Have you ever wondered how steam power works? And why this old technology, when imagined anew with slick new inventions, is really cool?
Steam power development accelerated during the 1600s with advances in mathematics and science by figures like Newton, Descartes, and Galileo.
Steam had multiple properties that made it ripe for inventions: The pressure of steam gas made it possible to actuate components. As a gas, it had the ability to be transported through pipes… Water was easy and inexpensive to obtain, store, transport, and refill.
Steam heats water in machinery, creating pressurized gas directed into pistons that turn crankshafts, transferring motion to wheels or pumps.
Wood and coal fueled steam engines; coal became preferred due to density and mining efficiency advantages.
James Watt improved engine efficiency by eliminating waste steam circulation and expanded applications beyond water pumping. His innovations made steam power truly practical for the wide variety of applications we associate with the Victorian era — the very era that inspires steampunk.
And that’s why steam power is so fascinating. It’s technology that was revolutionary in its day, and in the hands of steampunk storytellers, becomes revolutionary all over again.