steam heating

energy

Learn about this topic in these articles:

building construction

  • construction of apartment buildings
    In construction: Improvements in building services

    …technology in the form of steam heating. James Watt heated his own office with steam running through pipes as early as 1784. During the 19th century, systems of steam and later hot-water heating were gradually developed; these used coal-fired central boilers connected to networks of pipes that distributed the heated…

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central heating

  • In a thermoelectric generating system a heat source—usually fueled by coal, oil, or gas—is used within a boiler to convert water to high-pressure steam. The steam expands and turns the blades of a turbine, which turns the armature of a generator, producing electric power. A condenser converts any remaining steam to water, and a pump returns the water to the boiler.
    In heating: Steam heating

    Steam systems are those in which steam is generated, usually at less than 35 kilopascals (5 pounds per square inch) in the boiler, and the steam is led to the radiators through steel or copper pipes. The steam gives up its heat to…

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