Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-04-12
Use Any Kind of Oil

Mrs. Shaw has used everything
in the way of oil from kerosene to
the very poorest grades OF crude oil,
full of dirt and foreign substances
She has yet to record a failure
Naturally, the government. is taking
a keen interest in this development
and is making tests periodically to
determiuo exactly how much OF a
saving over other fuel can be ef-
fected. These tests have not been
completed and the figures therefore
r not available.
Mrs. Shaw says that in its pres
ent form the invention is practical
BILE for plants, office buildings, loco
motives and ships. 1t has been sue
cessfuly itied out on a ship. but I'M
til it is a bit more refined probably
will not come into general use. Mrs.
Shaw herself is authority for this
statement. II will install the thing
and get steam up for them, but
want to leave the ship before 1t
leaves the dock" she declares.
1.-The best kind of oil for use in
Mrs. Shaw's invention has proven
tc be good fuel oil or the oil known
as Navy special" However, prac-
tically every kind of oil has been
tried out and it has been found that
/ the very lowest grades will work all
right, if they are heated SO that
they will run freely. In using the
heaviest grades of oil. steam pipes
| are run through the tanks to heat
/ the oil in cold weather. In really
warm weather this expedient doubt
less will be unnecessary.
One great advantage claimed for
the new system over coal firing is
the saving in labor. Mrs. Shaw says
II has been demonstrated hat to
operate a plant requiring a dozen
men when coal is burned.
with her system installed, only four
men would be needed. There is a
big saving. too, in the cost of the
two fuels, as the cheapest grades of
oil can be burned without having
the oil Put through any refining
process at all.
By comling the water with oil it
is claimed that tests have shown a
saving OF roughly. so per cent over
the ordinary burning of fuel oil. This
is because a hotter fire is secured
from the use of considerably less oil.
No Waste or Ash
Another advantage in the use of
oil instead of coal in any kind of
power OF heating plant is the alb
sence of any ash. To engineers this
means a twofold s~aving--first, no
labor is necessary in feeding the
fuel to the boilers nor in removing
the ashes second, the whole weight
of the fuel used is burned up and
all of it produces heat which is
transformed into power.
Most OF the system is simplicity
itself, and is easily comprehended
by a casual inspection. The pipes
leading rom the water supply and
the oil supply open into an ordi-
nary funnel. The feed of oil and
water into the funnel a be watch
ed and easily regulated. Leading
from the bottom of the funnel is a
single pipe which connects with the
burner.
The burner itself is simple. 1t
has somewhat the shape of a silk
hat, but with considerably more ia
per. In The small power plant be-
irg operated at the Washington
Barracks. this top hat affair has a
diameter at the bottom Of IL or is
inches ami at the top is about 6 or
s inches wide. 1t is about a foot
high.
Around the bottom this contriv-
anee is punched full of holes to adj
nit air. No artificial blast of air
is required once the burner is 60
ing and heated up a bit. The heat
seems to separate the water into
its constituent gases, and these
with the oil produce an intensely
hot fame.
To star. the burner a bit or cotton
waste soaked in oil is laid in this
burner and lighted. In a cry short
time the burner is operating auto
kmatically.
l. Mrs. Shaw does not believe her
invention can be adapted for use
in the ordinary house until it has
been somewhat perfected. As it is
now, it requires skilled attention
and could not be left to heat a
house with entire safety. For an
other reason. the fire insurance peo-
pie are not familiar with the in
vention yet. and probably would put
high rates on dwellings using the
type of heating plant. Perfection
Of methods of easy control will in
time lead to use of the invention in
private ronses, Mrs. Shaw thinks.
For the present. the woman in
ventor plans for the use of heI
theating arrangement in plants USING
AZ = -.