science · 15 May 1715 · 309 years ago
death
Died 15 May 1715 (born c. 1650).
English engineer and inventor of a steam-powered water pump which he patented (1698). His pump used a vessel first filled with steam When externally cooled with water, the resulting vacuum lifted water to be pumped from a lower sump. Then more high-pressure steam filled the vessel to force the water to a higher level. High fuel consumption and failures, due to construction materials unable to contain the pressure, meant the design was unsuccessful for use in mines. However, it provided a basis for Thomas Newcomen to improve for his pumps. His other patents included a method for polishing glass plate (1649), and an idea for capstan-driven paddle-wheels for becalmed ships.
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