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The Invention Of The Gas Turbine Essay

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The modern gas turbine was born from two early fields of technology: the steam turbine and the internal combustion engine. [1] In 1678, Ferdinand Verbiest designed a horseless carriage that relied on an early steam jet for power and propulsion, this is thought to be the first self-propelled automobile in history. Eventually, inventors attempted to create an alternative to the steam engine and the idea of the gas turbine was born. While the claim to inventing the gas turbine has never truly been resolved, it can be traced back to as early as the late 1700s. Over the next century and a half many pioneers have attempted to solve the challenge of the early gas turbine in order to create a power source that could compete with steam turbines of the day. In truth, the invention of the modern day industrial gas turbine can be contributed to the combined works of many inventors.
It is nearly impossible to talk about the history of the modern gas turbine without first mentioning the late history of the steam turbine. The industrial revolution was born through the invention of energy conversion devices that could be used to replace the natural power sources such as wind and water movement. In 1712, Newcomen created the first functional steam engine. Despite the fact that it was allowing people to break away from the dependence on wind and water power, this engine had low efficiency compared to the previous power sources. James Watt improved this with the addition of a condenser

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