Types of Stationary Steam Engine
There are different patterns of stationary steam engines, distinguished by the layout of the cylinders and crankshaft:
- Beam engines have a rocking beam providing the connection between the vertical cylinder and crankshaft.
- Table engines have the crosshead above the vertical cylinder and the crankshaft below.
- Horizontal engines have a horizontal cylinder.
- Vertical engines have a vertical cylinder.
- Inclined engines have an inclined cylinder.
Stationary engines may be classified by secondary characteristics as well:
- High-speed engines are distinguished by fast-acting valves.
- Corliss engines are distinguished by special rotary valve gear.
- Uniflow engines have admission valves at the cylinder heads and exhaust ports at the midpoint.
When stationary engines had multiple cylinders, they could be classified as:
- Simple engines, with multiple identical cylinders operating on a common crankshaft.
- Compound engines which use the exhaust from high-pressure cylinders to power low-pressure cylinders.
An engine could be run in simple or condensing mode:
- Simple mode meant the exhaust gas left the cylinder and passed straight into the atmosphere
- In condensing mode, the steam was cooled in a separate cylinder, and changed from vapour to liquid water, creating a vacuum that assisted with the motion. This could be done with a water-cooled plate that acted as a heat sink, or pumping-in a spray of water.
In order of evolution:
- Savery atmospheric engine (1700)
- Newcomen engine (1712)
- Watt engine (1775)
- Trevithick (1799) Penydarren Ironworks locomotive, 21 February 1804,
- Hornblower (1781)
- Woolf (1804)
- McNaught'ed compound beam engines (1845)
- Cornish engine (1812)
- Corliss engine(1859)
- Porter-Allen engine (1862)
- Uniflow engine Todd's (1885)
- Steam turbine (1889)
Stationary engines may also be classified by their application:
- Pumping engines are found in pumping stations.
- Mill engines to power textile mills
- Winding engines power various types of hoists.
- Refrigeration engines are typically coupled to ammonia compressors.
Stationary engines could be classified by the manufacturer
- Boulton & Watt
- George Saxon & Co
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