First gas engine. 19th-century illustration of the first gas engine of 1860. A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a gas fuel. Th

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First gas engine. 19th-century illustration of the first gas engine of 1860. A gas engine is an internal combustion engine that runs on a gas fuel. The first designs were by French engineer Etienne Lenoir in 1859. His two-stroke piston and cylinder engine was powered by coal gas. The engine was only 4 percent efficient and of little use, replaced by better designs such as the Otto engine by German engineer Nikolaus Otto. Gas engines are usually used in heavy-duty industrial settings, such as factories. Artwork from 'Moteurs' (1911) by French civil engineer Max de Nansouty (1854-1913), part of the 'Les merveilles de la science' series of 1867-1891 by Louis Figuier.

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Size: 4591px × 3836px
Photo credit: © Science Photo Library / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: -, 1800s, 1860, 19th, artwork, black--white, century, champion, charles, combustion, de, emmanuel, energy, engine, engineering, equipment, etienne, european, figuier, flywheel, french, gas, historical, history, illustration, industrial, industry, internal, lenoir, louis, machine, marvels, max, monochrome, moteurs, motors, nansouty, power, science, technological, technology