Energy Transfer Project
What was our Project?
For this project we were left completely to our own ideas and creativity and we were given a lot of freedom. After much discussion and playing around with concepts our group finally reached the consensus to create a steam engine, manifesting numerous transfers of energy. The document below provides further information regarding this design process, as well as describing the numerous problems with our machine and the unfortunate end result.
Proof of Efficacy
To create our project, my group used a small paint can with a hole in the lid to create the boiler. We then put 150 mL of water into the can and attached a copper pipe in the allotted open space of the container. The edges were seals to try to create asw airtight as possible of a space so that very little of the pressure was lost. When heated in the sealed container, steam was produced quickly exiting through the tip of the condensed copper pipe at a high pressure. This design was one similar to that of a water mill without any dependency on gas, using steam as the power source instead.
How We Made It
My group originally planned to build a “classic” steam engine, similar to those constructed during the early 20th century. The machine we hoped to create a boiler filled with water heated by the Bunsen Burner to create steam at a high pressure. This boiler would then power a piston and cylinder complex to rotate a cross head and exerting enough energy to release the steam as exhaust. Sadly, my group never got past the planning point and because of this we had to work quickly under pressure. We decided to make a boiler that led the steam through a pipe to push a wheel. This would create electricity as the wheel turned to generate a motor, very similar to a water mill without the use of gas.
The water vessel is attached to the heat source by metal rods, which heat the water directly and convert it to steam. The steam initially collects in an area above the water vessel, known as the dome, before exiting the boiler. The dome forces the steam to become highly condensed so that it will exit the boiler with a significant amount of pressure. Pressurized steam is particularly important for industrial applications such as powering turbines and other heavy equipment. All boilers have a safety valve, which allows excess steam to be released to prevent explosions. A boiler also contains a drain, which removes contaminants and sediment from the water vessel, and a chimney, which allows heat to escape once it has passed through the water vessel.
In essence, metal pipes transfer heat from the furnace to the boiler tank, with the gasses from the furnace escaping through the smokestack. The the atoms in the water vibrate and transition from liquid to gas. The newly formed steam builds up pressure and escapes through the designated pipe. The steam is then used for numerous fields, including brewing, electricity, and heating units. This design plan also failed as the limit of time and materials caused many issues. We were desperate to produce a successful machine, we analyzed each and every component of the model, yet failed to create a functioning engine. All modifications were either not executed due to how unrealistic they were or simply because we couldn’t manage to find a solution. All materials we tried to substitute for the original plans’ parts either melted due to the high temperature of both the flame and air pressure or leaked steam.
Unfortunately, all we managed to put together was a rather simple boiler, using a paint can filled with water to create high pressure steam by heating the container with the flame of a Bunsen Burner seen below. We filled an empty paint can with 150 mL of water before igniting the flame, directing the steam out of a copper pipe that we attached through the center of the container. After soldering and gluing the edges of the pipe in an effort to prevent any steam leaking, most of the pressure was lost to the surrounding area through this hole as the temperature melted most of the glue. This design proved to be inefficient, but represented the idea we had for our project.
Due to the fact that our project was not successful, we didn't have any results to collect data from. Because of this, the only selling point in our project was our design and the effort that we put into it. Below is our molecular blueprint.
Content
Boiling Water:
Vapor pressure:
Fire:
Reflection
Our group faced some issues over the course of the project. One of our members was sick for much of the time which was out of our control but set us back nevertheless. When he got back, however, he got right to work and was one of the best contributing members. We worked well together but were still unable to execute many of our plans for various reasons like the fact that it was too complicated or that we had run out of time. Overall, the project was a learning experience and it taught us more about engineering than anything.
For this project we were left completely to our own ideas and creativity and we were given a lot of freedom. After much discussion and playing around with concepts our group finally reached the consensus to create a steam engine, manifesting numerous transfers of energy. The document below provides further information regarding this design process, as well as describing the numerous problems with our machine and the unfortunate end result.
Proof of Efficacy
To create our project, my group used a small paint can with a hole in the lid to create the boiler. We then put 150 mL of water into the can and attached a copper pipe in the allotted open space of the container. The edges were seals to try to create asw airtight as possible of a space so that very little of the pressure was lost. When heated in the sealed container, steam was produced quickly exiting through the tip of the condensed copper pipe at a high pressure. This design was one similar to that of a water mill without any dependency on gas, using steam as the power source instead.
How We Made It
My group originally planned to build a “classic” steam engine, similar to those constructed during the early 20th century. The machine we hoped to create a boiler filled with water heated by the Bunsen Burner to create steam at a high pressure. This boiler would then power a piston and cylinder complex to rotate a cross head and exerting enough energy to release the steam as exhaust. Sadly, my group never got past the planning point and because of this we had to work quickly under pressure. We decided to make a boiler that led the steam through a pipe to push a wheel. This would create electricity as the wheel turned to generate a motor, very similar to a water mill without the use of gas.
The water vessel is attached to the heat source by metal rods, which heat the water directly and convert it to steam. The steam initially collects in an area above the water vessel, known as the dome, before exiting the boiler. The dome forces the steam to become highly condensed so that it will exit the boiler with a significant amount of pressure. Pressurized steam is particularly important for industrial applications such as powering turbines and other heavy equipment. All boilers have a safety valve, which allows excess steam to be released to prevent explosions. A boiler also contains a drain, which removes contaminants and sediment from the water vessel, and a chimney, which allows heat to escape once it has passed through the water vessel.
In essence, metal pipes transfer heat from the furnace to the boiler tank, with the gasses from the furnace escaping through the smokestack. The the atoms in the water vibrate and transition from liquid to gas. The newly formed steam builds up pressure and escapes through the designated pipe. The steam is then used for numerous fields, including brewing, electricity, and heating units. This design plan also failed as the limit of time and materials caused many issues. We were desperate to produce a successful machine, we analyzed each and every component of the model, yet failed to create a functioning engine. All modifications were either not executed due to how unrealistic they were or simply because we couldn’t manage to find a solution. All materials we tried to substitute for the original plans’ parts either melted due to the high temperature of both the flame and air pressure or leaked steam.
Unfortunately, all we managed to put together was a rather simple boiler, using a paint can filled with water to create high pressure steam by heating the container with the flame of a Bunsen Burner seen below. We filled an empty paint can with 150 mL of water before igniting the flame, directing the steam out of a copper pipe that we attached through the center of the container. After soldering and gluing the edges of the pipe in an effort to prevent any steam leaking, most of the pressure was lost to the surrounding area through this hole as the temperature melted most of the glue. This design proved to be inefficient, but represented the idea we had for our project.
Due to the fact that our project was not successful, we didn't have any results to collect data from. Because of this, the only selling point in our project was our design and the effort that we put into it. Below is our molecular blueprint.
Content
Boiling Water:
- Molecules packed together in liquid form
- When heat is added (Bunsen burner) and temperature rises, kinetic energy and molecular movement increases as a direct result
- Reaches boiling point
- temperature at which vapor pressure is equal to the gas pressure above it
- Molecules break free of liquid container into gas in form of steam once molecular movement becomes too high to be contained
Vapor pressure:
- Pressure exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed phases at a given temperature in a closed system
- Equilibrium vapor pressure is an indication of a liquid's evaporation rate
Fire:
- Results from combustion
- Flames are produced at the ignition point
- Releases more energy than required to sustain
- Produces heat
- Plasma
- Produced when fire releases enough energy to ionize the gaseous atoms
- Primary composition:
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Water Vapor ( 2H2O (g) )
- Oxygen (O2)
- Nitrogen(N2)
- Must be present:
- Fuel
- Oxygen
- Energy
- Occurs between a fuel and an oxidizing agent that produces energy, usually in the form of heat and light (Exothermic)
- Happens when fuel and oxidant react to form oxidized products
- Heat production
- Double bond between oxygen atoms in O2 are weaker than the single bonds or other double bonds
- Example
- 2H2(g) + O2(g) → 2H2O(g) (Hydrogen gas+ Oxygen gas→ Water Vapor)
- 4th state of matter
- Production in fire
- Made by heating a gas until its electrons have sufficient energy to escape the hold of the positively charged nuclei
- Made of cations
- Can be found in:
- Television screens
- Fluorescent lights
- Lightning
- Fire
Reflection
Our group faced some issues over the course of the project. One of our members was sick for much of the time which was out of our control but set us back nevertheless. When he got back, however, he got right to work and was one of the best contributing members. We worked well together but were still unable to execute many of our plans for various reasons like the fact that it was too complicated or that we had run out of time. Overall, the project was a learning experience and it taught us more about engineering than anything.