Contents
James Watt
Improving the steam engine with a separate condenser.
Separate condenser · Rotative engines
- Born
- 30 January 1736
- Birthplace
- Greenock, Scotland
- Died
- 25 August 1819
More people
James Watt
James Watt was a Scottish engineer whose improvements made steam power more economical and useful to industry.
Early life
Practical beginnings
Learned instrument-making skills.
Glasgow workshop
Worked around the university’s scientific community.
Career
- 1750s–1760s
Instrument maker
Established himself in Glasgow.
- 1769
Engine patent
Patented improvements based on a separate condenser.
- 1770s onward
Boulton partnership
Commercialised engines with manufacturer Matthew Boulton.
Inventions
Separate condenser
Reduced the energy wasted by repeatedly cooling the working cylinder.
Rotative engines
Helped adapt steam power to drive machinery.
Double-acting engine
Used steam on both sides of the piston.
Beyond work
Measurement
Promoted horsepower as a way to compare engine output.
Namesake
The watt, a unit of power, was named in his honour.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Photo: Carl Frederik von Breda. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
