Labels:text | font | screenshot OCR: 6) In efficient designs, the exhaust value closes part way up the exhaust stroke in order to compress the remaining steam to approximately the steam inlet pressure. While it is not obvious that this increases efficiency, it does so because the new charge of steam does not rush into a low pressure, cold cylinder, wasting energy. It is also important to minimize the volume in the cylinder at the top of the stroke. There are several interesting features about the steam engine, which explain why it was the world's first heat engine in general use. There are also many problems associated with it, particularly in modern designs, where light weight and high efficiency are required. These include:
