History of the steam engine

The 1698 Savery Engine – the first commercially-useful
steam engine: built by Thomas Savery, based on the designs of Denis Papin

The history of the steam engine stretches back as far as the first century AD; the first recorded rudimentary steam engine being the aeolipile described by Hero of Alexandria Over fifteen centuries later, early forms of steam turbines were described by Taqi al-Din in 1551 and Giovanni Branca in 1629, in the form of a steam jack and escapement device, respectively. These and other early engines were essentially experimental devices used by inventors to demonstrate the properties of steam.

It was not until 1712 that a truly useful steam engine was developed: theatmospheric engine, invented by Thomas Newcomen. Newcomen's engine was relatively inefficient, but did enable water to be pumped out of mine workings at a depth hitherto impossible. James Watt contributed to the development of the steam engine in many ways, vastly improving the efficiency of Newcomen's design and developing mechanisms to convert the reciprocating motion of a piston into rotary motion suitable for driving factory machinery.

Around 1800, Richard Trevithick introduced engines using high-pressure steam. These were much more powerful than previous engines and could be made small enough for transport applications. Thereafter, technological developments and improvements in manufacturing techniques (partly brought about by the adoption of the steam engine as a power source) resulted in the design of more efficient engines that could be smaller, faster, or more powerful, depending on the intended application.

Steam engines remained the dominant source of power well into the 20th century, when advances in the design of electric motors and internal combustion engines gradually resulted in the vast majority of reciprocating steam engines being replaced in commercial usage.

However, in modern times, steam turbines, an alternative form of steam engine, continue to be used in the generation of electricity. And investigations are being made into the practicalities of using reciprocating engines in 'advanced team technology' systems.