Joshua Cude <[email protected]> wrote:
> The steam has not been pressurized as far as I know. > > > Unless there is significant water content in the expelled steam, the > pressure doesn't matter, or have you forgotten your grade 11 phase diagram > again? > In real life, I have never heard of a steam turbine or other heat engine that was not pressurized. The water is pressurized and obviously the steam has to work against a piston or turbine so it is pressurized as well. I believe the most efficient conventional reciprocating steam engines were triple expansion marine steam engines. The steam was used three times, in the high, medium and low pressure cylinder. Remarkable machines. In the 1930s my dad was a fireman first-class with them, on the New York - Caracas run. Turbine engines were more efficient, but reciprocating oil fired steam engines were still used in WWII transport ships. Ships are all Diesel electric now, as far as I know. The latest big passenger ship do not even have rudders and they do not need tugboats, because the electric propellers are on pods and can be turned in any direction. Kind of weird looking by old fashioned standards. Modern cruise ships look top-heavy to me. The ones with the most beautiful lines were the Titanic-era ones like yachts. - Jed
