100 Point Explanation

Heating water (or water-based solutions like antifreeze) in a confined container causes extremely dangerous increases in the pressure inside the container as the solution boils. For plain water, if the temperature is increased to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, the pressure in the container will reach 3000 psig. By contrast, air compressors usually have a relief valve setting of only 125 psig. Note that this STEAM PRESSURE is the force that drives the turbines used to turn the generators used to produce most of the nation’s electricity. Also STEAM power was used in the early 1900s to power steamships and steam engines, tractors, other mobile equipment and even a few cars.

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