Turbine - History, Types Of Turbines
machines stream gas fluid
A turbine is any of various rotary machines that convert the kinetic energy in a stream of fluid (gas or liquid) into mechanical energy by passing the stream through a system of fixed and moving fans or blades. Turbines are simple but powerful machines that embody Newton's third law of motion which states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. They are classified according to the driving fluid they use: steam, gas, water, and wind. Today, different types of turbines generate electricity, power ships and submarines, and propel jet aircraft.
Additional Topics
The most ancient of these methods was the undershot wheel or paddle wheel. On these old waterwheels, only the very lowest part of the wheel was submerged beneath a moving body of water, and the entire wheel was turned as the river flowed past it, pushing against its paddles. This was a prototype for what came to be called an impulse turbine, which is one that is driven by the force of a fluid dire…
While turbines can be classed as either impulse or reaction according to the way they function, there are four broad types of turbines categorized according to the fluid that supplies the driving force: steam, gas, water, or wind. Steam, water, and wind turbines are all used to generate electricity, and gas turbines are most often used by jet aircraft for propulsion. The steam turbine is mainly us…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments