K-Gray Engineering Pathway Digital Library - Engineering Education Wing of the NSDL

Brief History of the Steam Engine

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Audience/Grade: College Freshman - College Sophomore
Discipline(s): Chemical, Biochemical, Biomolecular Engineering
Design
Learning Resource Type: Reference - General
Author(s): Carl T. Lira
Description: Online history of the steam engine by Carl Lira as part of an introductory textbook in chemical engineering. Includes the development of the steam engine from Savery's pump, Newcomen's engine, Watt's engine, to the Boulton-Watt double-acting engine. Includes photos and a movie demo of how condensation pulls a vacuum. Also includes a brief biography of James Watt. "One of the most significant industrial challenges of the 1700's 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 vacuum for 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 subatmospheric pressure, adapting the principles explained here. Also, the stories of the inventors and their inventions offer insight into the process of technological discovery." Keywords: chemical engineering, mechancial engineering, history of technology, engine design
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Usage Tip
Related ABET Criteria: (c) Design a system, component, or process
Use of Resource: History of Technology

Useful for classroom use or student reference.

   
Version Info
Publication Date: December 2006
Platform/Format: WWW
Cost: Free
Download URL: http://www.egr.msu.edu/~lira/supp/steam/
Metadata: IEEE LOM Record
Collection: NEEDS NEEDS