Reading Practice

History of the Steam Engine
The first steam-powered machine was built in 1698 by the English military engineer
Thomas Savery (c. 1650-1715). His invention, designed to pump water out of coal
mines, was known as the Miner's Friend. The machine, which had no moving parts,
consisted of a simple boiler - a steam chamber whose valves were located on the
surface - and a pipe leading to the water in the mine below. Water was heated in the
boiler chamber until its steam filled the chamber, forcing out any remaining water or air.
The valves were then closed and cold water was sprayed over the chamber. This chilled
and condensed the steam inside to form a vacuum. When the valves were reopened,
the vacuum sucked up the water from the mine, and the process could then be
repeated.
A few years later, an English engineer named Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729)

improved the steam pump. He increased efficiency by setting a moving piston inside a
cylinder, a technique still in use today. A cylinder - a long, thin, closed chamber separate
from the boiler - replaced the large, open boiler chamber. A piston - a sliding piece that
fits in the cylinder - was used to create motion instead of a vacuum. Steam filled the
cylinder from an open valve. When filled, the cylinder was sprayed with water, causing
the steam inside to condense into water and create a partial vacuum. The pressure of
the outside air then forced the piston down, producing a power stroke. The piston was
connected to a beam, which was connected to a water pump at the bottom of the mine
by a pump-rod. Through these connections, the movement of the piston caused the
water pump to suck up the water.
The most important improvement in steam engine design was brought about by the
Scottish engineer James Watt (1736-1819). He set out to improve the performance of
Newcomen's engine and by 1769 had arrived at the conclusion: if the steam were
condensed separately from the cylinder, the cylinder could always be kept hot. That
year he introduced the design of a steam engine that had a separate condenser and
sealed cylinders. Since this kept the heating and cooling processes separate, his
machine could work constantly, without any long pause at each cycle to reheat the
cylinder. Watt's refined steam engine design
used one-third less fuel than a comparable Newcomen engine.
Over the next 15 years, Watt continued to improve his engine and made three
significant additions. He introduced the centrifugal governor, a device that could control
steam output and engine speed. He made the engine double-acting by allowing steam
to enter alternately on either side of the piston. This allowed the engine to work rapidly
and deliver power on the downward and upward piston stroke. Most important, he
attached a flywheel to the engine.
Flywheels allow the engine to run more smoothly by creating a more constant load,
and they convert the conventional back-and-forth power stroke into a circular (rotary)
motion that can be adapted more readily to power machinery. By 1790, Watt's improved
steam engine offered a powerful, reliable power source that could be located almost
anywhere. It was used to pump bellows for blast furnaces, to power huge hammers for
shaping and strengthening forged metals, and to turn machinery at textile mills. More
than anything, it was Watt's steam engine that speeded up the Industrial Revolution
both in England and the rest of the world.
Steam was successfully adapted to powerboats in 1802 and railways in 1829. Later,
some of the first automobiles were powered by steam. In the 1880s, the English
engineer Charles A. Parsons (1854-1931) produced the first steam turbine, a new
steam technology that was more efficient and which enabled the steam engine to evolve
into a highly sophisticated and powerful engine that propelled huge ships and ran
turbogenerators that supplied electricity.
Once the dominant power source, steam engines eventually declined in popularity as
other power sources became available. Although there were more than 60,000 steam
cars made in the United States between 1897 and 1927, the steam engine eventually
gave way to the internal combustion engine as a power source for vehicles.
Questions 1-7
Match each statement with the correct person A-D.
Write the correct letter A, B, C or D in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
A Thomas Savery
B Thomas Newcomen
C James Watt
D Charles A. Parsons
1His invention was the first to use moving parts. ..........
2His invention allowed steam power to be converted into electric power. ..........
3His invention was the single biggest step in development. ..........
4His invention was a simple solution to an industrial problem. ..........
5His invention was the first continuous power source. ..........
6His invention first used a method people still use now. ..........
7His invention allowed a much greater degree of control. ..........

Questions 8-12
Complete the flow chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
The Miner's Friend used condensed steam to (8)…, which sucked water from mines.
Design improved: Newcomen (9)… using a piston and cylinder instead of an open boiler.
1769: separating heating and cooling processes meant no (10) …between power strokes.
Further development: became easier to (11)… through the use of the flywheel.
Nineteenth century: steam power (12)… for use in various means of transport.

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History of the Steam Engine

A few years later, an English engineer named Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729)

used one-third less fuel than a comparable Newcomen engine.

1His invention was the first to use moving parts. ..........

2His invention allowed steam power to be converted into electric power. ..........

3His invention was the single biggest step in development. ..........

4His invention was a simple solution to an industrial problem. ..........

5His invention was the first continuous power source. ..........

6His invention first used a method people still use now. ..........

7His invention allowed a much greater degree of control. ..........

Design improved: Newcomen (9)… using a piston and cylinder instead of an open boiler.

Further development: became easier to (11)… through the use of the flywheel.

Nineteenth century: steam power (12)… for use in various means of transport.

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