Newcomen Watt Steam Engines

Animated - A brief look at the Newcomen and the Boulton & Watt steam engines of the 18th & 19th century.
Produced by: Michael De Greasley

[@jxvolker]

This is really good and I am going to show my class.

[@remote_photography_services_CO]

Excellent-I finally fully understand how these work. Thank-you for making this.

[@twistedyogert]

beautiful animations

[@AquaponicDave]

Hello Michael, Excellent work on the engine models! I am designing modern Newcomen engines, they will make a comeback for a number of reasons. The steam required to power the engine is VERY small, all it does is displace air at atmospheric pressure. Condensing that amount of steam is easier. The atmospheric pressure seems small but it is additive so larger pistons deliver more power. I have invented a material that can handle the pressures and temperatures of a Newcomen engine, and the cost is so low that the cost of very large engines will be quite reasonable. By operating at low pressure the engine is much safer than conventional steam. I also find the idea if the old engines far more romantic than modern ones. They could be built by laymen like you and I, and they can be used to pump water just as the originals. The energy to power them can be solar or biomass, and the energy produced can be carbon negative (by using wood gas pyrolization) I will look at your other videos, thank you for posting them.

[@MybitofHistory]

+AquaponicDave ............. Now that sound ruddy interesting Dave.... Keep us updated ;)

[@baddoggie101]

The condensing tank was probably much larger or would need a flow of cold water into it. I'm not sure if this depicts an atmospheric engine or an overpressure engine. The introduction of pressurized steam was the next step. Watt understood that the metallurgy of the day would not safely allow high pressures, but others pushed the limit, resulting in boiler explosions.

[@kennethfuller3618]

Very well done---this is the only video Ive seen which provides a clear animation of the valve action on these engines.

[@MybitofHistory]

Pleased you enjoyed it Kenneth :)

[@007vauxhall]

That was very interesting,and mind boggling in how you make such detailed models come alive. :-)

[@BrettfromBako]

super helpful for students...thank you!

[@janspale]

Really great and helpful video with awesome animations and graphics !

[@nodrogawson963]

Outstanding graphics and explanation making it very easy to understand, Thank you for sharing, very interesting.

[@topper1ism]

Great videos and graphics. Looking forward to more !

[@tomthompson7400]

plug valve could do with being a brighter color in the atmospheric engine , ,wee bit easier to see it then , other than that a first class job , makes a lot of things very easy to understand ,,, well done indeed.

[@sirrliv]

A very interesting set of animations that illustrate these innovations very well. I'm currently studying the early industrial revolution in preparation for a Study Abroad course that will take me throughout Britain's industrial history. As much as I've studies of this subject, I've never had a clear vision of how exactly a Newcomen Atmospheric Engine worked, and had no knowledge at all of the function of Watt's separate condenser. This has proven very interesting. If I may point out one minor flaw in your animation: Your animation of the Watt engine features the engine gaining steam from a cylindrical boiler. Such boilers were not invented until 1801 by Richard Trevithick. Originally, Watt's engines would have used a Newcomen-style kettle boiler. Initially, Watt was resistant to Trevithick's ideas of using higher pressures to generate more power because these kettle boilers, made of a patchwork of iron, could not contain more than about 10 psi. Trevithick's cylindrical boilers distributed the pressure evenly around the whole internal surface and were safe up to 30 psi or more.

[@MybitofHistory]

Glad it proved of interest... and thanks for pointing out the boiler issue - When trying to gather the specifics of these engines, I did find it difficult and sometimes confusing as to what was and wasn't being used... given that many reproductions appear to use a combination of boiler types.

[@kiwon1974]

Amazing job! Thank you so much!

[@MybitofHistory]

@Tom Thompson.... Glad you enjoyed the video :) I take your point about the plug tree colour when the video is viewed at 360p and at KZbin's default size. However, when viewed at 720p HD or 1080p HD and in Full Screen Mode then I believe the result are as those I intended to create for the video to be clearly viewed on most of the current large TV screens. But thanks for your input and enable me to make these points here in the comments :)

[@twistedyogert]

+My bit of History My question is about Newcomen's engine. How was the cylinder prevented from cracking under the stress of the heating and cooling cycles?

[@magicianmana4]

thank you! you just helped me with my project!

[@MybitofHistory]

Pleased the video helped :)

[@Pipe-organ-recordings]

Excellent!

[@kelleytrezise2425]

A beautiful model. I wonder if there was an intermediate step between the pure Newcomen and Watt engine that came from running the boiler at a pressure greater than one atmosphere absolute. If the boiler ran a two atmospheres, for example it would have pushed the piston upward providing a power stroke on that stroke followed by a power stroke on the condensation stroke. That of course would have required a sturdy boiler. I am thinking of building a Newcomen engine using pvc or cpvc piping. I could possibly use drain pipe as it is thicker walled and would not breath in as the pressure in the cylinder drops.

[@MybitofHistory]

Hi Kelley - as I'm not a steam engineer I wouldn't really be able to add any thoughts on that. I was more interested in getting to understand early steam engines and how they changed the world. I also wanted to create the working 3D CGI models as a means of getting my head around the mechanics. I can remember as a child (A long time ago now), learning that the Greeks and Romans used steam to power a windmill - but this was basically a toy - a source of amusement... It makes one wonder where we would all be today if they had pushed the idea forward - But then gain, they didn't at that point in history have the technological advancement in metal working and forging. I would be interested to hear how you get on with your future Newcomen Engine Project :) Mike

[@kelleytrezise2425]

My bit of History The problem with the Greeks and Romans and others is that they had slaves and worshiped Aristotle. Aristotle was almost a god and his word was seldom questioned. How long did it take you to learn to create CGI and what do you use?

[@tater801]

The James Watt design shown in this video is actually one of his later designs. Watt originally added just the external condensing cylinder to Newcomen's design, and then over time he was able to improve the engine by adding a method of producing rotative force, a governor to control the speed, and the solid pushrod connecting the cylinder to the beam, which made the construction of a double acting steam engine possible. It's important to remember that Watt's designs are still very early and were intended for use as stationary engines. These were used to power pumps and machine shops, and although a few early steamboats used James Watt's steam engines they were less than ideal because of the power to weight ratio.

[@toniakfraser]

helped me on my class projects

[@MybitofHistory]

Pleased to hear that Tonia - I had fun producing the CGI Models and the video ;)

[@MybitofHistory]

@Robert Stanic..... The software is Autodesk 3Ds Max 2012 which I use to create these CGI models.

[@hadeelalkuwari7540]

thank you that really a helped me a lot , thank again !

[@KeithOtisEdwards]

I'm now reading "The Most Powerful Idea in the World," a history and analysis of the Industrial Revolution. It's a fine book, but it lacks illustrations. This animation gives me a clearer idea of how the engine worked. Your animation is marvelous. May I ask what app you used to create it?

[@MybitofHistory]

Hi Keith, I used 3DS Max for the main models and rendering, then used After Effects for some of the post-production work - and then completed the video using Premier Pro. Glad you enjoyed :)

[@lockedbanana]

You might enjoy the book "How we got here", which starts out with the creation of the steam engine and narrates the history and evolution of technological innovations up to the computer era. www.amazon.com/How-Got-Here-Irreverent-Technology/dp/0060840978 Great video!

[@Jignasty5]

well done.

[@MybitofHistory]

Hope you enjoyed

[@retroandrailways6373]

could you pleas send me URL from wehre did you download thath CGI simulator

[@retroandrailways6373]

Thx

[@mirror1675]

This was well done. The "plug man" profession can't have lasted very long can it?

[@MybitofHistory]

When you consider they would have had to do a 12 hour shift - I suspect someone had enough time to work out a mechanized alternative ;)

[@ushoys]

My bit of History Aye, this was sure to have been a cruel engine owner (and his engineering lackey) , determined to improve business cost and efficiency by doing away with the working man’s job!

[@twistedyogert]

Where can I find your movie?

[@hamishwallace596]

Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Steam engine was the first true steam engine. It was successful and widely used, it far outsold the watt and boulton engine. What Jerónimo de Ayanz y Beaumont and Thomas Savery both patented cannot be called a steam engine, it was a steam pump ( Beaumont's being even more basic than savery's was.) and neither even had a piston.

[@tomcass240]

What does he say at 2:15 , bean engine?

[@MybitofHistory]

Beam ;)

[@johngroenen]

I've build a working scale model: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGaufZRjm7CHjM0

[@thailander5572]

newcomen engine is weird. instead of steam gives a power, but use vacuum (cool stream shrink) to empower. watts engine is truly steam engine by using steam empower both in and out to cylinder (double acting).

[@MybitofHistory]

That's why they were pioneers within the development of steam engines. I can only assume that the technology wasn't available for Newcomen to build a boiler that could withstand the pressures required. Let's not forget - back in those days - there was no such thing as Heavy Engineering or such things as heavy duty pillar drills; steel plate rollers etc. Everything was hand made and holes were simply chiseled out.

[@thailander5572]

hi there, i surely respect all these pioneers and beginners. they shaped the world we live today. but you know, these inventions now a day pollutes the atmosphere by burning fossil-fuel for source of energy. we need new fresh source of energy, new invention and more effective concept to generate power. i just hope it will happen soon before it's too late. and i will surely visit Beamish museum one day to see these wonderful steam engines.