Newcomen Atmospheric Engine

The Newcomen atmospheric engine was an early steam powered device built by the English ironmonger Thomas Newcomen, first successfully erected at the Conygree Coalworks in Tipton in 1712. It generated mechanical force by condensing steam inside a cylinder to create a partial vacuum, letting ordinary atmospheric pressure push a piston downward, and it was used mainly to pump water out of coal and tin mines across Britain and Europe, with hundreds built during the eighteenth century. It is regarded as the first practical device to harness steam for mechanical work, predating and inspiring James Watt more fuel efficient engine of 1769, and many Newcomen engines stayed in service well into the nineteenth century. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/