The evening times., 1900-02-27
IMPROVING STEAM POWER.
An Invention for Utilizing the Heat
of the ExhnusE.

of the Exhaust.
Frank H. Mason, United States Consul
General TO Berlin. has written the Depart
ment of STATE respecting the process for
increasing the efficiency Of steam en-
gines." as follows:
The recent centennial anniversary Of
the Royal Technical High School at Char
lottenburg Sas made the occasion OF sew
eral important announcements concerning
the work OF that renowned institution,
which embodies IN a remarkable degree the
advanced technical science which has done
so much to push Germany forward into the
front rank 0f manufacturing nations
Among these the first rank is by commoa
consent accorded 10 the paper Of Prof T.
Josse, head OF the mechanical laboratory,
in which are described with elaborate de
tail the results CT his experiments with an
original and highly interesting process Tor
Increasing the efficiency Of steam engines
by utilizing the heat Of the exhaust steam
for eyaporating another liquid having a
lower boiling point than water.
1T Is well known that the steam boiler
and engine Notwithstanding all improve
mehts which "a has undergone during JEe
past hundred years. and ITS incaicuiaUie
services 10 mankind. is ueverless a waste
ful and eXtravasan ~4c- for converting
the cuergy stored in fJrl into mechanical
power. The ordinary simple high-prassure
engine. which, after passing steam through
one cylinder discharges il mo the air.
utlizes hardly more than per cent of the
value of the fuel consumed unGe- its boiler
The compound engine. in which the
steam. after passing SucceSslYeiy through
fvrf, ~.
ed, aud the warm water OF condensation
restored 10 the boiler utilizes under IA
yorable conditions l. 10 - per cent of the
fuel energy. and there The economy APP
pears 90 haze stopped. An eminent Ameri-
can engineer has recently published an ar
ticle review ing the development OF the
steam engine and closes mis- essay With
the expressed opinion that with the COM
round machines ard iIaproyed cut-oG %
recent years the practical limit OF eflicisn-
cy Of the steam engine has been reached.
The invention described By Prof. J0ssC iH-
trCduCes novel element into the problem
and opens a new chapter Ia the record OF
steam engine Development
The process Is the Joint discover Of
NT. q. Behrend q Hamburg engineer. and
! Or. Zimmerman Cf Ludwigshafen, and.
although first patented in 1883 iI has only
/ recently been m3turcd and lis application
perfected by the employment OF an aUXil-
/ i8ry engine. which. utilizing the heat con-
/ tained ia the exhaust steam gains rs bigl
/ as 56 per cent additional motive poEec
{ without Increasing the expenditure OF fuel.
I The principle and process involeyd are
simple and may be briefly described, as fol-
I lows
III is plain that. with all progress which
/ has hitherto been made in ste8m-CuEinr
practice through higher UrCssures. super
( heated steam. economical cut-ons CT sue
Cr-siye cylinders there is always an i'm
IortSnt and inevitable loss OF heat energy
3 vhsa the steam, having Zone its wors. is
/ JiEcHerL-d i-to the open air or changed
{ ck lo water BY contact -Sith cold water
Z iu O. tauie-SgT When the exhaust Is into
I the cpCn air the steam has temperature
I OF about 2l2 degrees Fahrenheit, when IT.
I passes into q condenser. the steam has a
/ temperature Of 1l" degrees 10 $50 degrees
| Fahrenheit according TO the vacuum
Tho corresponding latent heat Of steam
4 given gs upon change II form from steam
. fC kct water. has hitherto run 10 waste in
: the CoudCusiaE or cooling waJer. or In the
/ air Ness-s. Behrend and Zimmerman
I attacked the problem % utilizing this
wasted calOTic by employing II to create a
. new supply of steam by eyaporatiug some
I liquid which has lower boiling point than
I water. and for this purpose they chose.
/ after many experiments. sulphurous acid.
which is not only cheap and easily oo-
( taiued. tut has the further advantage OF
I q vfscous consistency and lubricates the
1 inner working surfaces OF the machinery
/ without corrOding them.
/ Their demonstrations, although not
I practically conclusive were so promising
/ that Prof. jesse. as = technical authority
1 on this subject took up the problem. and
( after several months Of highly satisfactory
i labcra tory experiment caused 10 be con-
stTucted and connected with an ordinary
I working steam engine OF the compound
{ type an additional condenser and auxili-
ary engine. the power Of which could be
/ exactly measured.
The expense o. this Improvement Is
practically all in the cons struction cost
| CT the vaporiEer. condenser. and auxiliary
/ engine itself. and its economy may be real
/ lied from the fact that the exhaust steam
/ from a 2.tG9 horsepower central station
I engine should furnish power TO drive an
I additional 1000 horsepower engine. which
can be connected as IN extra cylinder 20
the steam engine or run independently,
Z and thus increase by 20 per cent the power
/ developed without adding rOJHd 10 the
I quantity Of fuel consumed When. in view
Of the present coai famine throughout Eu-
/ rOue. it is remembered that the steam en-
/ CINE energy OF Germany alone. aGoat and
/ ashore. IS not less than 3,717.26l horse
! power. the commercial Importance OF such