FLAMELESS COMBUSTION.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3522, 21 October 1882, Page 4

FLAMELESS COMBUSTION.

At the soiree of the Society of Chemical Industry recently held at Owens College, a new theory of combustion was practically illustrated by Mr Thomas Fletcher, of Warrington, the results being so totally unexpected, that many present would, and in fact did, go away with the impression that some deception was being practised. It had already pointed out, in reference to this subject, the belief entertained tbat_ if it were possible to produce combustion without flame the temperatures and duty obtained from any fuel would be enormously increased. It has remained for Mr Fletcher to not only prove the possibility of flameless combustion in more than one form, but also to demonstrate practically the enormously high temperature which can be obtained by this means. Taking a ball of iron wire about three pounds in weight, Mr Fletcher placed it on a slab of fireclay, and directing a blowpipe flame on it for a few seconds he suddenly blew the flame out. The temperature increased so rapidly that in a few seconds the wrought iron fused and ran into"drops, and this temperature was steadily maintained. The room was darkened, but the closest examination did not show a trace of flame, although the fact that the gas was issuing was proved by repeatedly relighting and extinguishing it. The same experiment, was repeated in another form by directing the flameless heat into a small fireclay chamber, in which a refractory clay crucible, made specially for nickle melting, was partially fused and worked into a ball like soft putty, the sides of the fireclay chamber being at the same time fused. Tlie heat was so tremendous that the blowpipe laboratory which was given up to Mr Fletcher, for the evening was mush too hot to be agreeable, in spite of open windows and ventilators. How far the discovery can be utilised remains to be seen, but it would appear that the presence of flame, usually considered to be a sign of combustion, is really an indication of imperfect results, and the best duty is to be obtained only when flame is totally absent. It is certain t hat such temperatures as obtained by Mr Fletcher without flame have never previously been obtained with the fuel used, which was nothing more than a small gas supply for a quarter-inch pipe, assisted by an air-blast.