An external combustion engine is an engine which burns its fuel to heat a separate working fluid which then in turn performs work. Examples include steam engines and Stirling engines. External
combustion engines are often less compact and less powerful than internal combustion engines, but are sometimes more efficient, and are much less particular about the type of fuel they burn.
Mechanical energy and heat energy are related. For example,
Editor mechanical energy is changed into heat by friction between the moving parts of a machine. Heat energy, in turn, can be changed into mechanical energy by heat engines.Heat engines can be divided into two groups: (1) external-combustion engines and (2) internal-combustion engines. External combustion engines produce hot gases that transfer heat energy to another fluid. The heat energy in this fluid, in turn, is changed into mechanical energy. Such engines include gas and steam turbines and reciprocating steam engines. Internal-combustion engines produce hot gases whose heat energy is changed directly into
mechanical energy.
A locomotive has a hot fire which the driver or his helper shovels coal into. The coal burns hot and boils water producing steam pressure. The steam pressure then pushes on a piston mounted on a set of fly wheels.
This is a great video, in this video the big fly wheels have a shaft that connects to a pulley which has an out of center mounted pin to the pulley. The rod is attached to a piston on the other end. The steam makes the pully turn, the rod which is attached to the off center pin on the pulley pushes on the rod which is attached to the piston on the other end, to make the piece of equipmen work. You can’t see the boiler in this video, but the rest of it is very good.
The rod that connects the piston to the fly wheel is mounted eccentrically on the flywheel. This steam pressure causes the rotating flywheel and pulley to push the piston/s up and down. The pistons are staggered one on each side of the locomotive. The staggering causes one piston to be pushing all the time..
A steam turbine is a good example of an external-combustion engine. Heat from burning fuel or from a nuclear reactor changes water in a boiler to steam. Pipes carry the steam into the turbine, which has a series of bladed wheels attached to a shaft. The high-temperature steam expands as it rushes through the turbine and so pushes on the blades and causes them to turn the shaft. Steam leaving the turbine has a much lower temperature. The spinning shaft can drive an electric generator, move a ship’s propeller, or do other useful work.
While steam engines don’t seem practical for cars, there is a reasonable amount of experimentation going on. If you need a convention internal combustion engine you can count on, call GotEngines.com @ 1-877-268-0664. Our engines have been pre-tested and certified
