The valuable document, received on May 10, will be exhibited at the School’s premises.
Pascal Faure, Director of INPI France (on the right in the photo above), personally presented the original patent of Benoît Fourneyron, inventor of the hydraulic turbine, to Jacques Fayolle, Director of the School. This solemn yet convivial moment provided an opportunity to discuss this significant 19th-century invention with the students. Discussions then continued regarding the role and missions of INPI France, a public institution under the supervision of the ministry responsible for industrial property.
Benoît Fourneyron, a brilliant visionary
It is 1819. Benoît Fourneyron graduates at the top of the School’s first class, which then comprised eight students. A few years later, in 1831, he presented a paper on hydraulic turbines. He filed the patent for his invention on July 13, 1832. At that time, the turbine was the most remarkable product of the wave of technological innovations sweeping the European continent in the 19th century. It enabled the revitalization of old industrial sites and gave hydraulic energy new advantages over the steam engine.
