The Biggest Operating Triple Steam Engine at Kempton

There are three videos in my series about large working steam engines: 'The Fabulous Crofton Steam Engine (1812)' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV57oNTAPls , 'The Biggest Rotative Beam Engine at Crossness'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlp1aG1VJRI
and this video 'The Biggest Operating Triple Steam Engine at Kempton'.

Kempton Park in the West of London is known for its horse races, but there is still another reason for a visit : Kempton Engine Trust, a former London waterwork pumping station with two giant triple steam engines, 62 ft from basement to top, one of them operating again.
The second engine is in restoration and you can, because of its partially disassembled state, understand perfectly - if you want to - each detail of the working one.
See http://www.kemptonsteam.org/index.html .
It was interesting, to see the starting procedure of the big triple similar to a combustion engine with a kind of starter motor - in this case a small two-cylinder steam engine. That 'barring engine' is used to move the pistons of the triple into the correct starting position.
The big one is a triple expansion engine, that means that the admitted steam is used three times, each time with lower pressure and bigger piston diameter.(The resulting force is the product of steam pressure times piston area and must be the same for all of the three cylinders).
Well, I can give you an absolute recommendation for a guided tour - you'll get perfect explanations of any questions by real experts.
Enjoy and thanks for watching!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Kempton;
• steam;
• steam
• engine;
• Dampfmaschine;
• waterwork;
• pump;
• pumping
• station;
• industrial
• archaeology;
• biggest;
• largest;
• triple
• expansion
• start

[sfenodonte]

Fantastic, it works still today to vapor, is not to compressed air.

[harryolynx]

@sfenodonte La Gran Bretagna tiene la sua tradizione di vapore! É bene! Grazie per vedere!

[DaBoogie049]

boah das muss ich in echt sehen!! O.O sehr schön gemachtes Video

[harryolynx]

@DaBoogie049 Danke für das Lob - und - Kempton ist wirklich sehenswert! Hardcore-Steam-Freaks können bei der teilweise zerlegten zweiten Maschine in die Zylinder schauen und die Details von Ventilsteuerung und Schmierung mittels sachkundiger(!) Führung verstehen. Herzliche Grüße aus Österreich!

[kirkconway]

yes these would have been similar in size and design to the side engine's on Titanic, or any one of the non turbine ship's or liner's in that era.steam engine's have a romance that turbine's dont have, everything is out in the open on steam engine's where turbine's are encased, and closed, and you cant see them running.

all you can hear is the low tone hum.

[harryolynx]

@kirkconway That's exactly the reason, why I like steam engines - they have an absolute romantic touch and I can understand without greater dificulties, how they work. Thanks for watching and greetings from Austria!

[pfleeger2010]

Back in the day when people took pride in what they built.

[pelican232]

Awesome! reminds me engines on Titanic...

[R00RAL]

@pfleeger2010 Yes.. Imagine Building Magnificent ships.. 5 years.. 3 years to build the construction site.. all by hand.. Imagine how proud you would be..

[buddhafollower]

@pelican232 RMS Titanic's steam engines were not so silent...:)

[aussiebug1970]

@BHuang92 I believe that the Titanic had two 30,000hp triple expansion steam engines and one 6,000hp Parsons steam turbine in the middle. Give the inadequate size of the Titanic's single rudder, it probably needed the steam turbine running at high power to get enopugh water flowing over the rudder to turn the ship.

[boleamj]

@pelican232 O.o Are you a survivor? =D