New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-02
WATER GAS AS FUEL.
ITS USE IN A LOCOMOTIVE.


MOTOR
A locomotive in which neither wood nor coal will
be burned is now in process of construction at The
Grant Locomotive Works in Paterson, N j. In
reality the fuel to be used is water Which Is decom-
posed in association with carbon. forming readily
combustibe gases of which hydrogen is the chef
The method of decomposing water at q compare
lively low temperature invented by Dr. Charles
Holland has been turned to practical uses in
heaters and in making Illuminating gas. Its first
use in o motor in q common coal burning loco
motive on the Long Island Railroad year ago,
and in May last at Flatbush. These experiments,
which were fully described in THE TRIBUNE of May
49, were considered successful But certain disad-
vantages met from the fact that the locomo-
tive rs intended to burn coal. Therefore the loco
motive being built at Paterson possesses
striking novelties in its internal arrangements to
allow the full utilization of the heat from the
fuel.
That these arrangements may be clearly under
stood it is necessary to define exactly what DR..
Holland has discovered and what this new fuel is.
Professor H. ST. Clair Dcvile, who first succeeded
ia dissociating water vapor into its elements,
hydrogen and oxygen, estimated the temperature
required at nearly $4,000 c.. But 1t was found that
if the dissertation took place in the presence of
some other elements lower temperature suficed.
1t effected in the presence of platinum at
1,7O0O c., iron filings, 1,400o c., aud silver,
10000 G. In like the carbon of the naphtha
gas with which steam is brought in direct contact
in the Holland process lowers the dissertation tenn
perature to 1902 c. AS the hydrogen resulting
from the dissertation burns with heat of nearly
$4,000 c.. gain is effected, roughly speaking, of
nneteen-twentieths of the whole heat. The argu-
ment brought against the Holland process that
it was based on an erroneous principle, being in
opposition to the law of the conservation of energy
But it is answered that while the dissertation of
steam must require as much energy as is later
developed in the combustion of the hydrogen, that
energy need not necessarily take the form of heat
in the dissociating process. The form of energy
which does take the place of the heat saved is
stated to be chemical affinity. proof of this is
found in the fact that oxides of the metals en-
ployed in the DESIGNATING process are always
formed. Experiments made by G. Dahlerus, of
the Stockholm School of Mines confirm this, he
finding that watery vapor in association with car
bon deconposed at $500 c., under
favorable circumstances than in the Holland proc
ess. In this process both the carbon and wafer
in gaseous condition, and the volume of hydrogen
formed is very large. The water gas resulting is
mixture of hydrogen and carbonic oxide.
The heating power of the gas demonstrated
in the Flatbush experiments where it was found
that the higher the temperature and steam pressure
rose the less naphtha was burned. This was ac-
counted for by the fact that the naphtha simply
associated the water and liberated hydrogen, which
gave most of the heat that was developed. In the
early stage of the experiment when the steam in
the retort was limited the carbon was burned to
carbonic oxide by ASSOCIATED oxygen but with an
increase in the steam pressure the quantity of
steam introduced furnishes oxygen enough to
burn the carbon of the naphtha to carbonic acid,
and according to the experiments of Daherus four
volumes of hydrogen instead of two previously
were then liberated
DESCRIPTION OF THE ENGINE.
While the experiments with the Holland process
afo1 tho ;,,Io
many scientists its application in a locomotive has
been effected only for short distances in a coal
burning engine. Much interest has boon evinced IN
the locomotive now in process of construction at
the Grant works. Numerous letters have been
received in regard to it. and many scientists,
mechanics and railroad have made efforts to
visit the works and study what is expected to be
departure in the means of railway locomotion
To TRIBUNE reporter an opportunity recently
afforded for carefully examining this engine which
is now near completion. What may be termed the
gas CRATE" consisting of four reorts, three feeder
pipes and 352 burners, which occupies the place of
the CRATE and lower part of the iire-box in an
ordinary locomotive, finished, but not yet put
i'll place in the engine. 1t possible, therefore,
to examine all its parts detail. If it i'll
dostion and person in the cab of the locomotive
opened the door of the iirebox, four iron retorts
placed side by side across and little above the end
of the gas CRATE" would be noticed first. These
retorts are numbered from right to left. Numbers
two and three to contain naptha, and one and
four water When the water i'll and four is
sufficiently heated TO become steam, the steam
passes through pipes into retorts two and three and
combine with the gases of naphtha. At about 1000
as has been stated the water becomes dssociated
On the one hand there the hydrocarbons from
the heated naphtha, and the other hand the
hydrogen and oxygen of the water. BY the result
ing chemical changes caused by the great affinity
of the carbon for the oxygen there is formed light
carbonated hydrogen carbonic oxide and free
hydrogen. This gas passes from retorts two and
three downward by vertical pipes to three long
& feeders" Those feeders" are nearly square iron
cubes two inches by three, which run the whole
length of the fire crate underneath occupyng the
position OF the bars III the ordinary CRATE From
Their sides small iron pipes One-eghth of inch in
internal diameter start out short intervals which
turn at right angles and extend up through eight
FIAT iron plates. called burner plates" that lie
above the feeders" Each tube terminates in a
brass burner. one-hundredth of an inch in internal
diameter. Each burner is surrounded by an iron
nipple extending up from aud forming part of the
burner plates which is inch in internal diameter
and therefore allows the free passage of air up
ward around each burner Tue whole of the heating
apparatus which as is seen is very simple can be
handled like one piece of machinery, beng CLAIMED
together. The gas passing from the retorts TO tho
feeders, and thence to the burners burns with n
eolorless, almost invisible, flame. The heat of
that OF the electric light. Ample oxygen is supplied
TO the lame from the air passing up around the
burner, and the flame therefore is the same as that
OF the Oxyhydrogen blow-pipe. BY banners nm
the cab at will BY levers also the engineer can
close valves which shut off the gas from one feeder
and its connecting burners at a time thus SO 100
or 3J2 burners may he used.
Passing from the manner in which the heat is
produced, 10 is considered that another important
gain is effected in the increase of the surface 70
witt anx onfa ha