Steam Engine
Thermal Physics > Heat Engines
Stuart Steam Engine
A more efficient steam Engine which works on less volume of steam.
Steam engine is called an external combustion engine because the combustion of fuel (coal) takes place outside the cylinder of the steam engine.
The steam engine consists of a movable piston fitted inside a cylinder having inlet and exhaust for steam. Piston is connected to the arm of a suction pump or to a wheel of an automobile through a crankshaft.
Though steam engine is a great historic invention, it possesses some serious drawbacks.
- To get maximum output from the engine the steam has to be maintained at a very high pressure (super heated steam). If the pressure exceeds safety limits, the boiler bursts and causes serious accidents.
- Due to the bulkiness of the total system, it is difficult to use it for small vehicles like cars.
- A lot of heat energy is wasted through the surfaces of exposed parts of the large steam engine, reducing the efficiency of the engine.
- A steam engine does not start at once. Before a steam engine can start, we have to build a coal fire to get steam. This process takes a long time and hence a steam engine cannot be started at a moment's notice.