Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-07-10
ERIcssoNs CALoRIc ENGINE.

FROM THE NEW YORK JOURNAL COMMERCE OF Jury ,
About twenty years ago Capt Ericsson then quite !,
young man. though distinguished in his profession patent
ed In London invention by this name Its principles
were new, and the working of engine of fye-horse
power excited great interest among philosophers and en-
gneers, and Prof Faraday and Dr. Larner ectured be-
fore large audiences in explanation of it. The practical
difficulties which attended the undertaking had not then
been overcome by the inventor. The engine was inper
feet in the details Of its construction and required fire.
quent renewals and repairs and attempt to make
large resulted in complete failure that he laid
the whole matter aside for the time Shortly after how
ever ne commenced series of private experiments and
perseseringy pursued them until after another the
conditions of success were asceraned and he has
running trial engine of sixtyhorse power remarkable
for its simplicity and compactness which consumes only
nine hundred and sixty pounds of coal in twenty.four
hours; and after having been up nearly year. and
working off and about Of the time has not
required me slightest repair alteration even to the
Tightening Of screw So completely is the disposition
OF the metals to oxydze overcome that coating Of white
wash lasted for two weeks iron surce exposed to
the direct action of the Ere
The motive power is heated air. or as the inventor
himself would perhaps more properly express it. heat
acting through air. and hence its name of caloric engine
The idea is that heat is itself the source Of power both in
this and the steam engine and that whatever medium be
used equal ncrements of heat produce equal ncrements
Of power and therefore economy of heat economy
power that the resulting force of heat suffers no mnu-
on butts capable Of indefinitely reproducing its effects by
process of transfer from one medium to another or from
oneporton to another of the same medium For example
certain amount of heat Tor certain action Of what we
call heat if chemists please let us expands water into
steam and raises loaded piston let that body Of
steam be passed into air. and allowed to condense and
the heat leaving will in turn expand the air with force
equal to that first exerted against the piston Whatever
the loss OF heat in engine from radiation and conduction
there is no loss from exeron AS the power of gravity
forever remains the same at waterfall and pulls down
bucket after bucket of overshot wheel fast as they
filed so the power of given Of heat always
the same, and capable of expanding one volume of air
after ANOTHER if only they be in turn presented to it.
The object then, is to provide some method Of retain
ing the heat and using again This is done by what
Captain Ericsson calls regeneration" through which
passes the hot air as it leaves the engine and the cold
air as it enters striking against immense number of
metallic surfaces which absorb the heat from that which
goes out and then relinqush it that which comes in
The experiments of Capt Ericsson have shown him
that apprecabe time required for this transfer pro-
vded there be the proper arrangement of surfaces
in one of his trial engines each particle of air has its tenn
peraure raised lowered 5000 Fahrenheit in the four
hundeth part of second These regeneraors cannot be
used with steam account Of its condensng; and We
believe no method of abstractng heat from steam and re-
turning to the boiler has yet been successful except so
far as to maintain the fresh supplies Of water at tenn
perature near the boiling point There are some esab
hshments however, where the wsste and sscape steam
are conveyed in pipes for va-mse l-;,s;-s
loses Of its value for that purpose by first passing
through the engine
The engine for the trial ship Of which have made
mention heretofore, is designed that single crank
which easily be turned by man. viii control all its
notions and enable the attendant at moments notice.
to start accelerate, reard stop, them OF
course air is used instead Of water all connexon with
the through the bottom sides of the ship sdspensed
with, wen the whole paraphernalia of pumps
densers, and supply and escape pipes. The chance of
leakage arrangement is consequently lessened while
the small size Of the furnaces dminshes the risk from fire.
and the low never than double that of the
atmospheric removes all danger from explosion.
The hull of the ship nearly ready for covering,
at the yard Of Messrs Perrne Patterson Stack and
Messrs. Hogg Delamater have the machinery in yet
forward state and is expected that the launch
win take place about the LIST Of September.