Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-25
REPORTS ON FUEL OIL
Naval Engineer Points Out Difficulties, but
Recommends Further Experiments.
COSTS MORE, BUT is WORTH TRYING
All Burning Devices Seem Equally
Good and All Make steam, Though
All, Too, Crete Dense
Black smoke.

Engineer-in-C Chief Melville says the per-
sonnet act has proved to be a failure and
one-half Of the navy officers have yet to be
convinced OF the benefits Of amalgamation.
Still, Admiral Melville thinks IL the Law
were administered with a desire to make
1t a success 1t would give the most eff
cient navy in the world. To that end he
wants an engineering laboratory at AM
napolis, like that at Charlottenburg, Ger
many, to educate young line officers in
engineering. He also asks for a post
graduate course in engineering at the
academy; that promotion be denied line
officers who do not take their turn at en-
cheering; that 100 additional warrant on
GERS be appointed
The proposed use OF petroleum as a sub
stitute for coal on shipboard is treated at
length.
The following is an extract from the re-
port on this subject:
The more this question is investigated
the more intricate seems the problem OF
successfully installing an oil fuel appliance
port service It might prove very desirable,
since a supply Of oil could be maintained
at the several calling ports, -
battleshlpe and armored cruisers there are
three distinct features which must be con-
the structural. Regarded from two of these
viewpoints IT seems as II It would be some
time before "coaling ship" ceased to be an
evolution upon the war vessel.
Must the OIL.
The first line Of inquiry by the board
which conducted the recent experiments
was the engineering or mechanical feature,
involving the possibility OF successfully
burning oil for steam purposes, and the
report says this problem is near solution,
a. ko,gno kao, Ho,nd .o,a.g1ry 70 atapofga
the oil, instead Of using it with pressure.
II the air blast should be heated with some
simple form, the experiments show that it
would be possible to force the combus-
ton Of oil to the same extent as coal.
Treating Of the commercial aspects of
the investigation, the report makes the
following statements;
1t may be regarded as certain, except
where unusual conditions prevail, that the
cost Of oil for marine purposes will gen
question of cost should be of secondary i'm
p%ortance in military Matters, It must be
taken into consideration. 1t is the cost OF
transportation that will always prevent oil
from being q cheap combustible.
Want Devices Installed.
But in spite Of this and other objections
the board says:
The bureau has no hesitation, however,
In declaring that IN view of the results al
ready secured, an installation should be
S ats and ID Destroyer Se Tn junior oficers
Gf the service are very much interested Sne IN
but friendly rivalry will be created which
will result in a material increase in the
an installation would also permit a com
petition to be established between the boats
using coal and those using oil, and this
would be another Incentive to systematic
and careful study of the subject.
Finally, summing up the results of the
important experiments made, the report
concludes as follows:
A-That oil can be burned In a very uni
B-That the evaporative efficiency OF
nearly every kind Of oil per pound of com
bustible is probably the same. While crude
oil may be rich In hydrocarbons, II, also
contains sulphur, but distilled oil probably
has the same calorihc effect as the crude
product.
forced to even as high a degree with oil as
with coal.
D-That up to the present time no i'll
effects have been shown upon the boiler.
E-That the iremen are disposed to favor
oil, and therefore no impeachment would be
met in this respect.
should be heated II possible before entering
the urnace. Such action undoubtedly as
sists the classification of the oil product.
G-The oil should be heated so that II can
be atomized readily.
| using steam high pressures are
more advantageous than low pressures for
ate the oil.
THAT under heavy forced draft condi-
tons, and particularly when steam has
been used the board has not found 1t pos
sible to prevent smoke from issuing from
the stack, although all connected with the
tests made special efforts to secure COM
plete combustion. Particularly for naval
purposes II is desirable that the smoke null
sance be eradicated, in order that the pres
cree of a warship may not be detected.
J-That the consumption of liquid fuel
| cannot probably be forced to as great an
extent with steam as the atomizlng. agent
as when compressed air is used. This may
be from the fact that the air used for COM
pressing purposes after entering the fur
mace, supplies oxygen for the combustion,
vapor imply dlspiacss air tina is needed
TO complete combustion.
K-The trial has shown that there Is
little or no advantage in favor of any par
ticular form of burner. The method and
character of the installation will count for
much, but where burners are simple in
design and are constructed in accordance
with scientific principles there will be very
little difficulty In their efficiency. Consum-
ers should see that they do not purchase
appliances that have been untried and have
been designed by persons who have had
but limited experience ip operating oil de-
vices.