And hey TXlonghorn, aren’t you missing a football game?
That is a very primitive steam engine. That’s how a typical turbine works (but a typical turbine has the steam blowing against a lot of little vanes).
No, I didn’t miss it. Too bad I was too chicken to follow my gut instinct and bet against the Horns. I thought they would win, but not by more than a touchdown (the line was Texas -7.5). I watched all the way to the end, hoping for a late end zone pass that wouldn’t be dropped :(. I also knew the over was a shure thang, even at 54.
What you are proposing is very simular to putting freon liquid into your steam engine. It would work as the freon boiled off at room temp. The problem is refilling it, you woulk need to re-compress the freon (water) back into a liquid.
casdave ol’ bean, you offered that:
Steam turbines in power plants have at least three stages where the steam is directed onto the blades, all on the same shaft.Between each stage the steam is dried and there might be some further energy input.
I have had an almost sexual relationship with power plant turbines, as well as several of the smaller units typically found in refineries and the like, but may be suffering a bit from longtermedism. I have dealt with single stage units where the nozzle supplies impinging steam on a single eighteen inch in diameter rotor, or where the HP end is about two feet in diameter, and sixth stage is around five feet. Some on GE frames, but don’t recall the size.
On the relatively large nukes, a high pressure (HP) rotor, coupled to three or more low pressure (LP), center fed wheels is not unusual at all.
Methinks theat I have a minor measure of misunderstanding on just what the term stage means.
A thirteen stage wheel once meant (I think) that there were that many diametrical changes between the first pair of rotor/diaphrams, and the last. Regardless of being a single shaft unit, or a series of coupled center feeds.
Please, this is not a typical sdmb challenge.
Talk some more if you would like.
Bawdeysurfer
What can I say, there is a reason for your puzzlement but it is easily explained.
I was wrong.
I simply got my wires crossed, the used steam is taken and employed in other parts of the power plant like pre-warming feed water and the like.
Mechanical engineering is not my field although I know a fair old bit, mainly because much of the maths is similar to my own field, electricity/electronics(mostly big amps rather than little bitty amps)
Gotcha. Regardless though, you seem to have a basic knowledge of das terbieners. Not all that usual for one in your field, by my experience.
Ah, I can see where you are going with that last, the divide between mechanical eng and electrical eng is as strong in the US as it is in the UK, guess its probably universal then.There is always a certain amount of banter between us.
The team I worked with was very small and we used to help out the ‘clankies’ when they were doing things like plant stripdowns such as engines (which have turbos on them - 2MW diesels), chillers, boilers,incinerators and assorted steam type things.We had a steam turbine installed but we never had to do much with it.
This was never reciprocated (pun intended) when we had to work on switchgear or install machines or any other heavy work ‘its got wires on it so its yours’.
I guess that the head honcho being a mechanical eng had lots to do with it - just couldn’t bear so see the electrical eng doing what we usually do, sit around drinking tea and waiting for things to go >BANG<
Yesiree, the separation of effort, from the strictly manual to the management/but still hands-on, to complete a task, has often baffled me.
From the mechanical end, I have always believed that while I could dabble with the electricals in a pinch, the electrically inclined were much more competent, if needed, stepping over to aide with that which some deem strictly kinetic.
At the nuclear end, the EEs and their electricians never seem to even have the time to imaging a ‘spot’ of tea.
My experience has been that in the generation of electricity, we MEs most often are the ones sipping the caffeine, and watching others labor 'round the clock. Sad but true. Yet life goes on, and we all make our own marks in the end.
Some of my favorite memories are of jobs and hotels and restaurants shared with the blokes that GEC Britain have sent to assist in the servicing of incredibly large turbine/generator units around the world.
Reciprocation has its place, but that of the rotational be grand.
May all your circuits be static free.