A mobile laboratory-scale steam plant for experiments in thermodynamic principles. It helps students to understand:

• Thermodynamic laws of energy conservation
• Steady flow energy equation
• Thermal efficiency and the control surface
• Rankine Cycle Analysis
• The Willans line

A mobile frame contains all the parts of the test set. An electric pump draws from a reservoir (included) to deliver water to an electrically-heated boiler. The boiler includes a safety valve, water level gauge, and ‘blow-down cock’. The boiler produces steam to turn a two-cylinder steam motor. The used steam from the motor outlet passes through a mains water-cooled condenser, then down to a waste tank or to a measuring vessel (supplied). TecQuipment supply a stopwatch and thermometer to allow accurate measurement of the flow and temperature of the condensate (steam flow). 

The equipment includes all instruments needed for the experiments. These include a band-brake dynamometer with a digital torque and speed display, to measure and display motor speed, torque, and power. Thermocouples connect to a digital temperature display to measure and display temperatures at key points in the test set. A throttling calorimeter allows students to measure the dryness fraction of the steam. 

Two mechanical gauges show the boiler and engine inlet pressures. A meter shows the electrical power supplied to the heaters in the boiler. 

For quicker tests with an easier recording of results, TecQuipment can supply the optional Versatile Data Acquisition System (VDAS®). This gives accurate real-time data capture, monitoring and display, calculation and charting of all the important readings on a computer.

Learning Outcomes

• Steam plant performance, including the Rankine cycle analysis and the Willans line.
• Marcet boiler experiment on saturated steam (pressure temperature relationship).

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