Oil & Fuel Diesel torque versus Steam torque

   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #1  

KNotMe

Bronze Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2004
Messages
55
We agree diesel engines by design produce higher torques than gasoline engines, what about steam engines?
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #2  
According to my father, who used the things on ships during WW-II, a steam engine is hard to beat. Maximum torque at zero RPM, ability to feather the torque with extreme precision, and no need for a transmission. Plus, they throw the whistle in for free. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #3  
Piston powered by steam or a steam turbine?

Having asked that question I can only say torque is torque. 1ft/lb is 1ft/lb. It is a measure of force. No preference as to were it comes from or where it goes.
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #4  
It's lb-ft, not lb/ft, e.g. pounds at the end of a foot not along it.

Ralph
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #5  
</font><font color="blue" class="small">( We agree diesel engines by design produce higher torques than gasoline engines, what about steam engines? )</font>

For same cylinder diameter (or piston diameter), same stroke and same amount of fuel per stroke - the torques from engines to engines change only according to fuel type. So, diesel fuel will create higher torque than gasoline due to its higher combustion temperature, hence higher pressure, hence higher force onto piston head, hence higher torque. But the steam isn't flammable and the pressure difference which will create the force onto the piston of a steam engine is created externally - meaning that you can heat the steam outside much much and it can apply much more force/torque than the diesel. But if you heat the steam outside not much, its torque of steam will be less than that of diesel. I mean the torque of steam engine can vary much from very low values to very high values because steam pressure is externally supplied/controlled unlike the diesel and gasoline engines.
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque
  • Thread Starter
#6  
My point is that the thread is quite irrelevant. We fall in love with a design/machine/tool/person/place/time/hobby/drug/book and then try to explain or justify that love by comparing with something we think is similar

KNotMe
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #7  
We have a customer in Germany that has been working on the "Sterling Engine". The company I work for manufactures wire & wire mesh.. they compress hundreds of layers of wire mesh to make a heat sink that is used in the engine. The engine is a sealed system.. same fluid is heated for expansion then cooled using the heat sinks to retain the energy.. I believe it is one of the most efficient engine types.. invented back in the 1800's.
 
   / Diesel torque versus Steam torque #8  
Thanks for reminding the Sterling engines.
Sterling name comes from Robert Sterling who lived in 19th century. But actually long time ago (in 15th-16th century) such engines that we can name "heat engines" were available. Sterling just added a component now called regenerator to make it the older versions more efficient.
Yes, Sterling engines can have higher efficiency, but its main disadvantage against the internal combustion engines is its response time to the heat application. However, it still has many applications everywhere from the ground industry to the space industry. I know of a good application (maybe single choice) in solar electricity generation plants. Steam is heated up to 1200-1500 F (not sure about exact value) by the large diameter parabolic solar collectors and at the center of the parabolic collector, there is a steam engine (Sterling engine) in which the steam operates the piston. Very fine wire meshes there in the system are used to retain and transfer the heat to the components of the engine very efficienctly. Therefore, as far as I know, the best efficient sterling engines can be seen in solar industry (if we don't count the space industry where very special materials are used because no commercial worrying there in the use of expensive materials in the space industry.)
 
 
Top