Brief History of the Steam Engine Page | 1

One of the most significant industrial challenges of the 1700s was the
removal of water from mines. Steam was used to pump the water from the
mines. Now, this might seem to have very little to do with modern steam-
powered electrical power plants. However, one of the fundamental
principles used in the development of steam-based power is the principle
that condensation of water vapor can create a vacuum. This brief history
discusses how condensation was used to create a vacuum for the operation
of early steam-based pumps, and how James Watt invented the separate
condenser. Although the cyclic processes presented in this history are not
used in today's continuous flow steam turbines, current systems use
separate condensers operating at sub-atmospheric pressure, adapting the
principles explained here. Also, the stories of the inventors and their
inventions offer insight into the process of technological discovery.

1.1-Vacuum Demo
One of the most important principles applied in the operation of steam power
is the creation of a vacuum by condensation. This link provides a simple
illustration using a soft drink bottle and boiling water. The demo illustrates
how condensation within a tank creates a vacuum. Savory’s pump
explained below uses a method very similar to the demonstrated
method. Vacuum Demo.
1.2-Savory Pump Page | 2

In the early days, one common way of removing the water was to use a series
of buckets on a pulley system operated by horses. This was slow and
expensive since the animals required feeding, veterinary care, and housing.
The use of steam to pump water was patented by Thomas Savory in 1698, and
in his words provided an "engine to raise water by fire". Savory’s pump
worked by heating water to vaporize it, filling a tank with steam, then creating
a vacuum by isolating the tank from the steam source and condensing the
steam. The vacuum was used to draw water up from the mines. However, the
vacuum could only draw water from shallow depths. Another disadvantage of
the pump was the use of steam pressure to expel the water that had been drawn
into the tank. In principle, pressure could be used to force the water from the
tank upwards of 80 feet, but boiler explosions were not uncommon since the
design of pressurized boilers was not very advanced. This link has details of
the operation of the Savory Pump Description.

1.3-Newcomen Atmospheric Engine

Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729), a blacksmith, experimented for 10 years
to develop the first truly successful steam engine to drive a pump to remove
water from mines. His ability to sell the engine was hampered by Savory’s
broad patent. He was forced to establish a firm with Savory, despite the
improved performance of his engine, the significant mechanical
differences, the elimination of the need for steam pressure, and the use of
vacuum in a very different manner. A schematic of a Newcomen engine is
shown in (Figure 1). The engine is called an "atmospheric" engine because
the greatest steam pressure used is near atmospheric pressure.
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Figure 1. Illustration of the Newcomen atmospheric engine for pumping water.

Principle of operation. The steam engine consists of a steam

piston/cylinder that moves a large wooden beam to drive the water
pump. The engine does not use steam pressure to push up the steam piston!
Rather, the system is constructed so that the beam is heavier on the main
pump side, and gravity pulls down the main pump side of the beam.
Weights are added to the main pump side if necessary. The pumps in
(Figure 1) expel water on an upward pump piston stroke, in agreement with
the pumps used in the equipment at the time, and the discussion follows
that design. To draw water into the main pump on the right side of the
diagram, consider a cycle that starts with the beam tipped down on the
right. The cylinder below the steam piston is first filled with atmospheric
pressure steam and then water is sprayed into the cylinder to condense the
steam. The pressure difference between the atmosphere and the resulting
vacuum pushes the steam piston down, pulling the main pump piston
upwards, lifting the water above the main pump piston, and filling the Page | 4
lower main pump chamber with water. At the bottom of the steam piston
stroke, a valve opens to restore the steam cylinder to atmospheric pressure,
and the beam tips down on the right by gravity, permitting the main piston
to fall. As the main piston falls, the water from below the piston passes to
the chamber above the piston as explained later. Atmospheric pressure
steam enters the steam cylinder during this step, enabling the process to be
repeated. The Newcomen engine was the best technology for 60 years! Some
Newcomen engines were used much longer, even though they were
significantly inferior to the Watt engines that followed. For more details of
operation and photos of the oldest existing Newcomen engine.

1.4-Watt Atmospheric Steam Engine

Newcomen engines were extremely inefficient. The users recognize how
much energy was needed. The steam cylinder was heated and cooled
repeatedly, which wasted energy to reheat the steel, and also caused large
thermal stresses. James Watt (1736-1819) made a breakthrough in
development by using a separate condenser. Watt discovered the separate
condenser in 1765. took 11 years before he saw the device in practice! The
greatest impediment to the implementation of the Watt engine was the
technology to make a large piston/cylinder with close enough tolerances so
that they would seal a moderate vacuum. The technology improved about
the same time that Watt found the financial backing that he needed through
a partnership with Matthew Boulton. Principle of operation. The Watt
engine, like the Newcomen engine, operated on the principle of a pressure
difference created by a vacuum on one side of the piston to push the steam
piston down. However, Watt's steam cylinder remained hot at all times.
Valves permitted the steam to flow into a separate condenser and then
condensate was pumped along with any gases using the air pump. (See
Figure 2.) For more details of operation and photos of a couple of Watt Page | 5
engines used for pumping water.

Figure 2. Illustration of the Watt atmospheric engine for pumping water. The
main pump is not shown. (Adapted from the engraving of Stuart, 1824, p 114.).
1.5-The Double-acting Piston and the Rotative Page | 6
Engine
Watt and Boulton successfully applied their engine to pumping water from
wells. Boulton was an industrialist of great vision and took advantage of
the opportunity to apply the engine to other industries. Moving the steam
engine indoors, the device became useful for operating mills and textile
factories, etc.

The engine pictured at left is an example of an engine from the late 1700s.
Note the chain that connected the piston to the beam in earlier engines has
been replaced with a parallel motion mechanism. Watt told his son that he
was even more proud of this invention than he was of the engine itself. The
mechanism made it possible for the piston to act in a perfectly aligned
up/down motion while the beam traced an arc. The mechanism also made
it possible to transfer work in the upward stroke! Steam is finally doing
work by pushing upwards! The boilers used for this device are also
atmospheric pressure boilers. The cylinder space above the piston is
connected to the condenser vacuum to permit the steam to push up the
piston.

The engine on the left also contains another improvement that was
necessary to operate machinery at a constant speed - a speed governor
connected to a throttle valve. For more details on the double-acting engine,
the parallel motion mechanism, the speed governor, as well as the sun and
planet gear system (not pictured in Figure 3), including photos.
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Figure 3. Illustration of the Boulton-Watt double-acting engine. (Adapted

from the engraving of Stuart, 1824, p 128).
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