Anyone knows that the heart of every vehicle is a motor. And most modern cars are powered by internal combustion engines. But all these sophisticated engines are grandchildren or even great-grandchildren of such an aggregate as a steam engine. It all started with the invention of Thomas Savey. He in 1689 built the first steam unit, which served as a pump. With its help, water was pumped out, which flooded the mines. The design of this car was very simple. In this pump, steam condenses and turns into a small amount of water. This made it possible to create a partial vacuum in it, thanks to which water was sucked from the depth of the shaft.
But Saver’s invention was only the first step in a long development of steam engines. And even before the second half of the 18th century, only water engines were in motion. They were used for production needs, that is, in factories and plants. These were very bulky and expensive devices. In them, mechanical movement was transmitted from the water wheel. For this, these factories had to be built on the banks of the rivers, and this was not always convenient. In addition, in order for the water engine to work effectively, it was necessary to build dams, arrange ponds, in short do a lot of preparatory work. And the power of such units was not always enough for the needs of production. And in winter or in a drought, they generally "died." This situation could not continue for a long time. And steam engines at that time became precisely the “engines of progress."
And Thomas Newcomen, who invented the piston pump in 1712, made a great contribution to this matter. This unit was driven by steam. And in the 60s of the 18th century, James Watt improved the design of this apparatus and created a more efficient steam engine. His invention found its application in production. With the help of such an engine, machine tools worked in factories of that time. And the first steam turbine appeared at the end of the 19th century, in 1883. It was created by the Swede Gustav Laval. And the Englishman Charles Parson got a patent for the invention of a multi-stage jet turbine, which he developed specifically to drive an electric generator. And this turbine has become widely used in thermal power plants.
Steam turbines are still in use. They twist power plant generators and propellers of large ships. These turbines turn thermal energy into rotational motion. And they can work both on ordinary fuel (fuel oil), and from a nuclear reactor. A steam engine device is slightly different from a turbine device. It also works on steam, which is obtained by heating water. And this steam moves the pistons that are located in the cylinders. These pistons create a reciprocating motion. A special mechanism is already converting it into rotational motion. And such piston engines stand on steam locomotives.
At one time, they tried to introduce a steam engine in automobile transport. So in the USSR in the 50s of the last century, a special "omnivorous" model of Victory was developed. This was due to the fact that in the post-war Union there were problems with energy sources. And Soviet engineers decided to use a water tube boiler as a steam generator . Then such a boiler was the most efficient steam engine. With its help, it was possible to obtain high heat removal from the working surface, while creating a pressure of up to 170 kg / cm2, and without the danger of explosion of this boiler. These units had some drawbacks. But Soviet specialists managed to eliminate them.
And at the beginning of 1956, the first four such machines were prepared at an experimental plant at NII 21. And in the spring of that year, these cars participated in a comparative rally, the purpose of which was to identify the advantages and disadvantages of these models. The traditional Victory models also participated in this run. And in the process of testing the steam engine showed its best side. During the rally, various types of fuel were used. These are oil shales, coal, peat and crude oil. Also, the machine worked perfectly on such fuels as fuel oil, kerosene, gasoline, birch firewood, used engine oil and alcohol mixtures. True, the preparation for the launch of such a car took up to 35 minutes. But she had a higher cross in off-road conditions. These tests were very successful, but soon the energy crisis passed and this development did not get into mass production. And in our time, when it becomes tight again with energy, it may be necessary to reconsider the attitude to steam engines.