The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1922-04-29
Burning Water AS Fuel

IL they are heated so that they will
run freely. In using the heaviest
grades of oil steam pipes are u
through the tanks to heat the oil In
cold weather. In really warm wealth
err this expedient doubtless will be
unnecessary.
One great advantage claimed for
the new system over coal firing Is
the saving of labor. Mrs. Shaw says
IL has been demonstrated that to OPP
crate 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 new fuels, as h
cheapest grades of oil can be burned
without having the oil put through
any refining process at all.
BY combining water with oil 1t Is
claimed that tests have shown a saw
ing of, roughly, so per cen 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
or heating plant Is the absence of any
ash. To engineers this means a two
fold saving-first, no labor is neces-
sary in feeding the fuel to the boilers
nor in removing the ashes; second,
the whole weight of the fuel is burn
ed up and all of it produces heat
which is transformed into power.
Most of the system is simplicity it.
self, and is easily comprehended by
a casual inspection. The pipes lead
from the water supply and the oil
supply open into an ordinary funnel.
The feed of Oil and water into this
funnel can be watched and easily reg
ulated. Leading from the bottom of
the funnel is a single pipe which ON
meets with the burner.
The burner itself is simple. 1t has
somewhat the shape of a silk hat, but
with considerably more taper. In the
small power plant being operated at
the Washington barracks this top hat
affair has a diameter at the bottom
of ~ or Is inches and at the top is
about 6 or s inches wide. 1t is about
a foot high.
Around the bottom this contriv-
ance is punched full of holes to adj
NIT air. No artificial blast of air is
required, once the burner Is going
and heated up a bit. The heat seems
to separate the water into it's c6nstit-
uent gases, and these with the oil
produce an intensely hot flame.
To start the burner a bit of cotton
waste soaked in oil is laid in this
burner and lighted. In a very short
time the burner is operating auto
matically.
Mrs. Shaw does not believe her in
vention can be adapted for use in the
ordinary house until 1t has been
somewhat perfected. AS 1t is now, II
requires skilled attention and could
not be left to heat a house with en-
tire safety. For another reason, the
fire insurance people are not familiar
would put higher rates on dwellings
using this type of heating plant. Per
| lection of methods of easy control
| will in time lead to use of the inven-
| ton in private houses, Mrs. Shaw
| thinks.
For the present, the woman inven.
tor plans for the use of her heating
arrangement in plants using from sc
barrels of oil a day upward. Such
plants naturally would require the
attention of shifts of men, and Mrs
Shaw prefers that. Like a true pa.
triot, Mrs. Shaw has given her Gov
eminent the first opportunity to take
advantage of her revolutionary de.
velopment, and there is every reason
to believe that the Government is not
going to let the thing slip through Its
fingers.