James Watt
James Watt, (30 January 1736 – 25 August 1819), was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist whose Watt steam engine, an improvement of the Newcomen steam engine, was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.
While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow, Watt became interested in the technology of steam engines. He realised that contemporary engine designs wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Eventually he adapted his engine to produce rotary motion, greatly broadening its use beyond pumping water.
Watt
attempted to commercialise his invention, but experienced great
financial difficulties until he entered a partnership with Matthew
Boulton in 1775. The new firm of Boulton and Watt was eventually highly
successful and Watt became a wealthy man. In his retirement, Watt
continued to develop new inventions though none was as significant as
his steam engine work. He died in 1819 at the age of 83.
He developed the concept of horsepower, and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.
James Watt, (30 January 1736 – 25 August 1819), was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist whose Watt steam engine, an improvement of the Newcomen steam engine, was fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world.
While working as an instrument maker at the University of Glasgow, Watt became interested in the technology of steam engines. He realised that contemporary engine designs wasted a great deal of energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. Watt introduced a design enhancement, the separate condenser, which avoided this waste of energy and radically improved the power, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of steam engines. Eventually he adapted his engine to produce rotary motion, greatly broadening its use beyond pumping water.
He developed the concept of horsepower, and the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.
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