Denis Papin

Denis Papin

Biography

Denis Papin was a French-born British physicist who invented the pressure cooker, and inspired the production of the first cylinder and piston steam engine by suggesting its construction. Though the design of the first pressure cooker was not practical, it was eventually improved by other engineers to come. As a result of creating the first pressure cooker, Papin's invention served as a bases for the development of the steam engine, and other steam powered devices.

Denis Papin was the son to Denis Papin Sir and Madeleine Peneau, whose family had a tradition of being medical practitioners. They had thirteen children, the forth being Denis Papin who was named after his father. His date of birth is unknown, however the date of his baptism was August 22, 1647. He was presented for baptism by his uncle, Issac Papin, within his firm Huguenot religion.

At the age of six, he was put into care by his uncle Nicolas Papin. Nicolas was a medical doctor in Saumur, and had married in 1647; he went on to have three children. In Saumer, Denis attended the the Huguenot Academy for his early education, where later in 1661 he moved on to study medicine at the University of Angers. He graduated with a medical degree on the 4th of June in 1669, but after graduating felt a low opinion for both the teaching and fellow students.

After receiving his M.D. in 1669, he originally intended to practice medicine. However, he found the practices of medicine to be boring, and instead found interest within mathematics and mechanics. Thus, he traveled to Paris to work as an assistant to Christiaan Huygens in developing mechanical devices. Papin's served as a skillful mechanic for Huygens; he helped in constructing the air pump, and performed a number of experiments with Huygen. He eventually published papers in 1674 under Experiences, in which he described the various experiences performed, including attempts to preserve food within the vacuum.

Shortly after publication, Papin had left Paris to travel to London where he was well received by Robert Boyle, who had read his papers on the development of the air pump. Papin went on to assist Boyle in his laboratory and with written pieces. Around this time he also introduced improvements to the air-pump by making it with double barrels, and replacing the two valves the turn-cock hitherto used. Subsequently he invented the condensing-pump, and in 1680 he was nominated by Robert Boyle into the Royal Society. Additionally, in the previous year, he had exhibited to the society his famed "steam digester, engine for softening bones." It is more commonly known today as the pressure cooker.

Also known as the Papin Digester, it was made from cast metals (most likely iron) with a lid that locked in place with a screw-like clamping mechanism. As the food heated in the liquid, the trapped steam raised to cook the food at a temperature 15% higher then the boiling point of water. Thus, the super heated steam cooked the food at a much faster rate then the ordinary methods available at the time. However, because this was a new method, there was a lack of understanding about regulating the steam pressure and the inability to accurately regulate the cooking temperature, leading to many of the early devices to explode. Another major issues was the materials used to make the pressure cookers would often crack, letting steam leak out. However, though the device suffered from severe mechanical issues that rendered it unfit for commercial trade, it served as the bases for steam powered machines to come.

After developing the Papin Digester, in 1690 he published his first work on the steam engine in his De novis quibusdam machinis. The purpose was to raise water to a canal between Kassel and Karlshaven. In 1705, he began to work with the famed physicist and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz to sketch some early designs of the steam engine; these designs would later inspire the development of the steam engine. After completing the sketches, he went on to work on various other prototype inventions; the submarine, air gun, and grenade launcher were a few examples. In 1707 he had also built and used the first paddle boat. In the same year, after running into financial troubles, he returned to the Royal Society in hopes of begin employed. At the time Issac Newton was the president, and seemed to give no encouragement to employ Papin; the society was also suffering from financial issues and was in no position to hire additional staff. Papin continued to write papers and publish them; one proclaimed the idea of using blasts of air to melt ores. The idea became the basis for the blast furnace.

Sadly, around the beginning of 1712, Papin had died in obscurity and poverty. The last known letter he wrote was dated the 23rd of January in response to a 10 pound thank you donation given to him by the Royal Society. It is likely that, with no relatives or money known to those who found him dead, that he was most likely buried within an unmarked grave. It wasn't until 100 years later that his contributions as an inventor were recognized, and in honor a bronze statue of him was raised in his native town of Blois. Today, within the history of science and technology, he is regarded as a pioneer; a tragic inventor who made many aspects of the industrial revolution possible.