The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-04-11
IS TR|PLER'S CLAIM TRUE ?
THE PROPOSITIONS SEEN TO BE
INCREDIBLE.
\ Social Scientist Discusses the Prob
abilities of the Proposed Revolution
in All Motive Power

in All Motive Power.
Through the labors and inventions
of Engineer Charles f. Triplcr of New
York, the subject of Liquefied Air is
coming to the front i'm most remark
able manner. Popular articles on this
subject have appeared i'm McClure's
for March, in the Century for April,
and in a numerous daily and weekly
papers all over the Union. IT is per-
haps significant that leading scientific
journals do not appear as yet to have
discussed the subject.
If all the facts asserted by Mr.. Trip
Ter are true, then the world is on the
eve of a total revolution in the genera
ton of motive power. Hereafter all
expenditure of fuel will be saved. All
motive power will be produced by the
Safeguarding capacity of liquefied
air Such a prospect is a stupendous
and pertentous one. In itself ii seems
utterly improbable, if not, like perpe-
tual motion, impossible. Indeed it
would seem to be perpetual motion
continually doubling its own speed.
| Yet there is Il certain plausibility in
Mr.. Tripler's statements.
There seems to be more probability
in a prospect of cheapened refrigera-
ton by this means. 1t is an establish
ed fact that Mr.. Tripler has learned
how to liquefy air in large quantities
at very cheap rate. He claims to do
it at cost of not more than twenty
cents a gallon, or two and half cents
pound for the liquefied air. But one
pound of the air will create as much
cold as ten pounds of ice. The latter
is only 80 degrees colder than the
common temperature of the atmos-
phere at 20 degrees. Liquid air is 49,
degrees colder than the same atmos-
phere. being 312 degrees below zero
Hence liquid air for refrigeration would
equal in cost ice at only one quarter
of a. cent pound. These figures might
probably be modified by taking into
account the amounts of latent heat
displaced respectively by congealing
water and liquefying air. But the pos
sibilities of the invention are sug.
gested.
The most remarkable item in what
Mr.. Tripler claims to be accomplishing
is the being able to liquefy ten gallons
of air by means of the cooling power
and the expanding force of only three
gallons of air previously liquetied
This fact he asserts with the utmost
confidence, and with much plausible
ty. The process is as follows: First
the air of the atmosphere is com
pressed in condensing pump until
reduced to one eight hundredth of its
original bulk, an operation requiring
great force. In this condensation
great heat is generated, which is car
ried off by stream of cold water cir
culating around the coil of pipe con
tanning the compressed air.
Secondly, to liquefy the air com
pressed, it must be reduced in temper
ature from 20 deg. to below 312 deg.
or over 1872 deg. This is accomplished
by subiecting the outside of the pipes
containing the compressed air to a
stream of expanding air evaporating
from the surface of air previously Ii
quefed, which expansion generated an
intense cold. Now Mr.. Tripler claims
that three gallons of liquid air rapid
ly expanded will generate cold enough
to condense ten gallons of compressed
air to liquid. Indeed it cOndenses il
so rapidly as to produce a vacuum in
the pipes which lessons the pressure
required from above to compress it
Thirdly, the expanding air evapor'
ated from the liquefed air, after hav'
ing done its work of chilling the com
lpressed air in the pipes, enters the com
pressing engine where it violently eX'
pands and drives the COMPRISING pis.
ton. In order thus to expand ii re-
ceives a supply of heat from the at.
mosphere, or perhaps from the current
of water heated by the pipes of com
pressed air. Mr.. Tripler claims that
in the three processes above describ'
ed, three gallons of liquefied air are
enough to condense ten from the at
mosphere. He appears to claim with
considerable plausibility, that the
source of the power generated is the
heat of the atmosphere impaired tC
the cold air expanding in the pipes.
Apriori, the foregoing claim seems
almost incredible. Yet it may be true
Perhaps Mr.. Tripler has really accom-
lplished an adjustment of contrivanceS
by which the heat of the atmosphere
is utilized to generate force. If he has
really done this, and the whole thing
is not utterly preposterous, then the
whole production of motive power in
the world is revolutioniZed. All re-
quired power will hereafter be gene
rated without expenditure of fuel. All
sugar mills will be propelled by liquid
air, self-generated. All railway and
steamship transportion will be oper-
ated by the same cheap motive power
| All coal mines will be closed up, for
whatever generates force, will also
generate any heat required.
Certainly Mr.. Tripler has under
taken a large contract, if he is going
to prove all this to us. The Keely
motor will be left entirely in the
shade. Meantime we may hope that
some valuable result will soon materi-
alize from the cheap Liquefaction of