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Steam and the Industrial Revolution: How did it transform the global economy?
Steam has been a core concept in the Industrial Revolution since ancient times, and its importance in energy production and industrial development is self-evident. When liquid water turns into steam, it expands suddenly. This property is widely used in steam engines and modern steam turbines, which are now responsible for producing more than 80% of the world's electricity.
Steam made possible mechanical work, fueled industries and reshaped the global economy.
Before the Industrial Revolution, productivity mainly relied on human and animal power. However, with the improvement of the steam engine by James Watt in the 1730s, the production process began to undergo a qualitative change. Watt's design greatly improved the efficiency of the steam engine, which meant that the same fuel could produce more power, thus promoting the establishment of factories and urbanization in one fell swoop.
Types and conversion of steam
Steam is generated in a variety of ways. Traditionally, steam is produced by heating boilers by burning fuels such as coal. Today, steam production using renewable energy sources such as solar energy is increasingly common. Different types of steam such as wet steam and saturated steam have their own different applications in industry. When the steam reaches saturation, it allows engineers to fully control the thermal energy, which is crucial for various application scenarios.
Applications of steam
Steam plays an irreplaceable role in different industries. For example:
Agriculture
In agriculture, steam is used to disinfect soil, which helps avoid the use of harmful chemicals and promotes soil health.
Family
The heat transfer capabilities of steam make it an indispensable energy source in the home, for example in daily operations such as cooking, steam cleaning, heating and ironing.
Electricity production
As of 2000, about 90% of the world's electricity is generated through steam turbines. These turbines generate power by expanding steam, and after generating electricity, the condensed steam is recycled again for use in the next generation of electricity. The steam system in New York City in the United States is the world's largest centralized steam supply system, providing energy for approximately 100,000 buildings.
Energy storage
In some industrial applications, steam is also used as a medium for thermal energy storage, allowing it to be extracted when needed. The advantage of this form of storage lies in the high heat of vaporization of water, which allows it to effectively store large amounts of thermal energy.
Steam is not only a carrier of energy, it also plays an important role in the production process of many industries. From the wood industry to the chemical industry, steam is used in a wide range of applications.
Cleaning
Steam has a good cleaning effect on hardened grease and dirt, making it an important tool for cleaning kitchens and internal combustion engines, and is often used to clean fibers and other materials in preparation for painting.
Summary
Steam and the Industrial Revolution are intertwined, driving the transformation and development of the global economy. From a small steam engine to today's efficient power generation and industrial applications, steam is not only a witness to environmental changes, but also the engine of countless industrial revolutions. This makes people think, will steam continue to play an indispensable role in the future energy transformation?
