Thompson was an active and prolific inventor, developing improvements
for chimneys, fireplaces and industrial furnaces, as well as inventing
the double boiler, a kitchen range, and a drip coffeepot. He invented a
percolating coffee pot following his pioneering work with the Bavarian
Army, where he improved the diet of the soldiers as well as their
clothes.
The Rumford fireplace created a sensation in London when he introduced the idea of restricting the chimney opening to increase the updraught, which was a much more efficient way to heat a room than earlier fireplaces. He and his workers modified fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to make the side walls angled, and added a choke to the chimney to increase the speed of air going up the flue. The effect was to produce a streamlined air flow, so all the smoke would go up into the chimney rather than lingering, entering the room, and often choking the residents. It also had the effect of increasing the efficiency of the fire, and gave extra control of the rate of combustion of the fuel, whether wood or coal. Many fashionable London houses were modified to his instructions, and became smoke-free.
Thompson became a celebrity when news of his success spread. His work was also very profitable, and much imitated when he published his analysis of the way chimneys worked. In many ways, he was similar to Benjamin Franklin, who also invented a new kind of heating stove.
The retention of heat was a recurring theme in his work, as he is also credited with the invention of thermal underwear.
In 1804, he married Marie-Anne Lavoisier, the widow of the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier.
- "A handsome, red-headed, pearly toothed individual..." https://books.google.it/books…
- "The child has a striking similarity to Benjamin Thompson - red hair, blue eyes, and crested eyebrows." https://books.google.it/books…
The Rumford fireplace created a sensation in London when he introduced the idea of restricting the chimney opening to increase the updraught, which was a much more efficient way to heat a room than earlier fireplaces. He and his workers modified fireplaces by inserting bricks into the hearth to make the side walls angled, and added a choke to the chimney to increase the speed of air going up the flue. The effect was to produce a streamlined air flow, so all the smoke would go up into the chimney rather than lingering, entering the room, and often choking the residents. It also had the effect of increasing the efficiency of the fire, and gave extra control of the rate of combustion of the fuel, whether wood or coal. Many fashionable London houses were modified to his instructions, and became smoke-free.
Thompson became a celebrity when news of his success spread. His work was also very profitable, and much imitated when he published his analysis of the way chimneys worked. In many ways, he was similar to Benjamin Franklin, who also invented a new kind of heating stove.
The retention of heat was a recurring theme in his work, as he is also credited with the invention of thermal underwear.
In 1804, he married Marie-Anne Lavoisier, the widow of the great French chemist Antoine Lavoisier.
- "A handsome, red-headed, pearly toothed individual..." https://books.google.it/books…
- "The child has a striking similarity to Benjamin Thompson - red hair, blue eyes, and crested eyebrows." https://books.google.it/books…
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