The Parsons Turbine
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons was born in 1854 with a life-long passion for mechanical devices. He graduated from Cambridge University 1877 with a first-class honours degree and joined an engineering company as an apprentice. By 1884 he was head of electrical equipment development for a maker of ship engines. He devised a steam turbine engine to drive an electrical generator making cheap electricity possible and revolutionizing shipping. (Today about 80% of the world's electrical supply is generated with steam turbines).
Steam turbines were more efficient than the huge reciprocating steam engines in use at the time. They were more powerful, faster, weighed less, had less vibration and were cheaper.
Unfortunately, Parsons was unable to convince ship owners until he built the Steam Ship Turbinia in 1894. (Photo above) It was 100 feet long 9 feet wide and displaced 44 tons. Parsons connected three turbines using the exhaust steam from one to drive the next. His triple expansion system provided 2,100 horsepower to drive three shafts with triple propellers on each shaft. Now all he needed was a good place for a demonstration.
In June, 1897, in honour of her 60th year on the throne, Queen Victoria reviewed the Royal Navy near Portsmouth. Just as Edward, the Prince of Wales, appeared and the bands played the national anthem, Turbinia sped into the passing review at 34 knots.
A Royal Navy picket boat, sent to intercept, was nearly sunk in Turbinia's wake.
The stunt generated interest and, in 1905, the first turbine-powered North Atlantic liners were built. They were the 12,000-ton Virginian and Victorian. In 1906, the battle ship HMS Dreadnought was powered by Parsons' turbines.
Within 12 years, all first line ships in the Royal Navy were powered by steam turbines.
A story about Parsons has him, wearing evening dress, in the engine room of an ocean liner during an Atlantic crossing. The Chief Engineer found him crouched near the propeller shaft listening to the torsional oscillations and harmonic vibrations, the music of the ship.
Since the 1980s, most ships have been fitted with diesel engines because of their greater efficiency. Fast warships use auxiliary gas turbines to provide greater speed when required. Steam turbines are still used by nuclear powered ships and submarines and liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers (which burn evaporating natural gas to generate steam).
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