The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-03-31
THE USE OF OIL FOR FUEL.
Results that May Be Obtained from Its UseCos OF Fuel Oh
Pant-Some of the Advantages.
OF Supply pany9

facility OF handling Is dcsideruunn,
where contracted space for fuel storage
Is necessity ana where labor Is repre-
scented by M small percentage In thc to-
tai cost Of producing heat, IL is not rcuS-
enable To presume or expect fuel oil ia
successfully compete with coal, whore tn"
latter commodity can be purchased at a
SmlN figure amt whore labor Is stlll
lessor Item 0t expense
There are Few places where heat is pre-
duced that u fuel oil plant may not sue
ceSsfully be Installed There are also adj
yantages In the use OF this fuel thdt can
not be obtained or secured with any other
eomhustihe. There are even isolated
ptaccs whore the cost az oil fuel does not
enter into or Is considered from mn cconom.
icHl standpoint. There are also places
" acre the products from furnaces are OF
such nature thaA raey would be seriously
injured should any other fuel than oil
he used In the Airing Of these furnaces. We
do NOT intend to take thlS subject into
consideration at this time. but win Solrly
consider the application OF oil fuel to steam
generation.
Being now thoroughly satisfied that the
oil of The Texas fields Is Of Sufficient guam
tity to supply the present demands as a
heat producing agent and feeling nss,ued
that this supply win not be diminished,
but, on the contrary, Increased In the
future, aud helng we'll aware that coal
must be transported unto this territory
from long distances and therefore mar.
kctcd ut a high price, anl believing that
the ideality OF oil MS fuel Is firmly as.
! tahiished In Your minds, we will briefly ns.
cuss Its relative value as a heat producer.
we Will endeavor to compare the three
/, most common substances employed IN the
production OF heat, namely: Coal wood
aud petroleum oil.
The American society Of Mechanical I'm.
hAf NuH al. liz.
relative proportions between these various
fuelS IN conducting boiler tcstS:
ono pound Of wood equals four,tenths
penlds OF coal; two and one-hlif yA,nds
OF wood equals one pound nj coal
Other authorities estimate two and a
quarter pounds dry wood equal one pound
OF good coal. One pound OF dry wood is
practically equivalent To one pound ~ any
other Kind " wood equally dry Tho or.
binary wood usod for firing boilers con
tains about ~ per cent Of water. There
Is, therefore only three-Quarters OF pound
OF coluhusuble material represented in
each pound Of wood The total heat OF
! eomhustlon In wood Is l0.a7i II. r. u.
aud Is per cent OF this figure is S2Sl
| units and represents but S6ls per cent OF
| the available heat units In that Of aver,
| age coal. 2To OF these units are required
\ TO Naporlze the one,quarter pound Of water
| that each pound NJ wood contains There
| units Per pound Of wood burned holding
- per cent OF moisture.
! This figure may he used for close an
| Proclamation In comparing "a certain amount
Of wood with coal OF a known value sun.
/ pose the calculated amount 81 heat IN 4
| pound Of coal 10 be i3.O25 u. I 4. and an
| actual oolHr tSst showed an evaporation
OF seven pounds OF water neN pound OF
coal thon l3,02a: MT; Z. 4aS, that * we
| may expect TO cvipOrlte about 4. IS pounds
| Of water per pound OF wood In the Same
boiler
| We are informed that the crude petroleum
| produced Ia the beaumont Oh fields has d