In 60 A.D., a Greek inventor in Egypt named Hero developed a machine called the “Aeolpile,” which loosely translates to “rotary steam engine.” Historians refer to it as “Hero’s Engine,” and it is believed that no one could think of a practical use for the machine upon inception. It took more than 1,700 years before the first patent on a steam engine was received by Thomas Savery. Then, in 1698, an English inventor by the name of Thomas Newcomen adapted many of Hero’s original concepts into a steam-driven pump to remove water from coal and tin mines. Half a century later, James Watt improved on Newcomen’s design by building the first modern steam engine. Not by coincidence, this signaled the start of the Industrial Revolution.
The first boilers providing steam to Watt’s engines were crude, inefficient, unsafe, and unreliable. While neither fast nor easy, enormous changes in boiler design and construction have taken place since then. This includes higher efficiency, cleaner burning, greater capacity in the same footprint, and the versatility to handle a variety of fuels. Fast forward to 1950 and the introduction of package boilers. This brought a very significant change to industrial boiler design, but it eventually became the standard.