What approximate range of thermal efficiency characterized the Newcomen engine?
Answer
Only about one to two percent.
Despite being the first practical steam engine used industrially, the Newcomen atmospheric engine was highly thermally inefficient by any standard. Estimates place its actual thermal efficiency in the remarkably low range of just one to two percent. This poor performance meant that the engines were voracious consumers of fuel, specifically coal, which was necessary to maintain the constant supply of steam required to repeatedly heat the massive cylinders. This high operational cost meant that in areas where coal was not extremely abundant and cheap, the economic benefits of the engine could be significantly diminished or negated.
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