Biography james watt steam engine

Industrial Revolution era stream engine design

The Watt steam engine design was an invention of James Watt that became synonymous with steam engines during the Industrial Revolution, and it was many years before significantly new designs began to replace the basic Watt design.

The first steam engines, introduced by Thomas Newcomen in 1712, were of the "atmospheric" design. At the end of the power stroke, the weight of the object being moved by the engine pulled the piston to the top of the cylinder as steam was introduced.

Then the cylinder was cooled by a spray of water, which caused the steam to condense, forming a partial vacuum in the cylinder.

Biography james watt steam engine diagram

Atmospheric pressure on the top of the piston pushed it down, lifting the work object. James Watt noticed that it required significant amounts of heat to warm the cylinder back up to the point where steam could enter the cylinder without immediately condensing.

When the cylinder was warm enough that it became f