Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-12-06
PROFESSORS AT
NEBRASKA UNI
BOOST FUEL OIL
Engineering Teachers Cite
Specific Cases Where Oil as
A Substitute for Coal
Is Successful.

Oil as a substitute for coal is one
Of the subjects upon which Pro-
lessor J. w. Haney of the engineer
ing college at the State university
is expert This is his second year
at the university. He holds the de-
grees of Bachelor of Science in Me-
chanical Engineering and Master of
Arts from the University of Mis-
souri,. His special research work was
done in the transmission of steam
heat through steam boiler tubes.
After finishing school, he was the
chief engineer for a commercial
power plant company in Kansas
City. He then returned 70 the uni.
versity as an instructor and later
spent two years in Pennsylvania
State college.
Apropos of using oil for fuel in
the present emergency, Professor
Haney says:
THE first thing is to secure suit
able oil burner. There are several
on the market. The purpose OF the
burner is to atomize the oil. The
principle is the same as with the
atomizer with which you sprinkle
perfume. To get the properties of
the oil it must be broken up into
small particles, otherwise it is likely
to burn as would kerosene in an
open-topped can. That would make
hot, smoky and uncomfortable fire.
Il have in mind plant in Kansas
City with chain CRATE stoker which
is mounted on a small track running
in the boiler setting. When the
price of coal is high and that of fuel
oil low the stoker is backed out
from under the boiler, the opening
bricked up, oil burners are put in
at the top and oil is used as fuel in
place of coal. Removing the brick
makes it possible to return to coal.
This is done two or three times
year.
Right in Lincoln there are sew
eral burners which may be used in
heating dwelling houses. The CRATE
is removed from the heating boiler
of the furnace, the burner put in and
! started, and oil is used instead of
coal.
Advantages Of System.
THE advantages of this system
are that you do not have any coal
to shovel, there are no ashes to
carry out and it is easier to regu-
late the fire. The main disadvan-
tages are the increased cost Of
fuel oil over that of coal and the
necessity of a suitable storage for
oil. There is a city ordinance that
you must bury the tanks. Some
tests made for the purpose have
shown that oil heating costs IS 20 |
20 per cent over heating with coal.
But the advantages above named
make the balance at this time rise
in favor of oil heating. The latter
is much easier to manage. You
merely turn a little valve to regu-
late the flow of oil and the heat.
This regulating valve stem can ex-
tend up through the floor SO it
can be regulated without going be-
low. 1t can also be regulated with a
thermostat so as to open and close
automatically, depending on the
temperature of the house.
with that type of furnace you
use what is called fuel oil, or dis
tillate, due 70 the fact that this oil
is easier burned than common
crude oil, which must be atomized
with compressed air or high pres
sure steam.
"The burner for changing the fur
mace TO an oil consumer will cost
about SIS or $40. Then there is to
be added the storage tank and pip
ing and the expense of connecting
it up.
Small burners also are made to
go into ordinary stoves. Where
the house is heated with ordinary
stoves the small burner can be
placed in, the stove and the house
heated with oil instead of coal.
But what ! fear, is that the sup
ply of oil will be inadequate. A
number of concerns in Lincoln have
used oil burners"
Oil Refuse Briquettes.
Prof. A. E. Bunting of the same
college has used a manufactured fuel
with practical results, but as this is I
no longer in the market it offers
no solution for the present shortage
This is sold in the form of briquettes. i
1t i the refuse left in the retorts {
IN the refining of gasoline and kero- {
sene. This forms deposit on the I
inside of the retort, averaging six
to- eight inches in thickness. After
it MAS deposited sufficiently the re-
tort is opened, the deposit is broken
out and raked into iron cars while
it is still white hot.
The cars are then submerged in
water to cool. The material has the !,
of coke. Being made !
from the crude oil, there is practi- 9
cally ash. !
Professor Bunting has made sew
eral patterns for oil burners, but has
not followed up the making and use u
of them. He urges as a more prac- v
teal measure the development OF
the waterpower in Nebraska for the
generation of electricity and says
that it would tend to compensate Tor
the fuel supply. Power plants cor/
be erected wherever the fall of the
water justified and heat and light
could be generated at comparatively
small cost. The power could be
conveyed for many miles to places
not on the stream. The professor
wonders if even the sluggish and ap-
parently almost level flow of the
Platte could not be utilized by the
sharp wits of man to avoid the stag.
nation that follows insufficient fuel
applies.
As "a practical measure Professor
sunting suggests that in the future
svery house built in Nebraska have :
-se or two freplaces where wood 4
.ap be burned. H
The prfessor believes it entirely H