Steam Engines

History

Idea

• Hero of Alexandria

Piston Steam Engine

• Thomas Newcomen
• James Watt

Reversible Engine

• Nicolas Leonard Sadi Carnot

Theoretical Cycle

• William John Macquorn Rankine

Components

Defined by the Rankine Cycle

Theoretical Cycle per Carnot

1. $1\to 2$ Isothermal ($T=const$) expansion ($dV>0$)
   • $Q_{1\to 2}>0$
   • $W_{1\to 2}>0$
2. $2\to 3$ Adiabatic ($Q=0$) expansion ($W_{2\to 3}$)
   • $Q_{2\to 3}>0$
   • $W_{2\to 3}>0$
3. $3\to 4$ Isothermal ($T=const$) compression ($dV<0$)
   • $Q_{3\to 4}>0$
   • $W_{3\to 4}>0$
4. $4\to 1$ Adiabatic ($Q=0$) compression
   • $Q_{4\to 1}>0$
   • $W_{4\to 1}>0$