New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-21
EXPERIMENT WITH LIQUID
FUEL.
WILL PETROLEUM TAKE THE PLACE OF
COAL?
GOOD RESULTS OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF
OIL IN MARINE BOILER FURNAoEs-EXrEu
MENrs TO BE MADE By THE NAVY
= DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF
STEAM ENGINEERING.

STEAM ENGINEERING.
Washington, sept 19.-The use OF hquiu iuei' A.
,,e.roleunn instead of coal for generating sVei Al w
boilers Of marine engines has been revived sn'ous
steam engineers ny the recent experiments WIZ "
ON the English steamship Erros and the ltalian sOe
sh,ns CasteItedando and the Ancona. But the most
successful use OF petroleum fuel in marine ooners
no. been ON the English torpedo boat sunderiiio
This boat has displacement OF eighty-sx tois' u"u 10
I37 feet In length. The boiler is OF the orui'"y
locomotive type with web bottom, the furnace IonV
,,ns arranged TO receive the oil burners, whlch arc
thirty-one in number. The liquid fuel uSeu Is
pumped from the double bottom tthe tanks when
hold the OLD and discharged into small cylindrical
tank where II IL subjected 30 an air pressure ol
thirty,fve pounds per square inch, and whence ~
flows direct to the burners.
In the nreroom is an air compressor when ols-
charges into cylindrical air tanks near the vcssers
SIDE forming a group of four. The working pressure
Of air in these tanks IS forty pounds per square nch
and n is conveyed here for the purpose Of dislnte
grating the oil 1t leaves the burners Each JET OF
oil gives a clear bright fame. about six and one
bali feet long and nne inches In diameter burning
alone. When the Jets combined In the furnace
there is bright of fire about two feet from the
furnace mouth TO the tube plate. This fame en-
tirely fills this portion Of the furnace and gives
forth neither smoke, smell sparks, so that
neither SCOT nor dust is deposited In the tubes, and
no sweeping is required. Special precautions are
taken to avoid the bad effects Of high temperature
and rapid changes Of temperature, and it Is stated
that these are so efficient that though the boiler has
been repeatedly forced hard there has not been
a sign Of leakage about the boiler.
Assistant Engineer William H. Allderdice, on duty
in the Naval Bureau Of Intelligence, has given liquid
fuel close study and has carefully investigated all
of the reports experiments with IT, From these
reports 1t would that the question Of danger
has been practically surmounted, and that the Ques-
To that ~
cost. At the same time, the dangers from fire or
explosion have not been entirely eliminated By cx-
psrments, and although the cost of the liquid fuel
is admitted TO be greater than that OF coal, this
greater cost Is partly Offset by reduction In the num-
Der of fremen and in the expense also OF their pro-
Visions and quarters. Lieutenant Allderdice quotes
from q paper read before the shipmasters' Society
Of London on the Of liquid fuel which In sub
stance Is In England and America it is known as
"residuum.s 1t is the residue Of crude petroleum.
when all the volatile lighter oils are distilled from
IL, 1t Is perfectly non-nnammable until heated 10
$50 degrees and consequently quito safe 20 use
and carry in large quantities 1t has no SMELL as 1t
does not emit gas until 1t reaches the required heat
II does not deteriorste by being stored in tanks ex
posed to the air. does it evaporate percepnbV.
1t is not detrimental to metal tanks tho inside skin
Of the vessel nor any of the ordinary receptaclcs
The expert save. zone serious question Of to-day
is: How 70 fuel our men-of-war at sea during
a blockade 1t has been demonstrated that the sue
oessfuI transfer OF coal at cannot be depended
upon besides, the modern men-of-war not CON
sruoted for rapid coang With oil fuel the case is
different, the large tank steamers could always fuel
the feet, even in heavy weather To fuel vessel
ofwar in bad weather, the tank steamer could be
made fast TO the former by running a hawser from
one to the other hose could be made fast along the
line Of the hawser, and the fuel be pumped into the
ships bottom at any rate desired
The italian Government Is continuing its expert
ments with oil fuel on vessels Of war, and, while
no definite information is afforded TO technical
details, It would that satisfactory results have
been obtained The Peruvian Government has d.
rected that the gunooat Santa Rosa be altered for
burning oil In Its furnaces. The British Admiralty
considering the advisabilty Of burning oil fuel,
but have not, as yet decided what kind 10 The
Navy De parment viii have definite results
the OF oil fuel within the next few months es 1t
is tho intention to have exhaustive experiments made
with II by the Board Of Engineer Experts at the
New-York Navy Yard.
The special advantages claimed for liquid fuel are
1t has greater efficiency than COAL weight for weight
the manner Of slowing 1t in the double cellular
bottoms gives increased stability to the vessel and
occupied for the slowing Of coal 1t viii require
less number Of hrc-room force than with coal fuel
and there is no ashes nor refuse from oil fuel: In
the engines for some time. With coal flre9 this
We would S.rt be difficult , IS they Would have G z
become dirty; but with liquid fuel as many
burners necessary may be shut of when the en-
gines are stopped only enough being kept in opera
ton to prevent the steam pressure from falling.
When full power would DO required IT could be had
at once with furnaces and everything clean and in
good shape.