Battleship TEXAS Engine Rooms

welcome to the machinery spaces aboard battleship Texas we'd like to take a few minutes and introduce you to the historic four-cylinder dual acting triple expansion steam engines used to power Texas through Texas 32 years of active service she served in World War one through seven battles in World War two and for a few years as flagship of the entire US fleet battleship Texas was commissioned in 1914 and is one of the first and only surviving superdreadnought type battleships a super dreadnought battleship is heavily armored and has a uniform main battery of 13 and a half inch or larger guns Texas has 10 14-inch guns they are mounted on five turrets and packed a formidable punch which for a time made Texas the most powerful weapon in the world Texas is not just special for big firepower or distinguished service the ship was powered by two massive triple-expansion steam engines each engine is over 20 feet tall and 40 feet long these powerful machines were once described as the ultimate in naval reciprocating engines they were awarded status as a national historic mechanical engineering landmark in 1975 during builders trials in 1913 the engines onboard Texas were put through a demanding series of tests to see just what they could do by generating over 28,000 horsepower they pushed all 27,000 tons of the ship to a top speed of 22 knots that's about the same as 14,000 cars all moving together at 25 miles per hour to create all the power necessary to achieve such a feat 14 boilers converted almost a thousand pounds of coal a minute to thermal energy in the form of steam the mighty engines converted the thermal energy in a mechanical energy which was passed through to the propellers pushing the ship through the water in 1927 the coal-fired boilers were replaced by six modern oil fired versions you can see this change from the outside of the ship as one of the Texas two original smokestacks was also removed steam from the boilers was sent to Texas engines through pipes running down both sides of the ship to the engine rooms or machinery spaces which are located between turret three and four a triple expansion engine actually utilizes the steam three times as steam cools and expands it loses pressure and is moved through high medium and low pressure cylinders each cylinder is a different size each one larger than the previous this ensures the force the steam exerts on each cylinder is equal and the power is smooth and strong this is a 3d laser image of Texas pork steam engine which will help show how the engines convert and use the steams thermal energy steam would arrive from the boilers at an average pressure of 274 pounds per square inch at over 450 degrees Fahrenheit the engine speed was controlled by a throttle valve which regulates this pressure at full throttle all 274 psi would be admitted into the first high-pressure cylinder valve chests control the sequence in which steam enters the cylinders and creates the dual action which means the expanding steam acts on both sides of the Pistons driving them up and down on every stroke valve eccentrics located on the crankshaft provide the timing and energy needed to open and close the valves contained in the valve chests the steam starts working after it enters the engine through the high-pressure valve and into the high-pressure cylinder in the relatively small 39 inch diameter high-pressure cylinder the steam pressure drops to 120 psi after it expands and exerts force on the high-pressure piston then the steam is exhausted back through the high-pressure valve and is sent to the first receivers the steam is divided in half and sent to the intermediate pressure valves where it enters the top in the bottom of the intermediate pressure cylinder the steam expands again in the larger 63 inch diameter cylinder and drives the intermediate pressure piston the steam pressure drops 245 pounds per inch and exits through the intermediate pressure valves and into another set of receivers at the second receivers the steam is split in half once again and sent through valves into the low-pressure cylinders repeating the cycle the low-pressure cylinders are the largest at 83 inches in diameter over twice the size of the high-pressure cylinder after driving the low-pressure piston the force of the steam drops from forty five to fifteen pounds per inch and is now at its lowest pressure after expanding for the third and final time it passes to the last set of valves and out of the engine having done its job of moving thermal energy from the boilers to the engine the steam is exhausted to the condenser becoming fresh water that will be sent back to the boilers for another round trip this is just part of the story after the engines onboard Texas have converted the steams thermal energy to mechanical energy we still have to use that energy to move the ship forward the Pistons in each cylinder transmit energy from the expanding steam to their piston rods the piston rods are eight inches thick and ten feet long each piston rod is joined to a connecting rod at a crosshead the cross heads and cross head guides keep the piston rods and pistons aligned with the cylinders the connecting rods continue the energy transmission down to the crankshaft the crank shafts used to power Texas are 36 feet 7 and 3/4 inches long the pistons cross heads and connecting rods move up and down for feet every half second turning the crankshaft up to 125 times a minute the crankshaft connects to the propeller shaft at the thrust bearing the thrust bearing is a very important device it is used so the force from the turning propellers pushes on the ship and not on the engines this distributes propulsive force throughout Texas hull and drives her forward through the water it's interesting to note there are no transmissions onboard Texas the propellers always turn at the same speed and direction as the engines over there 32 years of active service the dual acting triple-expansion reciprocating steam engines used by the Texas performed as well as they did during her 1913 builders trials the images and information used in this presentation are taken from a high-definition 3d documentation of the Machinery's basis and are part of the ongoing maintenance historic documentation and restoration of the ship as you explore Texas now quiet engine rooms remember the men who sweltered in the heat and the deafening noise to make these engines run powering Texas on all four historic missions you you

Channel: Texas Parks and Wildlife

Views: 320,397

Rating: 4.8809886 out of 5

Keywords: texas, parks, and, wildlife, battleship, steam, engines, wwII, warships

Id: cdGo-54bknM

Length: 9min 14sec (554 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 21 2011

Reddit Comments

[u/wha2les]

I thought it was humans in human size hamster wheels.

[u/Fubuki_1]

Go Texas! Best Texas!~

[u/RMS_Gigantic]

The following were the steps to start up Texas's engines, according to the ship's operations manual:

• Inspect engine and auxiliaries for security of holding down bolts, tie rod nuts, keepers, set screws, split pins, and oiling gear, etc.

• Remove bearing gaskets and temporary covers. Clean piston and valve rods of all oil and dirt.

• Jack engine at least one complete turn. (this was done by a 15 horse power electric motor attached to a gear and later removed prior to starting).

• Disconnect Jacking gear.

• Open main injection and discharge valves.

• Start independently driven main circulating and air pumps.

• If these auxiliaries are direct connected, start the auxiliary means of circulating water and pumping channel ways.

• Crack air cocks on the condenser to insure against its becoming air bound.

• When sufficient vacuum is formed, turn auxiliary exhaust not being used elsewhere and drains not needed for feed heating into the main condenser.

• Open full and then close main and maneuvering throttles and by-pass valves.

• Drain main steam separators.

• Open main line stop from upper station.

• Open main engine cylinder, valve chest, throttle, and jacket drains.

• Start warming up main engine by one of the methods previously described. As the steam pressure rises, manipulate the throttle and by-pass valves so as to prevent too much pressure in the engine.

• Open steam and exhaust root valves to reversing engine.

• Warm up and drain reversing engine and throw the links over every few minutes.

• If so fitted, try out hand-reversing gear.

• Turn steam on throttle balance if so fitted.

• Put pressure on water service.

• See circulating water on water-cooled surfaces such as guides, thrust, and main bearings, and inspect for leaks.

• Run links out to maximum cut-off.

• Slack stern glands enough to allow a trickle of water to come through.

• With gravity lubrication, remove oil cup covers and blow out oil lines with steam or air, fill oil manifolds and inspect the wicks.

• With forced lubrication system, test out the system by starting lubricating and cooling pumps and inspect to see that there are no leaks or closed valves and that all the bearings are getting oil at the proper pressure. Shift and clean the basket strainers several times before getting underway.

• See that the splash casing and oil deflectors are in place and secured.

• Assemble hand oiling gear, including rod swabs.

• Assemble emergency tools and wrenches.

• See that all tools and loose gear are secure for sea.

• Close by-pass valves.

• Rock engines, with the links and throttle to work out water.

• About 15 minutes before the time set for getting underway get permission from the engineer officer of the deck to try the engines.

• With gravity lubrication, hand oil all around.

• Try engines, making not more than two turns each way before reversing so as to get no way on the ship. While turning over slowly see that all moving parts operate properly.

• Turn steam on gland seals and see that the drains are open.

• Build up vacuum, minus 14 psi.

And you're ready to go!

[u/Allisinthepass]

That was quite old technology by the time they installed it in the Texas, the rest of the world was on geared steam turbines, which are much more efficient, and the merchant marines of the world had even gone to quadruple expansion before the steam turbine came to prominence.

[u/Timid_One]

Now to see them in person is a far more impressive sight to behold when armed with this knowledge

[u/Kermut]

what I want to know is, how did they make that 3d model? It looks almost like it's scanned in but that would be kinda insane