As one of the way saving energy of vessels, effective use of exhaust heat is described in this study. Recent years, the depletion of fossil fuels, air pollution by exhaust gas has become a serious problem. Therefore, the technologies about fuel saving and effective use of energy are required. Vessels also use fossil fuel as an energy source. Large vessels generate steam in the exhaust gas economizer by using the exhaust heat of the main engine. This steam is used for heating fuel, heating the room and hot water supply in the vessel. But, recovery of exhaust heat of the main engine is not enough. If it is possible to generate electric power using the low-pressure steam, that can contribute to energy saving of vessels. Therefore, prototype steam engine for generation using low-pressure steam is developed. This new steam engine incorporates a newly devised crown cam as its kinematic conversion mechanism. First, the basic structure and operating principle of the six-cylinder steam engine are presented. Next, the design and components of the steam engine are described. Then, the fabrication process and the testing apparatus are explained. Finally, the results of the engine’s operation using compressed air are described.
HASHIMOTO et al. (Wed,) studied this question.