STEAM ENGINE

WHAT IS STEAM ENGINE?

A steam engine is the main reason why steam locomotives can function. With the steam engine people can travel faster which made trade more efficient. Steam engines are among the most brilliant discoveries by mankind. Although most steam locomotives are no longer operating on railways today, you can still find steam engines being used in various factories and industrial plants.

WHAT POWER A STEAM ENGINE?

A steam engine is a type of machine that only relies on steam to facilitate energy. That’s right!  Energy from a steam engine comes from the heat that emanates from the boiler, which works much like a huge pot filled with water. Burning coal to fire up the boiler is similar to turning on the stove to boil water in a kettle. Men continuously place coal to burn so that the heat can circulate within the boiler, and as the water continues to boil it releases steam which in turn makes the machine work. It looks so simple that it’s amazing how this can power an engine!

Heat energy. The conversion of energy begins in the firebox and ends in the boiler. In a steam engine, chemical energy is transformed to produce heat energy after the coals are set on fire. Heat energy is directed by a change in the temperature. Right after the coals ignites, that chemical energy gets converted to heat energy, which is used to boil the water and produce steam.