Feb 14, 2019 · By 1765, Watt knew every aspect of Newcomen's engine and discovered a basic design flaw which caused the machine to run slowly. The hot steam was cooled down in the piston cylinder and which caused the boiler to lose most of its thermal energy. This meant that the engine would slow to six to eight cycles per minute.
Read MoreSteam engine, machine using steam power to perform mechanical work through the agency of heat. In a steam engine, hot steam, usually supplied by a boiler, expands under pressure, and part of the heat energy is converted into work. Learn more about steam engines in this article.
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