Steam power?

Question

is the steam engine still used today?
or is the steam boat still used today?

Answer 1

This ancient technology is most certainly used today. All of Americas Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers use steam engines, the only advancement on the original design is that they use nuclear fuel as the heat source and the steam is used to drive a turbine instead of pistons. These are just overgrown steam boats in effect. Those same ships use steam as the driving force to launch their aircraft via would you believe it...catapults...how old is that technology....it goes back to the iron age....incredible...

The same can be said of so called modern nuclear power stations which use steam to again drive turbines.

Boiler technology is still used in industry and in cetrally heated schools and homes....boilers of all things...!!!

In short the answer to your very relevent question is a resounding YES!!On both counts..... :-) .......

Answer 2

A steam engine is one type of device that turns heat (from burning fuel) into mechanical work. Unfortunately it is not as efficient as an internal combustion engine, which basically does the same thing, so their use is limited today.

I know a guy who has constructed a steam engine-powered bicycle though. It's reasonably fast.

Later: Forgot to say that you could call a nuclear power plant a steam engine that drives a generator. The nuclear reactor heats water into steam that is fed into turbines, which makes the generator turn, creating electricity. Steam engine technology is at work here even though it doesn't actually burn anything in the traditional sense.

Answer 3

Yes, the steam engine is still used today. Infact, a large part of Naval vessels and merchant marine ships use steam engines. There are some steam boats still in operation, but due to their inefficiency and much better technology being available, the purpose of these steam boats is for recreation..Not for transportation

Answer 4

Yes, but mostly for historical authenticity rather than fuel efficiency. There are a number of "authentic" steam boats on American rivers that are modern reconstructions of 19th century steamboats. These use actual steam engines and paddlewheels. There are also steam vessels operating on some European lakes, like Lake Como in Italy. On Lake Minnetonka, near Minneapolis, MN, a steam-engine powered boat built in about 1910 operates during the summer months.

Answer 5

Of course they are. Actually, many modern ships and power plants use a similar principle to the steam engines used in old ships and trains. They just use oil, gas, or nuclear power to produce the heat that makes the steams, which drives turbines, which drive ships or produce electricity.

Answer 6

There are so many uses for steam power in the industrial world - almost all of the big companys have boilers. Power plants use steam for turbines; coal natural gas, oil, and nuclear.

Answer 7

Steam power is generating your electricity both with coal/oil fired boilers and by nuclear power.