Combustion Engineering
Former American engineering and manufacturing company that supplied fossil-fuel and nuclear steam systems, industrial equipment, and related technologies.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Combustion Engineering was an American engineering and manufacturing company whose principal historical business was the design, manufacture, and servicing of equipment for steam-powered electricity generation. Organized in 1912 through the combination of the Grieve Grate Company and the American Stoker Company, it initially focused on fuel-burning equipment and mechanical stokers. During the 1920s it expanded into steam boilers, establishing a long-term position in the power-equipment industry. The company became a major supplier of conventional utility boilers, particularly for coal- and oil-fired generating stations. It developed and commercialized equipment associated with large pulverized-coal boilers, including tangential-firing technology, and maintained testing and engineering facilities for combustion, airflow, and boiler-performance work. Its manufacturing and service operations extended across the United States and Canada, while its technologies and products were also sold or licensed internationally. Combustion Engineering supplied steam plants for industrial customers and for military applications, including steam-powered naval vessels. A major strategic change came through its 1948 merger with the Superheater Company. The combined business, initially known as Combustion Engineering-Superheater, broadened its capabilities in high-pressure steam generation before adopting the Combustion Engineering name again in 1953. From the mid-1950s onward, the company also diversified through acquisitions, including the Lummus Company, into oil and gas engineering, petrochemicals, refining, industrial boilers, process equipment, minerals, refractories, instrumentation, controls, and other industrial products. By the 1960s and 1970s it had become a diversified multinational group with numerous subsidiaries and several major operating divisions. Combustion Engineering entered nuclear technology in the 1950s. Under government contracts it participated in nuclear-fuel work for the United States Navy and operated the S1C prototype marine nuclear-propulsion training facility at Windsor, Connecticut. It subsequently became a commercial nuclear steam-supply vendor, competing with Westinghouse and General Electric. Its first commercial nuclear steam-supply system was sold for the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station in Michigan. The company also produced nuclear fuel and reactor components, supported customer training, and developed instrumentation and computer-based systems intended to improve reactor monitoring and operating margins. The breadth of the enterprise increased substantially through acquisitions from the 1960s through the late 1980s. Its organization included power systems, industrial equipment, oil and gas, refractories and minerals, and instrumentation and controls groups. Subsidiaries and affiliated operations included Lummus, C-E Raymond, C-E Air Preheater, C-E Tyler, C-E Bauer, C-E Natco, C-E Vetco, C-E Taylor Instruments, and other specialized businesses. The company maintained manufacturing sites, offices, and technology relationships in multiple countries. Combustion Engineering was acquired by ABB in 1990 and became an ABB subsidiary. Subsequent restructuring separated important parts of the former business. In 2000, Alstom acquired the boiler and fossil-fuel businesses, while Westinghouse acquired the nuclear steam-supply business. The legacy enterprise was also burdened by substantial asbestos-related liabilities associated with its operations and subsidiaries. ABB and related entities reached a major settlement resolving asbestos claims in 2006. Combustion Engineering therefore survives primarily through successor businesses, technologies, facilities, and corporate records rather than as an independent operating company.
History
Combustion Engineering was formed in 1912 through the merger of the Grieve Grate Company and the American Stoker Company, manufacturers of equipment for burning solid fuels. Its early headquarters were in Lower Manhattan. During the 1920s, its principal products included the English-designed Type-E stoker and other underfeed stokers manufactured at plants along the Monongahela River. In 1925, the company entered the steam-boiler business with equipment installed at Ford Motor Company's River Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan. It also acquired boiler manufacturers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, strengthening its production base. During the Depression era, Combustion Engineering worked with the Superheater Company, whose origins lay in the development of superheated steam technology for locomotives. Stockholders approved a merger in December 1948, creating Combustion Engineering-Superheater. The combined company planned and supplied increasingly large, high-pressure generating equipment, including a unit for Virginia Electric and Power Company announced in 1950. In 1953, the Superheater name was dropped, restoring the Combustion Engineering identity. The postwar company concentrated on conventional power generation, designing and building boiler assemblies for coal- and oil-fired stations. It was also an important naval supplier. Its steam plants were used in Liberty ships and other naval vessels, and the Knox-class frigates were equipped with Combustion Engineering power plants. The company developed large pulverized-coal utility boilers and was associated with the tangential-firing method used to improve combustion in large furnaces. A coal test facility in Windsor, Connecticut, supported experimentation with airflow and boiler design. In the mid-1950s, Combustion Engineering diversified beyond power equipment by acquiring the Lummus Company, which operated in oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, and process engineering. The company also built businesses in industrial boilers, pulp and paper machinery, air preheaters, crushing and conveying, screening, elevators, minerals, refractories, glass, instrumentation, and controls. By the 1960s through the 1980s, it had organized these activities into several business groups and owned or controlled more than three dozen companies. It maintained a significant Canadian presence and international offices, factories, and licensing arrangements. Nuclear technology became a central part of the enterprise in the 1950s. At Windsor, the company performed nuclear-fuel work for the United States Navy and designed and constructed the S1C marine nuclear-propulsion prototype and training facility. Combustion Engineering operated the facility for more than a decade before the contract passed to Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. In the 1960s it entered the commercial nuclear market, selling its first commercial nuclear steam-supply system to Consumers Power for the Palisades Nuclear Generating Station. It competed with General Electric and Westinghouse and also fabricated nuclear components and uranium fuel. The company's nuclear engineering included the Core Operating Limit Supervisory System and Core Protection Calculator, computer-based tools using extensive in-core detector data to monitor reactor conditions and support higher operating power. It also maintained a nuclear operator-training simulator at Windsor. These activities made Combustion Engineering one of the principal American nuclear steam-supply vendors, although its nuclear operations later became part of Westinghouse. Corporate control remained strongly associated with the Santry family for much of the company's independent existence. Joseph Santry served as president until 1963, followed by Arthur Santry Jr., who later became chairman. Charles Hugel became president in 1984, and George Kimmel became president and chief operating officer in 1988. In 1973, the corporate offices moved from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut. ABB acquired Combustion Engineering in 1990. The acquisition left ABB responsible for a broad collection of industrial operations as well as significant financial and legal exposures. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, ABB and Alstom reorganized their power businesses. Alstom ultimately acquired the boiler and fossil-fuel operations in 2000, while Westinghouse acquired the nuclear steam-supply business in 2000 or 2001. The company and associated successor entities also faced extensive asbestos litigation. A settlement announced in 2006 addressed asbestos claims against Combustion Engineering and Lummus Global for more than one billion dollars. Combustion Engineering no longer operates as an independent company; its historical activities continue through successor businesses and technologies.
- 2006
Asbestos settlement
[1]ABB and related entities resolve asbestos claims associated with Combustion Engineering and Lummus Global through a settlement exceeding one billion dollars.
- 2001
Nuclear business transfers to Westinghouse
[1]Westinghouse Electric acquires the nuclear steam-supply vendor business.
- 2000
Fossil and boiler operations transfer to Alstom
[1]Alstom acquires the former company's boiler and fossil-fuel businesses.
- 1990
Acquisition by ABB
[1]Asea Brown Boveri acquires Combustion Engineering and makes it a wholly owned subsidiary.
- 1973
Corporate headquarters move to Stamford
[1]The company moves its corporate offices from New York City to Stamford, Connecticut.
- 1960
Entry into commercial nuclear steam supply
[1]Combustion Engineering begins supplying commercial nuclear steam systems, with the Palisades project becoming its first commercial system.
- 1955
Expansion into nuclear technology
[1]The company begins major nuclear activities, including naval nuclear-fuel work and development of the S1C prototype facility.
- 1953
Return to the Combustion Engineering name
[1]The Superheater name is removed from the corporate name.
- 1948
Merger with the Superheater Company
[1]Stockholders approve the merger that creates Combustion Engineering-Superheater.
- 1925
Entry into steam boilers
[1]The company supplies a steam boiler for Ford Motor Company's River Rouge plant and expands its boiler manufacturing capabilities.
Products and positioning
Diversified industrial engineering supplier serving electric utilities, industrial energy users, naval propulsion programs, oil and gas companies, and process industries.
Fuel-burning equipment · 1920
Type-E stoker
An English-designed mechanical stoker that became one of Combustion Engineering's signature products during the 1920s. It fed solid fuel into industrial and power boilers and was sold alongside other underfeed stoker designs.
Power-generation equipment · 1925
Utility steam boilers
Large boiler assemblies for coal- and oil-fired generating stations formed the company's core power-equipment business. Combustion Engineering engineered, manufactured, installed, and serviced systems for utility and industrial customers.
Fossil-fuel power equipment
Tangentially fired pulverized-coal boilers
Combustion Engineering developed and supplied large coal-fired boiler systems using tangential firing, a furnace arrangement intended to improve combustion and heat distribution in high-capacity utility boilers.
Nuclear power equipment · 1960
Nuclear steam-supply systems
The company's nuclear steam-supply systems integrated reactor-related equipment and the steam-generation functions required by commercial nuclear power stations. The Palisades Nuclear Generating Station was its first commercial nuclear steam-supply customer.
Nuclear instrumentation and control
COLSS and CPC systems
The Core Operating Limit Supervisory System and Core Protection Calculator were computer-based nuclear monitoring and protection tools. They used reactor instrumentation, including in-core neutron detectors, to support operating-limit calculations and real-time control-room decisions.
Nuclear manufacturing · 1955
Nuclear fuel and reactor components
Combustion Engineering produced nuclear fuel for naval programs and fabricated fuel and reactor-related components for commercial customers. Its Chattanooga operations also manufactured some reactor vessels and steam generators under contracts with Westinghouse.
Industrial machinery
Industrial and process equipment
Through subsidiaries and operating groups, the company supplied industrial boilers, pulp and paper machinery, air preheaters, conveyors, screens, elevators, crushing equipment, process controls, oilfield equipment, refractories, minerals, and related industrial products.
Controversies
2006
Asbestos litigation and settlement
Combustion Engineering and related businesses faced extensive asbestos claims. The liabilities contributed to financial pressure on ABB, and ABB and related entities later reached a settlement exceeding one billion dollars covering claims associated with Combustion Engineering and Lummus Global.
Brand decisions
2001
Transfer the nuclear business to WestinghouseM&ABackground
The nuclear steam-supply operation was separated from the broader ABB-Alstom industrial restructuring.
Action taken
Westinghouse Electric acquired the nuclear steam-supply vendor business operating under the Combustion Engineering name.
Aftermath
Combustion Engineering ceased to function as an integrated independent supplier, with its nuclear activities continuing under Westinghouse.
2000
Transfer the fossil and boiler businesses to AlstomM&ABackground
ABB and Alstom were restructuring their power operations after forming a joint venture in 1999.
Action taken
Alstom acquired Combustion Engineering's boiler and fossil-fuel businesses.
Aftermath
The former company's conventional power activities became part of Alstom's power-equipment portfolio.
1990
Sell the company to ABBM&ABackground
Combustion Engineering had become a diversified engineering group with power, nuclear, industrial, oil and gas, materials, and controls businesses.
Action taken
Asea Brown Boveri acquired the company and operated it as a wholly owned subsidiary.
Aftermath
ABB later reorganized and sold major legacy businesses, while asbestos liabilities became a significant corporate issue.
1956
Acquire the Lummus CompanyM&ABackground
Combustion Engineering pursued diversification beyond utility boilers into oil and gas, refining, petrochemicals, and process engineering.
Action taken
The company acquired Lummus, adding engineering and equipment capabilities in energy and process industries.
Aftermath
Lummus became a major part of the company's broader multinational industrial structure.
1955
Enter nuclear engineering and naval nuclear programsStrategyBackground
The company pursued growth beyond conventional boilers as nuclear propulsion and nuclear electricity became strategically important technologies.
Action taken
Combustion Engineering undertook naval nuclear-fuel work and developed the S1C prototype marine nuclear-propulsion training facility at Windsor.
Aftermath
The company later became a commercial nuclear steam-supply vendor and competed with Westinghouse and General Electric.
1948
Merge with the Superheater CompanyM&ABackground
Combustion Engineering sought to broaden its steam-generation capabilities by combining with a company rooted in superheated-steam technology.
Action taken
Stockholders approved the merger, creating Combustion Engineering-Superheater.
Aftermath
The combined business expanded its high-pressure steam equipment activities and returned to the Combustion Engineering name in 1953.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/combustion-engineering · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled