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Jonathan Carter Hornblower

Jonathan Carter Hornblower
(Born 5 Jul 1753; died Mar 1815)

British inventor of the double-beat valve, the first reciprocating compound steam engine. Patented in 1781 (UK No. 1298), this steam engine with two cylinders was a significant advance in efficiency. However, the patent was successfully challenged by James Watt's company (Boulton & Watt) for infringement of their patents. Hornblower ceased development on that design, but earned a fortune from his engineering work, and he made other inventions he patented, including a rotative engine and a steam wheel (steam engine). His compound steam engine principle was eventually rediscovered in 1804 by Arthur Woolf.

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