Adapted from Principles of Naval Engineering The process of generating steam is basically simple. You boil water and continue to add heat until the water turns into steam. But how can this steam cause a ship to move through the water? How can steam provide power for steering, ventilation, refrigeration, distillation of seawater, and all the other needs of the vessel?
Steam does not do any of these things directly. But some of the thermal energy contained in the steam can be converted into other forms of energy to move the ship through the water and to provide power for vital shipboard services.
In this chapter we will discuss some basic ideas of energy and some of the important energy transformations that occur in the engineering plant of a steam-driven ship. Study this chapter carefully. The information given here will not help you to light off a boiler, clean firesides, stand a watch, or wipe up oil from the floorplates; however, it will help you to understand the generation of steam, the use of steam in the shipboard engineering plant, and the relationship of the boilers to the rest of the engineering plant. Understanding the information given in this chapter will also give you a sound background for understanding some of the more complicated things that you will have to learn as you advance.
As you study this chapter, watch out for unfamiliar definitions. Many of the words and terms used will be familiar to you, but the definitions we use may be more precise than the ones you have heard before. Be sure that you understand the exact meaning of each word and term used in connection with energy and energy transformations.
