Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
--
Rich
Dan Bloomquist - 21 Nov 2006 19:59 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Yes, for instance, the steam engine.
Scott Dorsey - 21 Nov 2006 20:01 GMT
>Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Yes. A steam engine, for example, heats a liquid which turns into a gas,
and the gas pressure operates the engine. The combustion takes place
external to the cylinder, therefore it is an external combustion engine.
I once had a Toyota where combustion took place externally as well, but
not for very long.
--scott

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Huw - 21 Nov 2006 20:06 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
A fire engine. This engine is used to visit external combustion.
Huw
Steve - 21 Nov 2006 20:14 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Yes:
http://www.cumbrestoltec.com/images/gallery/jukesTree.jpg
Steve - 21 Nov 2006 20:24 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
All sarcasm aside, an "internal combustion" engine is one in which the
combustion by-product gasses are themselves the working fluid that
drives the engine. Examples are the piston engine (obvious) and the gas
turbine (less obvious because a turbine engine isn't actually sealed)
and a rocket engine (also open on one end)
Examples of an "external combustion" engine are those in which a heat
source acts through a heat exchanger on another fluid that is the
working fluid of the engine. Examples would be a steam engine or a
Stirling engine. If you allow the term "combustion" to apply to heat
sources other than actual combustion (nuclear fission or fusion, for
example) then a few other real-world engines fall in the "external
combustion" catgory, such as nuclear generating stations, nuclear
aircraft carrier turbines, and the experimental nuclear-powered
turbojet engines from the 1950s. Plus a few hypothetical ones, such as
plasma drives for space vehicles.
Huw - 21 Nov 2006 20:32 GMT
>> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> the experimental nuclear-powered turbojet engines from the 1950s. Plus a
> few hypothetical ones, such as plasma drives for space vehicles.
Not forgetting 'Warp Drive' which uses dilithium crystals IIRC.
And the there is the Tardis, but only Time Lords know whether any combustion
is involved in time travel. I'm betting not.
Huw
Steve - 22 Nov 2006 19:17 GMT
> Not forgetting 'Warp Drive' which uses dilithium crystals IIRC.
Don't be silly. Warp drive is powered by a matter/antimatter reaction,
the dilithium crystals just control it. :-p
> And the there is the Tardis, but only Time Lords know whether any combustion
> is involved in time travel. I'm betting not.
People are gonna think we've been "combusting" some herbal material the
way this thread is going...
Timo A. Nieminen - 21 Nov 2006 20:54 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Apart from the steam engine, aready mentioned, you might also consider
rocket engines, tho this might require definition of "external:.

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Steve - 22 Nov 2006 19:15 GMT
>> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
>
> Apart from the steam engine, aready mentioned, you might also consider
> rocket engines, tho this might require definition of "external:.
Nope. The combustion by-product gas is the working fluid of the engine,
therefore its internal combustion.
Sorcerer - 21 Nov 2006 21:14 GMT
| Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
|
| --
| Rich
Yes. Steam engines were the first example, then internal
combustion engines were based on the same principle,
piston, crank, wheel.
Androcles
BobG - 21 Nov 2006 22:09 GMT
mmeron@cars3.uchicago.edu - 21 Nov 2006 23:34 GMT
>Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Sure, anything with a boiler qualifies.
Mati Meron | "When you argue with a fool,
meron@cars.uchicago.edu | chances are he is doing just the same"
OG - 21 Nov 2006 23:50 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
>
> --
> Rich
In addition to those mentioned, there is also the Stirling engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
OG - 21 Nov 2006 23:51 GMT
>> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
>>
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
Ooops, just noticed that BobG got there before me.
Don Bruder - 22 Nov 2006 00:49 GMT
> Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
>
> --
> Rich
Can you say "steam engine"? Sure... I knew you could...

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Gordon - 22 Nov 2006 23:02 GMT
>Is there such a thing as an external combustion engine?
Did you ever hold a lighted match under a horse's tail just as
the horse was in the process of releasing a blast of flatus. That
comes pretty close to describing external combustion, and the
horse's reaction is a good example of the engine effect. ;-)