Locomotive boiler is a fire tube type boiler. the streamlined A4, (80" drivers) it says that at constant steam rate in the normal working range, efficiency begins to plateau around 100mph and shows positive decreases about 120mph. Steam engines and turbines operate on the Rankine cycle which has a maximum Carnot efficiency of 63% for practical engines, with steam turbine power plants able to achieve efficiency in the mid 40% range. The 240P was the most thermally efficient steam locomotive in the world at the time of its creation. Related Questions on Electric Traction. It is dug out of the ground, loaded onto the train and burned as fuel. The efficiency of a turbine can be affected by the following things: 1. A modern AC traction diesel is almost 36 percent thermally efficient at the drawbar, by comparison. The end results of that are- You might end up with a hybrid steam railmotor, like the GWR had, except maybe with a pantograph on the roof, so basically a less-efficient EMU. These were based on late 2010 prices. Not very efficient. You also might have something like the DRG BR 61 001, which was a German tank locomotive designed for high-speed passenger service, and just imagine that with a pantograph . Are steam locomotives efficient? While there are many systems that constitute a modern steam locomotive, the three components that effect efficiency, operating and maintenance costs the most are: Clean high efficiency combustion - Gas Producer Combustion System (GPCS) High efficiency exhaust - Kylpor, Lempor & Lemprex h = Sensible heat of feed water in kcal/kg. So, Energy supplied by fuel/min, and work obtained at the crank shaft/min Do electric trains have engines? Coal is burn in the furnace that produces the high amount of heat and converts the water into steam. Remember that all the steam, combustion gases and smoke fuel going up the stack, which is what makes steam locomotives the dramatic machines they are, is energy going to waste. Both the cylinder and drawbar efficiencies vary with speed and power output, maximum cylinder efficiency being achieved at . C. 25 to 35 percent. Locomotive boiler is a part of the locomotive engine which produces the steam. Drawbar thermal efficiency is defined as the the amount of energy delivered at the locomotive's drawbar (the hook at the back of its tender) divided by the amount of energy available in the fuel placed into its firebox. Answer: Option A . Steam (the working substance) is far from being a perfect gas. They make huge amounts of heat that is simply wasted. Let, m f = Mass of fuel burnt in kg per hour, and C = Calorific value of fuel in kJ/kg of fuel. In the last 30 years of US steam (1930-1960), the typical steam locomotive had a thermal efficiency of about six percent, meaning that for every 100 BTU's of coal burned, six BTU's of horsepower were produced. The mechanical efficiency of a steam locomotive is quite good, but it's the thermal efficiency that kills you. Engine efficiency was low and the ship could not carry sufficient fuel to cross the entire Atlantic. Author: dkpark. Improving the performance and efficiency of steam locomotives was essentially a question of minimizing avoidable losses, called 'loss control' in modern parlance. Comment * Comments ( 1) Arijit Adak : 3 years ago . Firstly the diesel engine has an impressively high thermal efficiency - with modern diesel engines achieving 45% efficiency compared to a steam engines 10% giving them to achieve greater distances between refuelling stops. The power difference is rendered insignificant because the final energy output is what ultimately matters. Not so much. A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. a. B. but hold of the celebrations for a moment. Why is steam engine low efficiency? A . B. Now a days in the railway diesel engine is used because its efficiency is more than the steam engine. No, unfortunately. Join The Discussion. Conversely, a diesel engine is 45% efficient - significantly more than its steam counterparts - and today's modern electric engines are a whopping 95% efficient, making them the most efficient locomotives in existence. In theory, you could use a water tube . 5 to 10 percent. Functionally, it is a steam engine on wheels. At the previously assumed effieciencies of 10% steam/coal vs 25% diesel, we would get 35137 BTU's of work per dollar out of coal vs 15909 BTU's of work per dollar out of diesel, over 2:1 in favor of steam. In a power plant, a turbine has to sustain a lot of steam pressure, which is why it is bound to corrode. Also, because the steam pressure is rather low, your machine has pretty low power. [10] Let Ws = Weight of steam used in kg/min. With late UK designs, e.g. The overall efficiency of steam locomotive is around. Loses that reduce the efficiency of an engine to less than the idea case include: 1. 1818: SS Savannah - Paddlewheel sailing vessel that used a steam engine to get in and out of port. 4. No refining or processing is needed in costly and complica. On the face of it. Coal, wood, and oil were everywhere. Answer & Explanation. OTOH, The Coal that is used in a steam train is used as-is. Thermal efficiency? Indicated Thermal Efficiency It is the ratio of heat equivalent of indicated horsepower to the energy in the steam supplied per minute. The efficiency of the steam locomotive has been given as 11 percent and that of the electric locomotive as about 20 percent. Inefficient Size and heat equivalent to I.H.P. 15 to 20 percent. The efficiency of steam engines is primarily related to the steam temperature and pressure and the number of stages or expansions. Losses that Affect Engine Efficiency. : 80 It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomotive's boiler to the point where it becomes gaseous and its volume increases 1,700 times. This applied both in the thermal and mechanical sense. What is the efficiency of a steam engine? A. Diesel-electrics are better. Overall efficiency of steam engine is the ratio of the work obtained at the crank shaft in a given time to the energy supplied by fuel during the same time. In the early days of steam locomotion, there was plenty of fuel to go around. 1804: Locomotive steam engine developed by Trevithick in England. D. 35 to 45 percent. Corrosion: source: phys.org. A. Answer (1 of 5): Depends on how one is measuring it. It is impossible to compress the exhaust steam to its initial state, thus requiring re-heating in the boiler. (Picture courtesy Wikimedia.org). MOVE is a Chilean invention looking for business partnersWe are trying to rise funds to build an industrial scale prototype and develope the market.The expec. The metal parts do not do well when they come in contact with humidity, mainly superheated steam. C. 25 to 35 percent. Therefore, although steam locomotives are generally more powerful compared to diesel alternatives, their strength is not used as efficiently when operating the vehicle. 2. Are steam locomotives more powerful than diesel? The secret to Andr Chapelon's success lays not so much in him trying wildly new ideas as it is in his use of science and a high level of technological attention to detail to optimize existing technology. An efficient and powerful steam engine must work at serious overpressure (about 2 MPa ~= 20 atmospheres) so the temperatures in the boiler reach 200-300C. 5 to 10 percent. D. 35 to 45 percent. In terms of turning the energy in the coal into work at the wheels, they're under 10% efficient. Overhead lines for power supply to tram cars are at a minimum height of. Steam engines and turbines operate on the Rankine cycle which has a maximum Carnot efficiency of 63% for practical engines, with steam turbine power plants able to achieve efficiency in the mid 40% range. You can use the computer programme to establish when this would occur; it depends on the operating condition. That means it has about 100-105C at most. 1807: Fulton's steamboat operates between Albany and New York City. Not very high. Brake Thermal Efficiency H = Total heat of steam supplied in kcal/kg. Neither value compares favorably with the 28 percent estimated for diesel locomotives, the ratios being 1.82 for electric/steam, 1.4 for diesel/electric, and 2.55 for diesel steam traction. 15 to 20 percent. 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