STEAM ENGINES

Steam engine is used to covert thermal energy of steam into

useful mechanical work by expanding the steam. The steam
engines are sometimes called external combustion engines.
After developing high efficiency devices like steam turbine, gas
turbine, IC engines, etc, the steam engines are outdated,
however, it is still being used for certain applications because of
the following advantages:
Advantages
(i) Any fuel can be burnt in it to produce steam,
(ii) Its initial cost is reliable and low,
(iii) Its construction is strong and simple,
(iv) Its efficiency is better on part load and has excellent torque
characteristics,
(v) It is possible to reverse the direction of rotation,
(vi) Below 1470 kW power output, its steam economy is as good
as steam turbines.
Applications
Steam engines are used for the following purposes:
(a) For driving reciprocating water pumps and compressors.
(b) For driving hoisting where reverse operation and wide
flexibility in speed control are required.

(c) For heating and process work such as in laundries, hotels,

textile manufacturing, wood working mills, paper mills,
chemical industries and others.
34.2. CLASSIFICATION OF STEAM ENGINES
These steam engines can be classified according to its
construction and operating features. Detailed classification is as
below:
(a) Axis of cylinder. Based on the position of cylinder axis, the
steam engines are classified as (i) vertical (ii) horizontal, (iii)
inclined steam engines.
(b) Action of steam. Based on action of steam on the piston, the
engines are classified as:
(i) Single acting steam engine: steam acts on one side of the
piston only while on the other side of the piston, the pressure is
more or less atmospheric.
(ii) Double acting steam engine: steam is alternatively admitted
on both sides of the cylinder.
(c) Number of cylinders. Based on number of cylinders the
engine is:
(i) Simple steam engine: In which the total expansion of steam
takes place in one cylinder.
(ii) Compound steam engine: In which the total expansion of
steam takes place in more than one cylinder.

(d) Exhaust System. On the basis of steam exhaust from the

engine:
(i) Condensing engine: In this the exhaust steam from steam
engine passes in a condenser where steam is condensed at low
pressure than the atmosphere.
(ii) Non- condensing steam engine: In this the exhaust is
directly passed to the atmosphere, such as, in locomotive engine.
(e) Expansion of steam in cylinder. On the basis of steam
expansion in steam engine cylinder, the engines are classified as:
(i) Non-expansive: In non-expansive engine, no expansion of
steam takes place inside the cylinder e.g. direct acting pumps, in
rolling mills and in winches.
(ii) Expansive engines: In an expansive engine, the expansion
of steam takes place inside the cylinder.
(f) Valve gears. Based on valve gears mechanism of steam
engine, the engines are classified as (i) D-type and (ii) Poppet
type.
(g) Speed. According to the running speed of the engine it can
be classified as,
i) Low speed engine: Engine runs at 100 or less revolution per
minute.
ii) Medium speed engine: Engine runs at 110 to 200 revolutions
per minute.

iii) High speed engine: Engine runs above 200 or more

revolution per minute.
(h) Use. Based on the applications of steam engine, these are
classified as,
i) Locomotive or Portable Engines
ii) Stationary Engines
iii) Marine Engines
(i) Governing
Methods Based
on
the
governing method employed, the steam engine classification is
made as under:
i) Throttle Governing: In this method the speed of engine is
controlled by means of valve in the steam pipe which regulates
the pressure of steam entering the engine.
ii) Automatic Cut-Off Governing: In this method governor
controls the quantity of steam admitted to the cylinder while the
pressure of entering steam remains constant.
PRINCIPAL PARTS OF A SIMPLE STEAM ENGINE.

Cylinder. This a hollow cylinder in which the piston moves to

and fro due to the action of steam. It is made of cast iron. One
end of the cylinder is known as head/cover/front end, which is
closed by means of separate cover, the other end is known as
crank/back end, through which the piston rod passes.
Valve chamber/Steam chest. It is generally cast integral with
the cylinder. It is closed by a cover termed as steam chest cover

which may be circular or rectangular depending upon the shape

of the valve operating in it. There are two openings known as
steam ports leading from cylinder to the steam chest. These two
ports, one at each end of the cylinder, are provided for flow of
steam from steam chest to the cylinder or from cylinder to the
steam chest. A third passage known as exhaust port is provided
between the two steam ports for the discharge of steam from the
cylinder to the outside.
Piston. The piston is a cylindrical piece, generally made of cast
iron. The outer periphery of each piston is accurately machined
to running fit in the cylinder bore and is provided with several
grooves into which piston rings are fitted. The main function of
piston is to convert the pressure energy of the steam into its
reciprocating movement (to and fro in the cylinder) and
transmits force to the cross-head through the piston rod. It is the
movement of the piston which allows for the expansion of steam
in the cylinder, and thus work is obtained.
Piston rings. The function of the piston rings is to prevent any
leakage of steam past the piston and also prevents any wear and
tear of the piston. Whatever the wear and tear that takes place, it
takes place in the piston rings only which are easily replaceable.
The piston rings are made of cast iron and are located in the
circumferential grooves cut in the piston.
Piston rod. The piston rod connects the piston and cross head. It
is generally made of mild steel.
Stuffing box. This is placed at the point where the piston rod
passes through the cylinder cover and valve rod passes through
the valve chamber/chest. In this way, it prevents the leakage of

steam from the cylinder and valve chamber/chest to the

atmosphere.
Crosshead and guide. The cross head H is a block by means of
which the ends of the connecting rod N and the piston rod P are
joined. Usually the end of the piston rod is forged or attached
with the crosshead and one end of the connecting rod is
connected with it by means of a crosshead pin or gudgeon pin
The movement of the crosshead is controlled by means of guide
bars G, so that it gets only the sliding motion. The function of
the cross head is to prevent the piston rod from getting bent.

Connecting rod. The connecting rod N connects the piston

and the crank C One end of the connecting rod, called the
small end, is connected to the cross head and the other end,
called the big end, is connected to the crank with the crank pin.
The crank is fitted on the crank shaft CS. The function of
connecting rod is to transmit the reciprocating motion of the
piston into rotary motion of the crank shaft. The connecting rod
is usually made of forged steel.

Crank shaft. The crankshaft is the principal rotating part of the

engine. It serves to convert the forces applied by the connecting
rods into a rotational force. It controls the motion of the piston
and must be designed to cause them to reciprocate in proper
sequence. The crank shaft is supported by bearings and it is
fitted with the eccentric and flywheel. The crank is usually made
of forged steel. The crankshaft is usually drilled to permit oil to
be circulated from entrances in the main bearing areas to the
cranks pins.
The axis of crank pin is at some distance away from the axis of
the crank shaft, called radius of the crank. The radius of the
crank is equal to half of the stroke length. The position of crank
pin with respect to crank shaft controls the position of the piston
in the cylinder and causes it to reciprocate in proper sequence.
Two extreme positions of the crank pin are known as dead
centers. For vertical engines these are known as top dead centre
position and bottom dead centre position and for horizontal
engines, these are called the inner dead centre position and outer
dead centre position.
Eccentric. It is made of cast iron, and is located on the
crankshaft. The axis of eccentric is always at a short distance
away from the axis of the crank shaft, and is called radius of the
eccentric. It converts the rotary motion of the crank shaft into
the reciprocating motion of the slide valve through valve rod and
eccentric rod. The position of axis of eccentric with respect to
crank shaft controls the position of the slide valve in the valve
chamber and causes it to reciprocate in proper sequence.

The relative position of the axis of eccentric with respect to axis

of crank pin provides the required valve position with respect to
the position of the piston.
Valve rod and eccentric rod. The valve rod connects the valve
and the eccentric rod through a valve rod guide, which prevents
the bending of the valve rod, while the eccentric rod connects
the valve rod and the eccentric. The eccentric rod converts the
rotary motion of the eccentric into reciprocating motion which is
transmitted to the valve through the valve rod. Both the rods are
made of mild steel or Al-alloy or carbon steel.
Valve. The valve may be D-slide or any other type. It
reciprocates over the valve seat in the steam chest. It admits or
exhausts steam to or from the cylinder from or to the steam chest
at the proper time through the ports.
Steam jacket: The steam from boiler is circulated through the
steam jacket surrounding the cylinder to maintain the cylinder
walls at high temperature. The steam jacket is cast integral with
the cylinder.
Fly wheel. It is a heavy mass mounted on the crankshaft to
minimize the cyclic fluctuation of speed by absorbing energy
when the supply is greater than the demand and releasing energy
when the supply is less than the demand. By employing a
flywheel the turning moment becomes uniform at the crankshaft.
Governor. The function of the governor is to maintain the speed
of the engine fairly constant irrespective of the load. It is placed

generally at the inlet of the steam pipe and is driven by a belt

through the crankshaft.
Main bearings. Generally two main bearings are provided at
each end of the crankshaft to support it; the bearings are
attached to the frame.
CYCLE OF OPERATIONS
In a Steam engine, the cycle of operations is completed in two
stroke of the piston, that is, in one revolution of the crank shaft.
Generally, steam engines are of double acting type and the same
operations take place on both sides of the piston.
The Non-expansive Engine Cycle and Expansive Engine
Cycle operation are explained below with the help of a p-V
diagram showing how the pressure and volume of steam vary in
the cylinder during one revolution of the crank shaft i.e. during
one complete working-cycle or engine-cycle.
Non-expansive Engine Cycle
In this cycle, no expansion or compression of steam takes place
inside the engine cylinder. The steam exerts a constant pressure
upon the piston. Here the edge of the slide valve is equal to the
gap of the steam port. During the cycle, the angle between axis
of eccentric and axis of crank pin is kept 90 which moves the
sliding valve half stroke advance with respect to piston.
First stroke: Suppose the piston P is at the beginning of the
stroke at the at the head end (extreme left hand side of the
cylinder). The sliding valve is at the middle of its stroke and
both the steam ports are fully closed by the slide valve V Now

the piston and the slide valve move away from the head. So
there is a gradual opening of steam ports due to the movement of
the slide valve. Steam enters at constant pressure through the
steam port No. 1 and discharges at constant pressure through the
steam port No. 2 . When the piston reaches at the middle of its
stroke, the sliding valve is at the crank end (extreme right) of its
stroke and both the steam ports are fully opened by the slide
valve . When the piston starts moving toward the crank end from
middle of its stroke, the slide valve reverses its direction towards
left (i.e. moves away from crank end) and thus both the steam
ports are gradually closing . When the piston reaches at the
crank end of its stroke, the sliding valve is at the middle of its
stroke and the steam ports are completely closed. Thus the first
stroke is completed
Second stroke: The piston moves towards the cylinder head
from the crank end. The slide valve also moves in the same
direction from the middle of its stroke. Thus, again there is a
gradual opening of the steam ports The steam is driven out by
the piston through the steam port No. 1 to the exhaust port E for
its discharge and the admission of steam takes place through the
steam port No 2. When the piston reaches at the middle of its
stroke, the sliding valve is at the head end (extreme left) of its
stroke and both the steam ports are fully opened . Now the slide
valve reverses its direction towards right (i.e. moves away from
head end) with gradual closing of the steam ports . When the
piston reaches at the end of its stroke at the extreme left hand
side (i.e. at the head end), both the steam ports are completely
closed . Now- the cycle is completed and the same operations
are repeated again.