Essay Archive - Steam Turbines
Steam Turbines
The invention of the water turbine was so successful that eventually,
the idea came about for extracting power from steam. Steam has one great
advantage over water-it expands in volume with tremendous velocity. To be the
most effective, a steam turbine must run at a very high speed. No wheel made
can revolve at any speed approaching the velocity that a steam turbine can. By
utilizing the kinetic energy of steam flow, the turbine could achieve a higher
efficiency. As a result, the steam turbine has supplanted the reciprocating
engine as a prime mover in large electricity-generating plants and is also....
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