensible proposal.
The years went by. And the industrial revolution covered more and more countries. Superiority and leadership among other powers invariably went to England. By the end of the eighteenth century, it was Great Britain that became the creator of large-scale industry, thanks to which it won the title of world monopoly in this industry. The question of a mechanical engine every day became more and more relevant. And such an engine was created.
The first steam engine in the world
The year 1784 was for England and for the whole world a turning point in the industrial revolution. And the person responsible for this was the English mechanic James Watt. The steam engine he created was the biggest discovery of the century.
For several years he studied the drawings, structure and principles of operation of steam-atmospheric machines. And on the basis of all this, he concluded that for the efficiency of the engine, it is necessary to equalize the temperatures of the water in the cylinder and the steam that enters the mechanism. The main disadvantage of steam-atmospheric machines was the constant need to cool the cylinder with water. It was costly and inconvenient.
The new steam engine was designed differently. So, the cylinder was enclosed in a special steam jacket. Thus Watt achieved his constant heated state. The inventor created a special vessel immersed in cold water (condenser). A cylinder was attached to it with a pipe. When the steam was exhausted in the cylinder, it entered the condenser through a pipe and turned back into water there. Working on the improvement of his machine, Watt created a vacuum in the condenser. Thus, all the steam coming from the cylinder condensed in it. Thanks to this innovation, the steam expansion process was greatly increased, which in turn made it possible to extract much more energy from the same amount of steam. It was the pinnacle of success.
The creator of the steam engine also changed the principle of air supply. Now the steam first fell under the piston, thereby raising it, and then collected above the piston, lowering it. Thus, both strokes of the piston in the mechanism became working, which was not even possible before. And the consumption of coal per horsepower was four times less than, respectively, for steam-atmospheric machines, which was what James Watt was trying to achieve. The steam engine very quickly conquered first Great Britain, and then the whole world.
"Charlotte Dundas"
After the whole world was amazed by the invention of James Watt, the widespread use of steam engines began. So, in 1802, the first ship for a couple appeared in England - the Charlotte Dundas boat. Its creator is William Symington. The boat was used as towing barges along the canal. The role of the mover on the ship was played by a paddle wheel mounted on the stern. The boat successfully passed the tests the first time: it towed two huge barges 18 miles in six hours. At the same time, the headwind greatly interfered with him. But he managed.
And yet they put it on hold, because they feared that due to the strong waves that were created under the paddle wheel, the banks of the canal would be washed out. By the way, the test of "Charlotte" was attended by a man whom the whole world today considers the creator of the first steamship.
in the world
An English shipbuilder from his youth dreamed of a ship with a steam engine. And now his dream has come true. After all, the invention of steam engines was a new impetus in shipbuilding. Together with the envoy from America, R. Livingston, who took over the material side of the issue, Fulton took up the project of a ship with a steam engine. It was a complex invention based on the idea of an oar mover. Along the sides of the ship stretched in a row plates imitating a lot of oars. At the same time, the plates now and then interfered with each other and broke. Today we can easily say that the same effect could be achieved with just three or four tiles. But from the standpoint of science and technology of that time, it was unrealistic to see this. Therefore, shipbuilders had a much harder time.
In 1803, Fulton's invention was introduced to the world. The steamer moved slowly and evenly along the Seine, striking the minds and imagination of many scientists and figures in Paris. However, the Napoleonic government rejected the project, and the disgruntled shipbuilders were forced to seek their fortune in America.
And in August 1807, the world's first steamboat called the Claremont, in which the most powerful steam engine was involved (photo is presented), went along the Hudson Bay. Many then simply did not believe in success.
The Claremont went on its maiden voyage without cargo and without passengers. No one wanted to travel aboard a fire-breathing ship. But already on the way back, the first passenger appeared - a local farmer who paid six dollars for a ticket. He became the first passenger in the history of the shipping company. Fulton was so moved that he gave the daredevil a lifetime free ride on all of his inventions.
