Savery, Thomas (c.1650–1715)
Savery's steam engine of 1696 was the first to combine steam pressure, vacuum, and condensing for continuous operation. Steam from the boiler (1) passed to the working chamber (2) and the cock (3) was closed. Cold water from a spray (4) condensed the steam, creating a vacuum in 2 and lifting water into it from 5. Steam was again let into 2, forcing the water out through the valve (6) and upward.
Thomas Savery was an English engineer and inventor of an early form of steam engine (patented 1698), used for pumping water out of mines. His patent covered Thomas Newcomen's later invention (c. 1712), and for this reason the two entered partnership for the development of Newcomen's engine. Savery also developed an early form of paddle-driven boat.
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