The sound, smell, and sight of the
exhaust of a steam locomotive is undoubtedly its
most memorable aspect. Interestingly, the exhaust
system is a crucial part of the design of a steam
locomotive, and one which dramatically affects
its performance for better or worse. Around the
world, a great deal of attention was focused on
the design of the exhaust systems for steam
locomotives. Unfortunately, in most countries
steam locomotive development ceased about the
same time that research in the fields of
engineering related to gas flow and nozzles
exploded. Since WWII, much research and
development has been peformed in these areas as a
result of the development of jet powered aircraft
and rockets.
This page provide links to interesting technical
papers on steam locomotive exhaust design. The
first and second papers were written by Mr. Jos
Koopmans of the Netherlands (t.koopmans [at] hccnet [dot] nl). The first paper covers the theory
developed by Jos based on his study of previous
steam locomotive exhaust theories and actual
detailed testing on a Dutch tram engine. The
second paper provides an historical overview of
ejector development, details of the research
which was performed, a discussion of the theory
of ejector operation, and analyses of several
advanced locomotive exhaust systems. The third
was written by Ing. L. D. Porta over 25 years ago
and describes his Lempor Ejector exhaust system.
Also included is a series of photos of the Kylpor
Exhaust system (superceded by the Lempor),
developed by Ing. Porta from the Kylchap exhaust
system of Chapelon. The last page provides an
overview of steam locomotive exhaust system
development in the 20th century.
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