New-York tribune., 1902-01-22
ATAVISM IN THE STEAM ENGINE.
THE MODERN TWO THOUSAND YEAR OLD
STEAM TURBINE DISCUSSED BY
HIGH AUTHORITY IN MEcHAN-
ICAI. ENGINEERING.

To the Editor of The Tribune
Sir: The Tribune of January Is. in its article on
the promised voyage ito London in five days."
reporting the anticipations of the new trans
atlantic steamship line. quotes what purports
10 be my summary of the advantages of the
wilson steam turbine, stated in a paper pre-
sented to the American Society Of Mechanical
Engineers. While agree with many of the de-
ductions therein given. L must be permitted to
say that there is mistake regarding my in
dorsement OF the Wilson turbine" 1 have no
knowledge of that form of steam engine and
am not aware that it 'is capable of much great
er variation than any other" or that 1t can be
operated at as low a speed as "one hundred
revolutions a minute" or that 1t can be as
serted to have been applied advanta geousIy
TO the propulsion OF large vessels and loco
motives" that with oil fuel and Wilson g
steam turbines the consumption of oil may be
kept down to only little more than one-half
pound" horsepower hour.
Like every other writer who has had a long
experience with the types have had many
curious and instructive adventures through their
prochvity TO represent one as saying preposterous
things as when they multiplied one of nv es-
Inmates Of power by two millions and misled
the ingenious reader OF what was thus made a
fairy story. or when made to persuade a
foreign colleague that the proper system of
bearings at the temperature of boiling water.
or when L was even thus brought to face an
accusation of attempting to run amuchs'
against the second law Of thermodynamics";
but fear that this case is not one of that sort
The printer had hand In It,
Ihe conclusions which were summarized IN
the paper referred TO were the following Grams.
Am. Soc Mech. Engineers, Vol. XXI, p 23r:
First-The steam turbine thermodynamically
approXlmates In its real form more closely 10
the ideal than does any other type of heat motor
Lts cycle lacks only the introduction of the
Carnot compression.
Second-1t is entirely free from that waste
which in the real steam engine of common type
constitutes usually, If not invariably the most
important OF its extra thermodynamic losses
Third-It is peculiarly we'll fitted for use with
those very high steam pressures as we now
regard them. which must ultimately probably be
resorted to by the engineer designing heat
glnes in his endeavor to further improve the
efficiency of that class of motors.
Fourth-It is only limited in speed of rotation
by the strength Of its materials of construction
F1fth-It Is especially suitable for with
superheated steam, 1t having rubbing parts
on Which fabrication may be difficult in pres
ence of superheated steam. and the limit to the
superheat, so far as the motor is concerned,
being only found at that point at which in
creased temperature of metal produces reduc-
tion Of tenacity in objectionable amount. That
limit. not in earlier days OF fabrication with
animal oils, and still with other engines, is
fixed with this machine at the boiler.
Sixth-As to its operation, 1t is obvious that
friction is peculiarly active for evil in this
tor. and that small diameters Of journal. free
dom from contact of part with part, except as
absolutely required by the construction, and
minimizing fluid friction by superheating steam
and by securing as complete removal Of that at
mosphere, air, or vapor from about the
polving wheel as practicable must be carefully
sought, in order that the mechanical efficiency
Of the machine shall be made maximum.
Seventh-The wastes of the steam turbine
all extra-thermodynaHic, the loss due to the
absence Of adiabatic recompresson excepted.
This type Of steam engine is now two hundred
years old in its primitive form, and nearly three
hundred years old In its later fundamental vari-
alton. The old Hero engine OF the ancient Greek
is still found useful in some makes OF motor
for "centrifugals' for the dairy and for sugar
production apparatus; the Branca engine of
later date also finds common use in crude form
IN these and other applications. The modern
steam turbine is produced by refinement rather
than by radical alterations. and it's use is in
sense, an example of what the naturalists call
"atavism," recurrence to an ancient form after
a long period of progress toward perfectng
usually more complicated types. There is how
ever. this very important difference: There is
some reason for considering 1t possible that the
reversion may prove ultimately permanent and
the modern form Of the two thousand year old
engine may, through the application of scientific
knowledge to it's perfection, be found capable
of rivalng, in some departments, at least, the
heat engines
1t is very possible that It may also prove one
of the elements of advancement In the field of
express ocean navigation. In this direction
duction of weight is one very important factor;
but even could the weight Of the steam turbine
be made absolutely negligible there would
still remain many and serious difficulties to be
overcome before high speed and commercial
profit and success could be quite reconciled To
increase the speed from the present maximum
to that proposed, a gain Of about 80 per cent.
compels. for equal weight even. increases from
the 10000 horsepower Of the big ships OF to-
day to over a hundred thousand with cor
responding increase in the daily total of fuel
burned; while the total coal for the voyage is
brought up to above twice its present quantity.
This In turn, means further increase in size of
ship, and, again, great additions to the magni-
tude of the engine power and the total fuel
consumption. These are perhaps i'm
portant elements OF the problem than weight Of
engines
I suspect that some who are now living will
yet the four day voyage accomplished. but
no expert engineer in this field is likely to risk
his reputation in very definite predictions re-
garding the character of the improvements
which are to bring 1t about however interesting
his specuations TO himself as well as to Others
Regarding this latest development in steam tur-
bines in the hands of our great mechanics II
can only be said that the outlook for its ex-
tensive employment seems promising
r. II. THURSTON
Cornell University, JAN 1S 1902
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