Turbine

A steam turbine consists of a rotor resting on bearings and enclosed in a cylindrical casing. The rotor is turned by steam impinging against attached vanes or blades on which it exerts a force in the tangential direction. Thus a steam turbine could be viewed as a complex series of windmill-like arrangements, all assembled on the same shaft. Because of its ability to develop tremendous power within a comparatively small space, the steam turbine has superseded all other prime movers, except hydraulic turbines, for generating large amounts of electricity and for providing propulsive power for large, high-speed ships.