The steam engine is mainly composed of cylinder, base, piston, crank-connecting rod mechanism, slide valve steam distribution mechanism, speed regulating mechanism and flywheel. The cylinder and the base are fixed parts.
In a steam boiler, water boils into steam through the combustion process. Steam is delivered to the cylinder through pipes. The valve controls the time when steam reaches the cylinder, enters the slide valve chamber through the main steam valve and throttle valve, and is controlled by the slide valve to alternately enter the left or right side of the cylinder to push the piston to move.
The steam pushes the piston to do work in the cylinder, and the cooled steam enters the condenser through the pipeline and condenses into water again. This process repeats with the movement of the steam engine.
A typical steam engine group has three cylinders. The steam engine directly converts the up-and-down motion of the piston into the rotational motion of the ship shaft. The newly-built steam engine also contains a small turbine, and the steam coming out of the cylinder can also use the rest heat to drive this turbine to improve the efficiency of the whole driving device. This turbine is also connected to the propeller shaft of the ship.
Extended data
Meaning:
The appearance and improvement of the steam engine promoted the social and economic development, but at the same time, the economic development in turn put forward higher requirements for the steam engine, such as high power, high efficiency, light weight and small size.
Although people have made many improvements to the steam engine, expanding the scope of use and improving the performance, with the development of steam turbines and internal combustion engines, the steam engine has gradually declined because of its insurmountable weaknesses.
The greatest advantage of modern steam engines is that they can use all fuels to convert thermal energy into mechanical energy. Unlike internal combustion engines, it is not picky about fuel. Besides, atomic energy cannot be used without a steam engine. Atomic reactors do not directly produce mechanical or electrical energy. Atomic reactors actually only heat water, and water is converted into useful work by boiling steam in a steam engine.
Baidu encyclopedia-steam engine
Baidu encyclopedia-righteousness