PETROLEUM.—No. IV.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VII, Issue 1088, 7 May 1880, Page 2

PETROLEUM.— No. IV.

Utilization (Present and Future). Kkrdsine, the refined product of Petroleum, is used chiefly, as we know, for purposes of illumination. A few facts respecting the introduction of this method of lighting may be interesting. Dr. A. Gesner was probably the first Avho successfully burnt kerosine in a lamp. This was in 1846. The kerosine used by him was obtained from the distillation of coal, and from that period until 1859, when large deposits of Petroleum were found, coal was almost the only agent used owing to its cheapness in America) in producing kerosine. The introduction of crude Petroleum at once caused the distillation of coal to cca.se, owing to the cheapness of the former. The introduction of kerosine into common use was accomplished by the North American Kerosine Gas Light Company under the management of Austen Bros. They experienced great difficulty at first in selling the oil. The odour was not agreeable, and the combustion was not perfect, causing smuts ; the refining process was not so well understood at that time. The beauty of the light obtained from it, in comparison with whale, colza, and other ••oils, was sufficient to gradually overcome vested interests and all other objectifies. The next step was to invent a cheap and proper lamp in which to burn it, so that it could be brought within reach of the poorer classes. This was accomplished by Mr. J. H. Austen, who pei'fected the " Vienna Burner f this burner has formed the model upon which numbers of patents have been granted, and the supposed improvement was not'always for the better. Kerosine is now well known even in these colonies as a heat producer ; kerosine stoves being quite common. The economy and ease with which cooking of all kinds from a chop to a joint, is completed, has surpassed the expectations of the owners. In the eastern part of the States, in vast numbers of houses, nothing else is used for lighting, cooking, and heating purposes ; for the latter, the ordinary grates are generally made use of by an arrangement of fire bricks which radiate the heat. As a lubricant, Petrolum is unrivalled, as it doea not readily oxidize in the atmosphere. The gumming cpmjflained of by mechanists in most other oils, is really the oxidation of those oils. In every effort made to open new channels for the utilization of Petroluemj 'strong opposition is expeVenced from the vested interests in that branch of industry to which the oil producers seek to introduce it." Gas making, as an instance. It has been conclusively proved by experiment on a large scale with Wren's Gas Works, which are specially made for the purpose of manufacturing gas from crude Petroleum, that 80-candle gas can be manufactured at 6s per 1000 feet; whereas coal gas, of 21---candle, costs 12s 6d per 1000 feet. Still the coal gas monopolies will not use it, as they would probably have to reduce their price in proportion, and the consumer suffers. Many towns in America, where gas is being introduced for the first time, use this patent, and it has proved uniformally successful. As a steam generator, Petroleum exceeds 50 per cent, in value, with the further advantages of great reduction in weight and bulk of fuel, in labor of firing, and in quick attainment of high temperature. Investigation has determined that to obtain combustion of the oil with the greatest available heat, it should be thrown into the furnace in a fine spray, by the aid of superheated steam. By this means, not more than 8 to 10 per cent, of the heat is lost, and there is ! and entire absence of smoke. The great dispai-ity in the practical effects of oil and coal is explained by the wasteful consumption of the latter ; while the combustion of the oil is perfect, or nearly so. The majority of boilers in the oil regions are run exclusively by Petroleum. It has been tried by steam vessels and locomotives, and the results have been eminently satisfactory. To ocean-going steamers, the adaptability of Petroleum as a fuel, should have extraordinary interest. Tanks of oil fitted above the keelson (and which could be refilled with water if required as ballast, would hold fuel sufficient for a double trip, and do away with the great coal bunkers, thus giving greater cargo capacity. Everything is in favor of oil as against coal : no firemen required, the engines being able to regulate the flame by a turn of the hand ; no danger from sparks or flying cinders ; the wear and tear upon grate bars and boilers reduced to minimum, and the comfort of the passengers is doubled by the absence of dirt, smoke, and smut. Petroleum is in use in many parts of America, and is being introduced into England, as a fuel in iron puddling and heating furnaces. In economy it is a saving of 60 per cent., and double the number of heats as compared with coal can be obtained in a given time. The intensity of the oil flame, too, is a most important factor, assuming temperature of 3,500 deg. Fah. In a properly-constructed furnace, this heat, and the exceptional purity of the flame, insures purer iron in the puddling and the melting as it removes the sulphur and phosphorous more thoroughly than any other fuel known. In crucible furnaces, as in

the manufacture of steel, its value is still more decided. As a vehicle for paint for outside work, Petroleum is very valuable, from its well - known preservative qualities ; it suj)plies the place of both linseed oil and dryers. Timber which is placed in the earth will last doubly as long if previously soaked in crude Petroleum. To sum up this article, the investigations which have been going on for the past few years, in England and France, as well as in America, on Petroleum as a fuel, strongly point to the general substitution, at no very distant date, of Petroleum for coal in tbe manufacture of glass, iron, steel, and other metals, and also for the formation of steam. In all places where coal or other fuel has to be imported, there will Petroleum gradually take the position for which nature intended it, as a cheap and compact fuel. All sea-going steamships, and the majority of coasting steamers, except those trading to coal-producing districts, will use Petroluem ss"a~~Tuel. Railways will use it, as the safety and benefits arising from the absence of sparks, cinders, and smoke are almost incalculable. For the same j reasons we shall see travelling threshing machines and their attendant engines with their small tank of Petroleum, thus doing away with every risk in the rickyard. As the supply of Petroleum in the appears almost unlimited, so are the possibilities of its use. I must leave to abler pens, than mine to expatiate further on the subject.