The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-23
MnkInr Iton br PetroIeum.

interesting sccount Of q scrles d expert
meuts tina: for some months have been
made Of the Rhode Island Horse Shoe
Works in tbst city in the manufacture Of
iron by the aid Of petroleum. The prin-
ciP!e CT the process Is the vlporizing Of
petroleum. BY supefheated steam and the
carrying Of the yRpor, which Is cordensa.
bic by cold, by steam to the furnaces,
where ii is burnt in connection with 9
blast OF air. The apparatus, as described
in the Journal, consists Of q vspor genera.
tor, 30 constructed that only a small
amount Of petroleum Is subjected TO heat
alta time, the petroleum being pumped
into the governor from distant reservoir
Under the generator is coiled pipe for
supetheatiDg steam q! the same time with
the vSporization Of the. petroleum. The
generator and sup:rhesier stands BY itself
outside the works.
"The y.por generator is 80 iron cylin-
der Sbou: Two ieGt in diameter, and about
four itel IN Ltighth, having inside series
Of shelves Q. dIsphrogms, go constructed
that the oil being forced in upon the upper
shelf, flows over upon the next shell be-
low, gGI to on down until II reaches the
bottom, meetIrg in its descent an ascend.
Ing cuEgeaL Ol superheated steam. The
generator being placed over q FIRE, the bot
tom part is always the hottest, and In this
way the observation-disclosures Of petroleum
are eliminated one alter another Is they
descend, according 10 their respective
boiling points. The unvaporizabls resi-
dunn, on reaching the bottom Of the gen.
orator, is Geconpoeed into permanent gas
by the joint agency Of heat and super.
heated steam. Thtse various products
rise 10 The done on top-Ol the generator,
whence they psss by means Of pipes 10
the furnace, the latent heat or superheat
OF the steam acting as carrier 10
the petroleum vspors. As portion
OF these may be condensed, however, in
cold weather, the vapor pipe discharges
first iEto TcgcueTator close TO the crown
oil the furnace, and above the combustion
chamber. AIRY condensed aaids are thus
eVspo'Sted. The combustion chamber,
built o! brick, is formed on the bridge
wall OF the GCIn3cG, and is very novel 10
lis construction, iis action being precisely
similar TO the chimney Of an A!gand
burner, thus GdeciCg perfect combustion
within the body Of ile !u!nacc. Sdmit, re-
spectivtly, "Vbpoi" Gad 'aI;" into the
combustion CHAMBER, thus giving 10 tie
workman CglrJ! 0! the intensity, and also
Of the reducing and oxidiziug powers Of
the flame. In tie experiments recently
concluded with this apparatus, petroleum
Of nearly every specific gravity, and also
the Iesl6uUm from nap;ha still, were
used w;ih enliie success, The material be-
ing completely vsporizsd or converted
leaving no residue in the generator"
The experiments show that furnace
usually requiring eCven or eight hours
TO heat from the COLI with coal can be
heated with petroleum vapor in about
thirty.fve minutes, ard that instead oil
four heats en- hour with coal, six hests
with yapor can be obtained, producing
six balls, with an aggregate production
Of 1850 pounds per hour. Twelve gal
Ions CT petroleum al hour were consumed
the generator and superheater being
heated with about FIVE hundred pounds
of anthraCi!c day The generator be
ing large enough TO supply five furnaces
1t Is estimated that one hundred and
fifty pounds Of anthracite per day would
be sufficient 10 vsporize and convert the
petroleum required for each one OF sew
eral furnaces, II usually tskes one ton
Of Cumberland coal 10 produce one ton
OF iron in the bushelling furnace in which
the experiments were made, the coal
costing 1926 per ton. The anthracite
used under the generator cost 1926 per
gross ton, and The petroleum used a
fraction over FIVE and half cents per
ton. Two men were needed at the !ur-
nece in the petroleum process, whilst
with coal three are required. Expert
merits with thin scrap iron showed log.
Of only thirteen per cent in Welding and
bAlliHg, whilst in the common process at
the works With similar scrap the loss is
estimated at twenty-five per cent. The
petroleum iron was softer and finer than
that produced in the old way. The pc
troleum flame contains 10 sulphur to con.
tauirate the metal, while the fame from
coal or coal gas is always sulphur. laden
ed. The blow.pipe fame Of the petro-
leum furnace also decomposes and dissi-
pates the sulphides and phosphides to a
greater degree than Is possible with coal
This is Of especial importance in pud-
ding Experiments in reducing Rhode
Island iron ore will be made shortly,