Basic steam power plant

 

 

2. INTRODUCTION

 

The steam engine is a heat engine converting heat energy to work. The conversion is performed by a cycle of processes. Heat created externally by pump is transferred to water in a steam generating unit or boiler. The steam carries energy to the expander (engine), part of the heat energy is converted to mechanical energy, which is work. The steam leaves the expander and is condensed back to water at condenser, rejecting some heat energy. This is known as an external combustion engine. These processes must conform to the First Law of Thermodynamics expressed in the General Energy Equation. This cycle is called the Rankine cycle and is the accepted standard of comparison for steam plants today.

 

-Basic Steam Engine-