de Laval, Gustav Patrik (1845–1913)

Swedish engineer of French descent who, in trying to develop a more efficient steam engine, designed a turbine that was turned by jets of steam. The critical component – the one in which heat energy of the hot high-pressure steam from the boiler was converted into kinetic energy – was the nozzle from which the jet blew onto the wheel. de Laval found that the most efficient conversion occurred when the nozzle first narrowed, increasing the speed of the jet to the speed of sound, and then expanded again. Above the speed of sound (but not below it) this expansion caused a further increase in the speed of the jet and led to a very efficient conversion of heat energy to motion.

Nowadays steam turbines are the preferred power source of electric power stations and large ships, although they usually have a different design-to make best use of the fast steam jet, de Laval's turbine had to run at an impractically high speed. But for rockets the de Laval nozzle was just what was needed.

Related categories

• HISTORY OF ROCKETRY
• ROCKET ENGINEERS AND SPACE SCIENTISTS

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Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History

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