THE PROGRESS OF LIQUID FUEL.

Evening Star, Issue 12884, 6 August 1906, Page 1

THE PROGRESS OF LIQUID FUEL.

[By K Jerome Dykh, London 'Standard.*]

There js general agreement amongstr all engineers intimate with the subject as to the advantages of liquid fuel. These—to some . extent—were briefly summarised' by Mr H. Tweddle in an article on the subjecb to the 'Engineering and Mining Journal' of New York, volume 63. The. advantages claimed are as follow:

1. Diminished loss of beat up the runnel (or chimney), owing to the clean conditioi* in which the boiler tubes can be kept, and to the smaller amount of air which has to pass through the combustion chamber for a given fuel consumption. 2. A more equal distribution of heat ia the combustion chamber, as tlio doors do: not have to be opened, and, consequentlv, a higher efficiency is obtained; unequalled strains on.the boiler tubes, ctc~, .due to undue heating, are also avoided. 3. With oil there is no danger of having dirty fires on a hard' run.

4. A reduction in the cost of handling fuel, as this is done mechanically or by gravitation.

5., No firing tools or grate bars necessary, N consequently the furnace lining, brickwork,, etc., last longer. 6. Absence of dirt, ashes, and clinkers. 7. Petroleum does not deteriorate on storing, while coal does, especially soft coal. 8. Ease with which the fires can be regulated from a low to a most intense hean in a short time.'

9. Lessening of the amount of manual labor on stoking (Sir Fortescue Fknmery iivstances reductions in stokers' and trimmers' crews of thirty-two to a fireman's crew of eight hands. *On the steamens Clam and Murex, of the Shell Transport Company, crews of fourteen firemen and trin> mere have been replaced by three Chinamen —one on each watch).

10. Great increase in steaming capacity. 11. Absence of impurities, longer life to plates, etc.

This last-mentioned advantage is amplified by Sir Fortescue Flannery in his address at the Institution of Naval Architects, as follows:—"The many parts of the boilar fronts and stokehold plates, now so quickly corroded by the process of damping ashes before getting them overboard, would be preserved by the action of the oil fuel, and the same remark applies to tie bunker plating, which now so quickly perishes by corrosion in way of the coal storage." To the above may be added other advantages than those mentioned in the., foregoing, based upon the views of various engineers and experts:—

(a) Tons of coal are burnt in evaporating water to blown from the safety valves as escaping steam ; by using oil fuel the fire is absolutely controlled, thus rendering the waste of steam escape easily preventable. That is to £ay, the fire can be minutely regulated so as to meet the exact demand for steam. \b) A . great reduction of weight of fuel carried or dealt with to perform a given duty, (c) Bedvntion in storage mom' required, a consideration of great import* anee where space . ; s valuable, (d) Prompt kindling of fires and rapid generation of steam. A clean fire is attained at the first lighting up, and with water-tub© boilers steam can be rapidly raised without fear to the generator, as the heat can be diffused and equallj' administered. On large electric power plants a full bead of steam can be quickly secured to meet the contingencies of fog, dark days, and other occasions, requiring exceptional load, (e) The fires can lie instantaneously extinguished and relighted at any moment, (f) In hie excellent papers upon the subject, Mr Morton Bell dwells upon the importance to steam-users within city boundaries of oil fuel, as it ensures entire absence of smoke, freedom from ashes, clinkers, emute, and perfect cleardi. ness. He also refers to a particularly valuable feature, in the use of oil fuel in cities—. viz., tho possibility of materially mcroaang the steam generating power of a boiler plant without adding to the number of boilers, a requisition all but impossible to satisfy hi some congested situations. A further important item- amongst tho many advantages of oil fuel is claimed by Mr Bell in tho lengthened life of the inter-, nal fire boxes. After some service the (sides of an ordinary fire-box present a seriw? of convex surfaces between tho stays, which aTO each and all subjected to constant abrasion by the raviH ashes, sparks, etc., drawn from the fire by the action of tho blast. As a result of this wearinir away of the surface of the plabo it gradually becomea thinned, and eventually cracks develop hstween the stayholes, with the consequence that tho box must be patched or renewed after a comparatively short existence. With oil-fired engines an extension of time of some 50 per cent, can be secured, as no such destructive action exists. These remarks on abrasion apply equally, well to tubes, smoke-box, chimney, eta, and the economies in this direction are of considerable value when large numbers of locomotives are affected. On the long, fast runs now so popular the difficulties of keeping a steady steam pressure on a .coalburning engine during the later portion of the journey, owing to a "dirty" grate, ana well known to all locomotive men. With oil burners, the fire is cf equal intensity throughout, and as ck-an at the end of -the day's work as at the start. In his paper, read before the Society of Arts, Sir Marcus Samuel said that the economy in using liquid fuel in place of coal is equivalent, tt> the ratio of one ton of oil to two and a-haif tons of coal, and, in addition, it has been found that while a locomotive burning oil -vs ill maintain the same head of speed i:p the steepest gradients, the same feat cannot be accomplished upon coal, where the nn;r<! firing of the boiler with every renewal cf fuel serves to damp the furnace, whereon every injection of oil, going into immediate combustion, tends to raise and maintain the speed. This damping effect is also aggravated by the frequent opening and shutting, and contraction of tine boiler plates, thus affecting the life of the boiler. The absence of grit, so deadly to the delicate parte of the engine, is also a feature of no small importance. The foregoing summarises fairly completely the advantages of liquid fuel, but there is one other feature that some peopla may regard as pre-eminently important—viz.,. that in the event of coal miners' oi wharf laborers' strikes oil fueb would bs quite unaffected. The loading, '.unloading, and feeding of liqttid fuel are done by gravitation, and practically without any labor" other than supervision. The countle'6 steam installations in and around London are solely dependent upon CoaL The effect upon these industries, of a prolonged; and: widespread labor strike numbs oneV imagination. '." ~