New-York tribune., 1901-09-22

utilized. There altogether too many wastes.
An immense amount of heat goes up the Chin
ney, to begin with and there are losses at various
other points. If the engine does not condense
the steam which leaves the cylinders, but ex-
hausts directly into the air. much heat escapes
in that way. II condensers are used the heat
goes into the cold water around that apparatus
and is lost in a different manner 1t is wasted
all the same though
How TO avert this lamentabe squandering of
latent power has been one of the great studies
of engineers for century. Perhaps the most
recent. and certainly one of the most promising.
schemes having such an object in view, is that
which has been on trial for year in the Royal
Technical School in Charlottenburg, near the
capital of the German Empire. and for a shorter
period in Berlin itself. Consul-Generai Mason
sent a report the subject to the State De-
partment last year and now follows it up with
another. which supplies important information.
The plan pursued ct Charlottenburg, under the
direction of Professor E. Josse. is to supplement
an ordinary steam engine with auxiliary
| motor of the same general design, but employing
| in the latter another agent than steam to drive
| the piston. The conditions of the problem are
| such that an agent is needed which will vaporize
| and develop expansive power at a very much
| lower temperature than water. Several such
| substances known. but the one which Pro
1 feSsor JOSSe uses is sulphur dloXide. lt the
proper amount of this is exposed suitably TO the
| heat left in the steam of condensing engine
| about 40 degrees Fahr). the sulphur d.
oxide vapor will develop pressure in its own
receptacle amounting to 1864 pounds per inch.
Even at the temperature of the cooling water OF
| the condenser 60 degrees Fahr) pressure of
| Al pounds can be had.
| The expansion takes place in special device
| called an "atomizer" This corresponds to the
| steam boiler of the primary engine. The con-
tents are piped off to an independent engine.
which has its own driving shaft and is connected
| up for its particular work. The exhaust
| from the .'cold vapor' motor is in the form of
| gas but is liquefed by condenser of it's own. so
| that the dioxide may be used over and over
! again.
| In many mills and electric power stations
| where steam is used a large scale it is Gus
| tomary to watch the coal consumption and
| engine output closely. The same practice is OBJ
| served in technical schools where steam en-
gineerng is taught. Professor Josse was thus
| able to satisfy himself that the auxiliary motor
| with which he first experimental developed
| from 3p to Az per cent OF the amount of power
derived from his steam engine. He then en-
| listed the cooperation of moneyed men in more
elaborate tests, and he received an order from
the big electric light station in Berlin to supply
a cold vapor engine for that establishment. This
has now been in daily service for three months.
| and the engine at the technical school is
| about wear old. In certain important de-
| tails especially in the arrangement of the steam
| condenser. these later devices improve upon
| the design of the original apparatus.
| The cold Vapor engine at the technical
school is in combination with triple ex-
| panson steam engine. Careful measurements
| show that the former yields 342 per cent or
! power in addition to that OF The latter AT the
| electrical works there are several rather old
| fashioned Belgian compound engines, each rated
| at 36O horsepower. These are rather wasteful,
! fact that may be inferred from the average
| consumption Of 1885 pounds of steam an hour
| per horsepower. High grade engines would not
| use more than twelve or thirteen pounds. The
/ heat left in the condensers of one of these en-
| gines enables the cold vapor motor to develop
| All per cent more power from the same coal
| This motor is employed to drive a dynamo. and
thus performs part of the regular work of the
| station.
Sulphur doxide has been used in the re-
| frigerating industry. like ammonia. being al
ternately vaporized and liquefied. For the work
| to which IL is now put at Charlottenburg it is
| the metal of the machinery. On the other hand.
| it has a beneficial effect on IL, acting as a
| lubricant. Moreover. the pressure of its vapors
| can be readily controlled.
| Mr.. Mason calls attention to the possibility
| that an greater economy can be derived
from this system by utilizing the heat in the
| chimney of steam plant. Again. in gas
| engine not over 25 Or 80 per cent of the thermal
| energy developed by the explosion is trans
off as heat into the water jacket Thus Pro-
fessor Josse's idea is apparently susceptible OF
several useful applications. and its future viii
be watched with interest by engineers all over
the civilized world