The development of the steam engine represents an important milestone in the technological progress of mankind. James Watt received a patent in 1769 for an important improvement in the efficiency of the steam engine. Steam engines generate steam by combustion and convert the heat contained in the steam into thermal energy. Steam turbines are still used in power plants today. In vehicle propulsion, the steam engine has been replaced by combustion engines and electric engines.
The study of the steam engine was a driving motivation in the sciences of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics. For example, thermodynamics examines the question of how heat can be converted into mechanical work. Fluid mechanics investigates the behaviour of liquids and gases (fluids). However, thermodynamics and fluid mechanics are not only applied in classical engineering disciplines, such as car and aircraft construction, but also in medical technology or the generation of renewable energies. The two disciplines also play an important role, for example, in the development of household appliances, such as coffee machines, vacuum cleaners, and ovens.
Our patent attorneys, experienced in the fields of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, will be pleased to assist you in the assessment and patenting of new inventions as well as in corresponding disputes. We can also offer special expertise in the fields of magnetohydrodynamics, flow measurement, flow simulation and microfluidics:
