triple-expansion

American  

[trip-uhl-ik-span-shuhn] / ˌtrɪp əl ɪkˈspæn ʃən /

adjective

1. noting a power source, especially a steam engine, using the same fluid at three successive stages of expansion to do work in three or more cylinders.

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Example Sentences

Life’s sister magazine, Time, was no less susceptible to his rough-diamond charm, calling him a “hard-headed, steel-willed” corporate chieftain with “horse sense, a command of men, and the driving force of a triple-expansion engine.”

From Salon

Reciprocating engines.—The reciprocating engines were of the four-crank triple-expansion type.

From Project Gutenberg

The triple-expansion engine is cutting down ocean freight, making distance of no account.

From Project Gutenberg

Each of them is fitted with two sets of the most powerful triple-expansion engines ever put together.

From Project Gutenberg

The triple-expansion machinery and boilers, designed to drive the boat at a speed of 12 m. an hour, are in the extreme stern, and the pilot house and quarters in the extreme bow, leaving all the cargo space together.

From Project Gutenberg