James Watt Steam Engine

The steam engine was invented in by Thomas Savery in 1698 and by Thomas Newcomen in 1705. These engines used the energy from burning coal to drive water pumps that were used to drain the water from mines that would fill up with water. These steam engines would later be modified by a man with the name of James Watt. Watt was working in a factory that was used to produce instruments when a model of a steam engine was placed on his desk for repair. Upon investigation Watt discovered how truly inefficient the design of the steam engine was. Watt became overwhelmed by his interest in the steam engine, little did he know that the steam engine would change his life forever.

After becoming stricken with interest in the steam engine, Watt strived to find ways to improve the efficiency of the engine. After reviewing the way the steam engine worked, Watt came up with the idea to add a separate condenser chamber for the hot steam to cool down in. This alteration would allow the cylinder to stay hot in order for no energy to be wasted on heating the chamber back up after each cycle. This alteration improved the efficiency of the steam engine. Watt patented this alteration in 1769, however he would need an impressive sum of money in order to produce one of these steam engines. John Roebuck supplied Watt with the money he needed to produce this steam engine in exchange for ownership of two-thirds of the …show more content…
Watt reached this goal when he invented the Double Acting Steam Engine. The original design of the steam engine used steam pressure to force the cylinder upward and atmospheric pressure to force the piston back down. In Watt's Double Acting Steam Engine, steam pressure was transferred through additional valves to force the piston both up and down, vastly increasing efficiency and