Water-returning engine
A water-returning engine was an early form of
The steam engine was not, as widely held, the cause of the Industrial Revolution, but rather arose as a result of it.[1] The primary power source of the Revolution, certainly in the 18th century, was the water wheel, not the steam engine.
The need for an independent prime-mover
Blowing engines
The origins of the water-returning engine begin with
Rolling mills
As well as an inability to work in periods of drought, the amount of water available could also vary the power of machinery powered by it. The amount and type of work to be carried out by heavy industries could be influenced by the seasonal availability of water. In 1785 Kirkstall Forge near Leeds wrote to a customer, 'It will be convenient for us just now to roll a few tons because we have a full supply of water—and we cannot manufacture thin plate so well when our water is short.' [3]
This variation in water wheel power according to the water available also led to developments in water wheel design, Rennie's venetian-blind 'hatch' allowed a controlled water flow, whatever the depth of the mill leat, and unlike a simple sluice could always offer the greatest head possible.[4]
Problems of water supply would affect ironmasters for some time to come. In the 1830s, the young
Water-returning engines
These restrictions led to the very earliest form of steam engine used for power generation rather than pumping, the water-returning engine. With this engine, a
The first practical examples of these engines were installed in 1742 at
As well as blowing furnaces, the rotary output of the water wheel was also used to drive mills and factory equipment, by use of
Water-returning engines were superseded by the
See also
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b Wilson, P.N. (1963). "Water-Driven Prime Movers". Engineering Heritage. Vol. I. Institution of Mechanical Engineers. p. 32.
- ^ Straker, Ernest (1969) [1931]. Wealden Iron. pp. 72–73.
- ^ Butler, R. (1945). The History of Kirkstall Forge.
- ^ Wilson (1963), p. 30.
- ^ Manchester, William (1969). The Arms of Krupp. Michael Joseph. pp. 62–63, 65.
- ^ "'Old Bess' engine by Boulton & Watt, 1777". Science Museum.
- ISBN 0-521-45834-X.
- ISBN 0 7153 6065 5.
- Rolt, L.T.C.; Allen, J.S.A. (1977). The Steam Engine of Thomas Newcomen. Moorland. p. 122.
- ^ "Fire Engine at Warmley". Bristol Journal. 30 September 1749.
- ISBN 0-85033-791-7.
- S2CID 110369508. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 February 2012.
- ^ Hills 1989, p. 40.