The Development of the Engine

By anna.ronak

  • The Gunpowder Engine

    The Gunpowder Engine
    Science: A reciprocating pump needs something to drive it forward and something to pull it backwards.
    Technology: Gases drive a piston forward into a cylinder. Gases were created by an explosion in the engine.
    Limitations: Many hazards involved with the explosion, and no internal mechanism strong enough to constantly pull the piston back to keep the engine going.

  • The Heat Engine

    The Heat Engine
    Science- Created a vacuum and discovered that water's volume increases greatly when it changes into steam.
    Technology- A water-heating drum was used to heat water to create steam to do work.
    Limitations- Difficultly in making the water-heating drum.
    Improvements- Used steam and heat to do work instead of some type of internal mechanism. Also, it was more safe than the gunpowder engine.

  • The Savery Engine

    The Savery Engine
    Science: In order to get water out of the mines, it raised steam into a boiler, which then was put into a vessel which held the water needing to be raised.
    Technology: First well-working steam powered pump. (Also, see 'Science').
    Limitations: Could not lift water very high up, as the water was not under high enough pressure, and even with the right amount of pressure, it would explode.
    Improvements: It was not much of an improvement on the last engine.

  • The Newcomen Engine

    The Newcomen Engine
    Science: Steam was used as a driving force.
    Technology:Steam would force a piston up a cylinder, then would be condensed by cold water and push the piston back down. The piston, in turn, drove a pump.
    Limitations: This engine was inefficient because of the heating and cooling processes done on the pistons and cylinders and the heat required.
    Improvements: This engine greatly improved on the Savery engine's height restrictions, it could pump water higher up.

  • The Watt Engine

    The Watt Engine
    Science: A seperate condenser was used to cool the steam in the previous Newcomen engine.
    Technology: The boiler cylinder would always remain hot due to the fact that the condenser was now seperate from part of the system
    Limitations: Hot, large, dirty, and inefficient.
    Improvements: Engine was more efficient at conserving heat.

  • The Internal Combustion Engine

    The Internal Combustion Engine
    Science: Instead of steam, gas ignited by a flame from tar and oil was used as a source of energy.
    Technology: The engine was powered by burning fuel inside of the engine.
    Limitations: Very inefficient, and could not produce a proper amount of force to make the machine work properly.
    Improvements: Smaller than the Watt engine, and more heat-conserving.

  • The Otto Engine

    The Otto Engine
    Science:The mixture of coal gas and air was compressed before ignition so as to give the vehicle more force.
    Technology:The spark plug would ignite the coal gas and air mix, creating high pressure to move the piston down the cylinder, which would inturn turn the wheels.
    Limitations: The coal gas engine was not very powerful.
    Improvements: Much more efficient due to the higher pressure used.