Evening star., 1924-12-06
WANT MORE POWER
FROM LESS FUEL
DR.. Lucke Explains Sci.
entists' Efforts to Obtain
Far Greater Energy.
BY j. c. ROYLE.
SDeciBl Disnatch 20 Thn Star

| Special Dispatch 70 The Star.
| NE" YORK, December 6-B. T. L.
That is not traction stock in Wall
street. According to DR.. Charley O.
Lucke, head of the mechanical engi-
neering department OF Columbia Uni
versity and consulting engineer of
| the Worthington Pump and Machinery
! Company, B. T. u. is the biggest fac
tor in the industrial life and future
Of the United States. 1t means British
| thermal units, which measure scien-
tifically the amount OF power and en-
ergy possible to extract from fuel of
various sorts.
| Production of energy and power
from fuel today is ono OF the most
| expensive and wasteful processes in
! Industry. The percentage of efficiency
is startlingly low as a result of the
present methods of transformation,
Eand scientists all over the world are
working toward betterment More
| heat--merely another word for en-
| ergy-from an equal amount OF fuel
as used at present, means lower cost
of manufacture, larger volume of pro-
! duction, higher wages for Workmen,
lower costs for consumers and larger
profits for manufacturers. 1t spells
prosperity for industry.
Sees Saving in Power.
/ L. y.
| back of DR.. Lucke's presentation of
the merits of the two-cycIe. double
| acting Diesel engine for the Ameri-
can Society of Mechanical Engineers,
at it's meeting here. He estimates
that internal combustion engines of
| this sort can be operated for heavy
duty nonstop purposes at 80 per cent
of the cost OF steam engines.
There is every possibility that such
4 TT h,.zs tn
| revolutionize application of power
from fuel for many purposes, espe-
cially for those requiring steady, long
! continued performance. The Diesel
engine originally was identified with
| ships, but in the last few. years has
been widely selected for land uses,
especially for operation of humping
| stations and central. power. plants
where continuous operation Is essen
tial and the equipment must be pre-
pared to take up a. peak load without
an instant's hesitation.
Predicts "Processed" Coal.
OF far more Importance to the
| people Of this country than the use
! of the Diesel engine, however, was
| the statement OF DR.. Lucke to the
writer today that the time was fast
approaching when every pound of coal
produced in the world would be
I "processed." That means that 1t will
| be turned into gas or some other
| chemical combination which viii yield
a greater portion of its potential heat
than 1t now Is possible TO utilize.
This will not only give increased
| efficiency for steam power plants. but
| will take care of any possible short
age in the worlds supply of petro-
| leum through the developments of
| benzoi and toluol as by-products.
! These oils, as coal tar derivatives, are
| perfectly suited for use In internal
| combustion engines ANY possible
| shortage of petroleum is entirely un-
| likely, according to this eminent en-
gineer, who pointed out that a suffi-
| client supply for world requirements
| had never failed since the first well
| was opened in Pennsylvania in 1858,
| and that new fields were constantly
being sought and uncovered.
Power Still Undeveioped.
No one has yet discovered the limit
| Of size possible for efficient operation
| of Diesel engines or their limit of
| power. DIR. Lucke talked confidently
today of cylinders so inches in di-
| ameter. which would develop 5000
| horsepower each.
| VITA a siX-cylinder hookup this
would mean the delivery of nearly
$4,000 horsepower In a single engine,
with an economy of space, weight and
| fuel never before approached in en-
gineering. The limits df size, however
probably will not be definitely deter
mined until the navies of some OF the
great nations make the tests, which
| from an economic standpoint would
be impossible for an industrial COM
| pany.
| The continuous reliability of the
| two cycle double acting Diesel engine
has been amply proved. One engine
had a continuous run Of over
200 days, after which IL was decided
to stop IL and give 1t an examination.
1t was running on the oil supplied for
fabrication, and 1t was not until flow
| of fabrication oil was checked that
| the engine came to stop.