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The purpose of this website is purely educational, to talk about power plant steam generation, it's use, history, and it's future.
We’ll talk about it's advantages, drawbacks, and ways to reduce emissions.
Along the way, lots of information on steam engines will be collected, and several historical events that shaped today's technology.
What is steam power?
What is steam power?
All steam engines operate on a similar basis, regulated input steam from a boiler passes through a valve and enters a cylinder, pushing the piston to the other end.
The valve moves, and directs the steam to the other end of the cylinder, moving the piston back to the opposite side, pushing the now exhaust steam on the other side out of the cylinder.
The momentum created by the flywheel assists in the operation, and the process repeats, continuing to drive the flywheel. Pictured is a cylinder from a steam locomotive.
How do we use it?
How do we use it?
Most people use electricity every day. Electricity is generated when magnets are spun around a coil, or vice versa.
There are many ways for a generator to be driven, but a steam turbine is the quickest and most efficient. Power plants are built to use different types of fuel to generate steam, such as coal, or nuclear energy. The most common type of power plant, is the coal fired plant.
To better understand the basis of how modern coal fired steam works, we look into the past, and go back to the basics.
A few examples of how steam was and is still being used:
Over the years, steam has been used for many applications, including use on locomotives, tractors, shovels, draglines, cranes, cars, boats, and at one point, even a plane. It's also seen many stationary applications, including pumping, milling, grinding, operating moving bridges, winching, running a sawmill, heating, running machine shops and factories, and power generation.
Steam engines have proved to be powerful and dependable, and available for almost any application. This website acknowledges that, but focuses on power generation, and it's history.
The underlined links below will lead to other articles about applications pictured.
The famous Stanley steam car
Bucyrus-Erie steam shovel
Steam powered Besler airplane
London's Tower Bridge steam engine
Steam ship
Steam radiators for heating
Power Plants and Steam
Power Plants and Steam
The History of Steam Power
The History of Steam Power
Despite usually going hand in hand, the history of boilers and engines is separate, though they come together early on.
Steam has been in use for thousands of years, mainly for cooking and brewing. The first ever realization of steam power was by the ancient Romans.
The first boiler predecessors were made in England, the first was basically a large brewers kettle, and the steam powering the engine pumping water from the mines.
Special Sections: History Focus!
Special Sections: History Focus!
Basic operation, and tons of history.
How we changed it, and how it changed us.
Facts about pollution, reducing emissions and geothermal energy.
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