Wednesday, February 05, 2020

Steam power without fire


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Above is an illustration and a picture a soda locomotive. They were early steam engines that did not use fire to heat water into steam. Rather, they used a chemical reaction that generated heat when water and caustic soda were combined. They were dangerous, inefficient and had short range  before the soda became too diluted to provide effective propulsion.

They saw limited use in Germany and the U.S. during the 19th century, but fell out of favor quickly.

Below is a modern fireless locomotive. They use a reservoir of compressed air or steam to power the engine. They suffer the same drawback of needed to be frequently recharged. However, they have been used in mining and industrial environments.


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