The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1869-04-10
solar Heat as a Motive Power.

Solar Heat as q Motive Power.
short time since we briefly referred to the
experiments of M. Mouchot, made with view
to utilize solar hea. as motive power. He, in
contribution to the Complies Rsndus, thus speaks
OF some OF their results:
According to my experiments, it is easy to
collect, at cheap rate, more than three.ifths of
the solar heat arriving at the surface of the
globe. The intensity Of this calorifc source, SO
feeble in appearance, was revealed by Poullet,
more than thirty years ago At Paris a surface
Of one square meter, normally exposed TO the
suns rays, receives at least, whatever NAV be
the season. during the greater part of fine day,
ten heat units (calorics) per minute. THE unit
OF heat adopted by most physicists is the
quantity necessary to raise one pound of
water from o. to 10 c. We suppose NJ. Mouchot
adopts the same Standard To appreciate such
an amount OF heat, 1t is sufficient to observe that
it will boil, in ten minutes, one liter OF water,
taken at the temperature of melting ice, and it
is almo equal to the theoretical power of a one
horse steam engine. Under the same condi-
tons, a superfces Of one "are" Q106U3 square
yards) would receive, during ten hours insola-
tiOn, as much heat as results from the combus-
ton If 1870 kilogrammes 1921 ,5U7 lbs. troyI of
Ordinary oil. These numbers are eloquent:
they should, If not dispel, at least weaken the
serious fears entertained by some, in consequence
of the rapid exhaustion of coal mines, and the
necessity of going to increasingly greater depths,
disputing with the subterranean water this
precious combustible. The intensity of the CAL
orfic radiation of the sun u.s. moreover, much
less at Paris than in intercepted regions, or
upon the elevated plains. 1t is therefore, prob
able, that the invention of 'sun.receivers" will,
some day, enable industry to establish works in
the desert, where the sky remains clear for a
long time, just as the hydraulic engines have
enabled them to be established by the side of
water courses, f ~H~,@ a =, ~4 - - a =
Although l have not been able to operate
under very favorable circumstances, since nv
experiments have only been made with the sun
ofiAlencon, Tours, and Paris, proved. as far
back 1861, the possibility of maintaining q
hot-air engineiin motion, with the help of the
suns rays. More lately have succeed in boil
ing, tolerably quickly several liters of water
submitted to insulation. In Short having salts
fled myself that it was sufficient to We silver
reflector, with surface OF one square meter, to
vaporize, in hundred minutes one liter of
water U,0S quart, taken at the ordinary temper.
AZURE. or, in other words to produce seventeen lit
ers of vapor in minute. tried to work small |
steam engine by solar heat, and my efforts were |
crowned with success in June, 1866 In the |
meantime have been able, by very simple ap- !
paratus, to obtain some remarkable effects from |
insulation, such as the distillation of alcohol.
the fusion of sulpher, perfect cooking of meat,
bread, etc. None of these experiments, particu-
larly the application of the suns heat to ma
ohinery, have been tried upon a. sufficiently
large SCALE 1t would therefore, be useful 4,
repeat them in tropical countries, with "sun-
receivers" Of suitable dimensions. We would
measure the volume and the tension of steam
produced in an hour by given insulated sur.
face, the pressure developed by the sun in con.
siderable mass OF confined air, and the tempera.
ture which might be obtained by vast reflectors,
formed Of q, framework of wood covered with
plates Of silver, etc. |