UK steam enthusiast here. It was the valve, not the engine that was important and unfortunately the presenter did not describe the valve and how it differed from conventional valves on other steam engines. In the heyday of the cotton industry in Lancashire there were hundreds of stationary steam engines in the mills, of average 1,500 - 3,000 HP.. Each maker had their own preferred valve arrangement, but when the Corliss valve became available most operators changed to this type of valve - even if it meant a complete rebuild, in the case of engines already installed, the savings were such that the substantial costs were soon recovered. UK makers made improvements to the Corliss valve, such as steam cut-off, which further improved its efficiency. We still have at least 3 large Corliss valved engines in workable condition, two of which are run in steam as visitor attractions. these are Trencherfield Mill 2,500HP and Ellenroad Mill of 3,000HP. both of these can be seen on TH-cam videos. Excuse the long-winded response but it is a subject close to my heart.
Thank you very much for your additional context! We love to educate and learn more about the industry and we are so glad to have viewers enthusiastic to help share as well!
@@airlogic1166 Here’s a bit extra on the Corliss valve, with a simplified explanation of its operation. On the larger steam engines, especially those using superheated steam at 200psi or above, it was necessary to design a valve that would operate against these high pressures. Until the advent of the Corliss valve the norms were slide valves or piston drop valves or a combination of the two. These were cumbersome and comparatively slow in operation. The Corliss valve consisted of a circular section steel billet with a quarter of its section removed along its whole length. This, the moving part of the valve, operated inside a cylindrical housing which had a port along its width. In this manner a quarter turn of the billet uncovered or covered the port to admit (or exhaust) steam. It was thus able to handle large amounts of steam at high pressure at high speed. Improvements were made when it was discovered that if the admitted steam was cut off prematurely the steam would continue expanding inside the cylinder and this property led to further savings in fuel. Steam cut-off could not easily be applied to other types of valve and this led to the Corliss valve reigning supreme.
Thank you for making this video. I am reading about the Corliss steam engine in Theodore Gray's "Engines" and your video helped me. I especially liked the design of the governor.
Great to see this wonderful little model! Corliss priced his engines based on the coal they saved with their efficient valves and they ran smoothly in the textile mills of Rhode Island, not breaking threads or disturbing the weave.
Thank you for the feedback! We are sorry we did not provide as much information as was hoped. We are still fresh to the TH-cam scene, and will work to provide more information in coming videos! For now, if you would like more information on the valves, feel free to check out this link! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corliss_steam_engine
UK steam enthusiast here. It was the valve, not the engine that was important and unfortunately the presenter did not describe the valve and how it differed from conventional valves on other steam engines. In the heyday of the cotton industry in Lancashire there were hundreds of stationary steam engines in the mills, of average 1,500 - 3,000 HP.. Each maker had their own preferred valve arrangement, but when the Corliss valve became available most operators changed to this type of valve - even if it meant a complete rebuild, in the case of engines already installed, the savings were such that the substantial costs were soon recovered. UK makers made improvements to the Corliss valve, such as steam cut-off, which further improved its efficiency. We still have at least 3 large Corliss valved engines in workable condition, two of which are run in steam as visitor attractions. these are Trencherfield Mill 2,500HP and Ellenroad Mill of 3,000HP. both of these can be seen on TH-cam videos. Excuse the long-winded response but it is a subject close to my heart.
Thank you very much for your additional context! We love to educate and learn more about the industry and we are so glad to have viewers enthusiastic to help share as well!
@@airlogic1166 Here’s a bit extra on the Corliss valve, with a simplified explanation of its operation. On the larger steam engines, especially those using superheated steam at 200psi or above, it was necessary to design a valve that would operate against these high pressures. Until the advent of the Corliss valve the norms were slide valves or piston drop valves or a combination of the two. These were cumbersome and comparatively slow in operation. The Corliss valve consisted of a circular section steel billet with a quarter of its section removed along its whole length. This, the moving part of the valve, operated inside a cylindrical housing which had a port along its width. In this manner a quarter turn of the billet uncovered or covered the port to admit (or exhaust) steam. It was thus able to handle large amounts of steam at high pressure at high speed. Improvements were made when it was discovered that if the admitted steam was cut off prematurely the steam would continue expanding inside the cylinder and this property led to further savings in fuel. Steam cut-off could not easily be applied to other types of valve and this led to the Corliss valve reigning supreme.
Thank you for making this video. I am reading about the Corliss steam engine in Theodore Gray's "Engines" and your video helped me. I especially liked the design of the governor.
Great to see this wonderful little model! Corliss priced his engines based on the coal they saved with their efficient valves and they ran smoothly in the textile mills of Rhode Island, not breaking threads or disturbing the weave.
Such a pioneer, even in pricing! The total cost of ownership is how Tesla sells electric cars today.
I can wrap my brain around the concept. I'm too stupid to understand the mechanical links. Corliss was a genius.
your explanation was clear as mud. you say how great the valves are but do nothing to explain how the valves work.
Thank you for the feedback! We are sorry we did not provide as much information as was hoped. We are still fresh to the TH-cam scene, and will work to provide more information in coming videos! For now, if you would like more information on the valves, feel free to check out this link! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corliss_steam_engine
George Corliss , Providence, Rhode Island. Many of his huge steam engines are in museums., In working order.
Am I missing something ! It’s just a double acting steam engine !
his valving made it more efficient . this guy doesn't explain the valving. just mentions it.
Hmmmph. Still no plans?
Awfull vid. But. But disturbing and useless background "music". Sorry.
Don't happen to have any plans for this fabulous engine, do you?