Amazing Steam Turbine

Now the "heart" that gives life to most of the machines created by man is the internal combustion engine (ICE). However, this was not always the case.

From past to present

Before the ICE era, the steam turbine was the cornerstone of technological progress for a long time. This is a rare case when inventions are so successful that they continue to be used in our time, however, with a number of improvements. Note that steam turbines and classic steam engines (the same steam locomotive) should not be confused. They have a different working principle, and the efficiency is incomparable.

Steam turbine. Invention

It is believed that the first time such a turbine was developed and embodied in the metal Swede P. Laval. In the distant 1889, there was a need for an efficient engine for a milk separator capable of generating a rotation with a frequency of at least 100 revolutions per second. The principle of operation of the turbine was quite simple: on the surface of the cylinder fixed on the axis, the blades were placed, into which a jet of superheated steam was struck from a nearby boiler. The potential energy of the steam was converted into kinetic, leading the cylinder into rotation. Laval has experimentally determined that the best results can be achieved if the flow of steam escapes through cone-shaped nozzles, rather than straight tubes.

However, the steam turbine of the Englishman Ch. A. Parsons is more famous. He developed it almost in parallel with Laval, but not only improved, but also guessed to connect it with an electric generator (the prototype of the modern GD system).

In 1894, he created a ship powered by a steam-turbine engine (maximum speed of about 60 km / h). The idea was so successful that after 1900 most of the warships were equipped with similar engines.

Nowadays

Of course, since the invention and the first models, the steam turbine has been modernized, and the design flaws have been eliminated. The classical steam-turbine plant includes two components: a stationary stator with a nozzle block and a rotating rotor (cylinder) with blades placed on its body. Depending on the direction of the steam jet, two types of rotor design are distinguished - radial and axial. The first represent the echoes of the original solutions: in them, the vector of vapor propagation is perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder, and the blades are parallel to it. In axial directions of motion, the pair coincides with the axis, and the rotation is created by the special orientation of the blades.

More efficient use of steam energy is possible in steam turbines with several cylinders (multi-body). However, because of the cumbersome and complicated design, such solutions are used where their use is economically justified. Cylinders housings can be placed on both the common axis and be mechanically independent. The seal system and diaphragms prevent abnormal operation of the whole installation (intake of external air, steam leakage, bypass of degrees, etc.).

Development of steam turbine technology

At low levels of steam pressure and low power, classical turbines are not effective enough. They were replaced by a steam screw machine. This Russian development is a natural evolution of the original model. Inside the housing are rotors with helical-shaped blades. The incoming steam fills the space between the teeth of the nearest screws, a turn occurs and the further supply stops. Further in the cavity for steam, the resulting portion expands and performs work on the rotation of the screw rotor. Such a design allows more fully utilize the energy stored by steam.