Parsons, Charles Algernon
Published: August 18, 2006, 6:30 pm
Updated: August 18, 2006, 6:30 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons (1854–1931), a British mechanical engineer who invented the steam turbine, which greatly increased the efficiency of converting steam into power by allowing the steam to expand gradually in 15 stages. A rotor turned blades placed in a cylinder such that the space between blades enclosed a pressurized space where the steam could expand; each successive blade-bound space had lower pressure, eliciting increasing degrees of expansion. His turbine-driven engines for ships greatly increased the speed of seafaring transportation. In 1897, Parsons designed the Turbinia, the first sea vessel propelled by turbines. The ship’s amazing speed, demonstrated at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead, England on June 26, 1897, immediately generated a huge fanfare and led to the construction of many turbine-propelled warships for the British navy.
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Parsons, Charles Algernon". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved May 23, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Parsons,_Charles_Algernon>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Sir Charles Algernon Parsons (1854–1931), a British mechanical engineer who invented the steam turbine, which greatly increased the efficiency of converting steam into power by allowing the steam to expand gradually in 15 stages. A rotor turned blades placed in a cylinder such that the space between blades enclosed a pressurized space where the steam could expand; each successive blade-bound space had lower pressure, eliciting increasing degrees of expansion. His turbine-driven engines for ships greatly increased the speed of seafaring transportation. In 1897, Parsons designed the Turbinia, the first sea vessel propelled by turbines. The ship’s amazing speed, demonstrated at Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead, England on June 26, 1897, immediately generated a huge fanfare and led to the construction of many turbine-propelled warships for the British navy.
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