Unitary steam engine

A unitary steam engine comprising, in combination, a casing having an interior, a source of fuel in said casing, an enclosure including a furnace of circular cross-sectional shape disposed within said casing interior, said enclosure having an axially extending central passage and including a plurality of coaxially arranged tubular partitions disposed in surrounding relationship with said furnace, said tubular partitions defining a plurality of radially spaced annular chambers, an axially extending drive shaft rotatably mounted in said enclosure central passage and having an end portion extending outwardly of said casing, a plurality of annularly arranged boiler tubes disposed within said furnace, a source of water in said casing, means for circulating water from said source through said boiler tubes, means in said furnace for generating hot gases from said fuel, means for circulating said hot gases over said boiler tubes in heat transfer relationship therewith to generate steam, a plurality of cylinder/piston assemblies mounted in said casing, means for drivably connecting said pistons to said drive shaft, means including a throttle and a plurality of slide valve means each operatively associated with a respective one of said cylinder/piston assemblies for conducting said generated steam to said cylinder/piston assemblies for reciprocating said pistons to rotate said drive shaft, cam means mounted on said drive shaft for actuating said slide valve means, means including a condenser for converting steam exhausted from said cylinder/piston assemblies to condensate and means for returning said condensate to said source of water.