THE MOTORIST

Northern Advocate, 19 October 1935, Page 7

THE MOTORIST

SOLIDIFIED PETROL. SUCCESS CLAIMED. Scientists have striven for many years to discover a commercially practicable method of solidifying petrol so that the one great disadvantage of that very efficient fuel, its extreme inflammability, might be overcome. It has now been announced that Dr. Adolph Prussin has, after 16 years of research, perfected such a process. It is reported that a few weeks ago a remarkable demonstration was given at the School of Aeronautics of New York University, in which the safety of petrol solidified by-Dr. Prussia's process was tested in a spectacular manner. Although the invention is still in the experimental stage, and full technical details have not been divulged, the evidence appears to be enough to warrant the hope that an epochal discovery might have been made. Dr. Prussin is said 1 to have announced that, after prolonged experiments with thousands of hydrocarbons in his attempts to find a catalyst which would change the molecular structure of petrol, he has found a chemical that will convert petrol, kerosene, crude oil, or alcohol from a liquid to a solid state within a quarter of an hour without the need of costly apparatus. It is added that the chemical employed is cheap, can be used) repeatedly, and tbat during the process the temperature of the ingredients does not exceed 155 degrees F. The inventor has laid down a trial plant, which, it is claimed, could if required treat 2500 gallons of fuel every four minutes. The solidified product has been named “Solene,” and recently tests of its inflammability were conducted by Clyde Pangborn, a well-known American aviator, who took part in the Centenary Air Race from England to Australia. A five-gal-lon tin of the solidified petrol Was fired at with incendiary bullets'. The first three shots produced no effect, but the fourth bullet set alight a small amount of the fuel which had liquefied and run on to' the ground; The fire was quickly stamped out, and the contents of the tin did not ignite. There is a dearth of information as to the manner in which the new product might be employed with infernal combustion engines, but it is understood that the general principle of its application would be as follows;—The ordinary petrol tank would be replaced by a container which is heated from the exhaust of the engine, and the gradual liquefaction of its contents, combined with the suction from the intake, would suffice to feed the engine with a suitable mixture; of vaporised petrol and air. Thus it might be possible to discard the conventional carburetion ] system, and it has been suggested that' engines could be converted quite cheaply to run on the new product.