höyryturbiini

Höyryturbiini is the Finnish word for steam turbine. A steam turbine is a rotary heat engine that extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work by rotating an output shaft. This is the most common method of generating electricity in the world today.

The principle of the steam turbine was first demonstrated by an ancient Greek engineer, Hero of Alexandria, with his aeolipile in the 1st century AD. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the practical application of steam power became a reality. Early steam engines, such as the Newcomen and Watt engines, were reciprocating piston engines. The modern steam turbine was invented by Sir Charles Parsons in 1884. His invention revolutionized power generation due to its efficiency and ability to produce high rotational speeds.

Steam turbines are widely used in power plants to generate electricity. In these applications, steam is produced in a boiler, often by burning fossil fuels, nuclear reactions, or harnessing geothermal heat. The high-pressure steam then flows through the turbine blades, causing the rotor to spin. This rotational energy is then converted into electrical energy by a generator. Steam turbines are also used in industrial processes, such as in refineries and chemical plants, for mechanical drive applications.

The design of steam turbines can vary, but they generally consist of a casing, a rotor with multiple stages of blades, and a stationary nozzle or stator. Steam enters the turbine at high pressure and temperature, expands through the stages, and its thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy and then into mechanical work. The efficiency of a steam turbine depends on factors such as steam pressure and temperature, turbine design, and operating conditions.