New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-06-16
THE TEST OF OIL AS FUEL.
PROFESSOR DEMONS EXPERIMENT.
SHOWED MOST SATISFACTORY
RESULTS.

a point in favor of substituting oil for coal
fuel for generating steam. aside from it's
cheapuess as compared with coal. is the ap-
parent ease and inexpensiveness Of altering
boiler furnaces for its use. The requirements
are a storage tank for the OIL a pump TO supply.
it to the furnaces. piping and the burners A
little brickIaying under the boilers equips them
for oil burning.
Professor James E Denton. Of Stevens Insti-
tute, has described the method OF fitting one ot
the boilers in the plant Of the West Side Hygeis.
Ice Company, in West Nineteenth-st., for soma
experiments which he conducted 70 determines
the value of oil as fuel for producing steam
The boiler what is known as return tube
boiler, six feet in diameter and eighteen feet
long. Under natural draught it was expected tos
furnish about 1S0 horsepower.
For the storage of the oil an iron tank seven.
feet in diameter and five feet deep was buried
in the ground at a convenient point The top
of the tank wss closed, the oil being poured
from the barrels into It by means of a pipe.
which also furnished ventilation A pipe teri
minating IN a stTainer at the bottom OF the tank
connected with the oil pump for supplying the
burners a standpIpe with a head or ten feet
was provided 10 receive the oil from the pump,
so that even pressure could be maintained
The burners were dtted in the centres OF the
openings for the furnaces. which were brIcked
up around the nozzle OF the burners. As there
were no ashes to be removed the openings Of the
ash pits were also briCked up, with the excsp-
ton of the lower part. which arranged TO
admit air Along the floor OF the two ash pits
nearly 70 the bridge wall supporting the middle
OF the boiler. Then a layer OF fire bricks
laid over the whole of the upper surface OF the
CRATES except part OF the forward set, which
had been removed 70 permit the air from ths
ducts in the ash pits 10 reach the furnaces
What is called checker work OF brick was
laid on the rear crates This checker work was
made of about fifty fire brick laid loosely The
space behind the bridge wall was filed with
ashes and covered over with a single layer OF
brick.
The piping consisted Of the pipes necessary to
convey steam 70 the pump and TO the burners.
where il was used 10 atomize the OIL so that
1t would burn freely and pass under the boiler
in sheet of flame There were also. Of course,
pipes 10 convey the oil through the pump and
the standpipe and 70 the burner, and 20 carry
of the exhaust steam
In this experiment the boiler was operated
continuously. day and night. for six days After
the fires had been turned out and the boiler had
been allowed 10 cool for three days the oil was
again turned on the temperature OF the water
Of eighty-fve pounds was obtained in fifry-nine :
minutes In a similar test made later with coal. I
started with a liberal amount OF dry wood. after
the brick work had been removed. one hour and
seventeen minutes was consumed before this
pressure was obtained
For the general public. now being afflicted
with the nuisance or soft coal smoke. which s.
bIotting out the sky and pouring SCOT every
where it will be interesting to know the re-
suit Of the examination OF the furnace made
after the test. Here is what Professor Den
ton found: No trace OF any action Of The oil
on the boilers: oily matter on the internal
brick work. nor any discOlOraCOn. and less than
one-sixty-fourth OF an inch of SCOT in the boiler
tubes