what was the use steam pipe that was installed in 1904?

Question

i mean 1924

Answer 1

Steam pipes carried steam to buildings for heat (i.e. steam radiators), because it was far more efficient to generate steam at one central steam plant, than it was to have a separate boiler system for each large building. Steam was a "utility" just like electricity, water, or gas.

Steam is still used as a primary source of heat. Where I went to college, all the buildings are heated by steam from a central boiler at the steam plant. The city where I grew up had the same system (as does New York).

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Answer 2

Ok first thing is that this steam was probably not used for heating a building because its the summer.

So there are other purposes of steam and it is most likely that the steam in the pipe that ruptured yesterday was carring waste heat. Heat is rejected for many purposes including power generation systems, and cooling applications. The H20 in the pipe absorbs the waste heat and brings it underground to give off the heat. We use the underground as a heat sink because it can absorbe lots and lots of heat. We also use bodies of water so it is possible the steam was en route to the bay or ocean. Basically a heat sink is a thing that can absorb maximum amounts of heat without having a general change in temperature.

Answer 3

Mayor Bloomberg said in his conference that the steam pipe was used to heat and cool houses.

Why would you put miles of steam pipe underground to desipate heat. All boilers and co-gens plants that create steam have all their relief stacks going up above the plant and going to the atmosphere. And why would you send it to a bay or ocean, that heat would make bacteria grow like crazy.