Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-04-12
BURNING WATER AS FUEL
BY Frederic J. Haskin

tho new system over ena1 firing 10
tho saving in labor. Mrs. Shaw says Il
has been demonstrated that to opernte
a plant requiring dozen men when
coal In burned, with her system IN
stalled, only four men would be need
ed. There is big saving, too. In tho
cost Of the two fuels, ms tho cheapest
grades OF oil can be burned, without
having tho oil put through any refn-
Ing process at all.
By combining tho water with oil, II
W claimed that tests have shown .
saving Of roughly, so per cent over
the ordinary burning OF fuel oil. This
is because a hotter nrs is secured from
the use OF considerably le@ oil.
No Waste or Ash.
Another advantage in tho use Of %
instead OF coal In any kind OF poweS
or heating plant In the absence OF any
ssh. To engineers this means a two~
| fold saving-nrst, no labor ~ necss-
sary in feeding tho fuel 10 the boil
ers nor in removing the ashes; second.
! the whole weight Of the fuel Us@d -
! burned Up and al % II produces heat
/ which Is transformed into power.
/ Most Of the system ~ simplicity IL
self, and Is easily comprehendei by .
casual inspection. Tho pipes leading
from the water supply and the oil s'Ip-
! ply open into an ordinary funnel. Ths
/ feed Of oil and water into thLs funn5
can be watched and easily regulated
I Leading from tho bottom Of tho fun
mel IS a singie pipe which connects
With tho burner.
Tho burner Itself - simple. 70 bse
somewhat the shape Of silk hst, but
with considerably moro taper. In the
small power plant being operated al
. tho Washington Barracks. this top
T hat affair has a diameter az tho bot
tom OF 70 or IS inches and at the top
7 is about or inches wide. Il -
about a foot high.
Around the bottom this contriya nee
I is punched ruli Of holes % admit air. 10
artificial blast Of air is required. oncs
tho burner ~ going and heated Up .
bit Tho heat seems 70 separate the
water into its constituent gases. and
these with the of produce an intensely
hot fame.
To start tho burner, a bit u cotton
waste soaked IN Oh ~ aid IN this
burner and lighted. IN very short
time the burner r. operating auto
nsficaIly.
3rs. Shaw does not believe her in-
vention can be adapted for use IN
the ordinary house until 81 has been
somewhat perfected. As 81 IL now. &,
requires skilled attention and could
not 10 LETT 20 heat house with entir,
I eafety. For another ress on, the fir,
insurance people are not familiar witt
the invention yet, and probably woulc
: put high rates on dwellings uHns
70 his type II heating plant Perrec
: ton methods Of easy control viii Il
Z time lead 20 use of he invention &
\ private houses. Mrs. Shaw thinks
For the present, the woman inven
tor plans for the use II her heatini
arrangement IN plants using from 5
a barrels OF oil a day upward Sue
e plants naturally would require the q,
4 tention Of shifts OF men. and Mr.
q Shaw prefers that Like a true patrto
= Mrs. Shaw has given her government
n the first opportunity To take advau
q tage CT her revolutionary development
= and there IS every reason 20 beiiey
x that the government Is not going :
Ie let the thing slip through It's finger