Evening star., 1938-07-01
COAL EFFICIENCY
IN POWER RAISED
Conversion Without Steam
Is Forecast Before
Scientists.
BY THOMAS, r. HENRY,
Stan CORRESPONDENT Of Thu Star.

stan Correspondent OF The Star.
OTTAWA, July 1.-Chansing coal
directly into electricity. without use
OF steam, was forecast before the
American Association for the Ad-
vancement of Science here today by
M. w. Smith, chief engineer of the
Westinghouse Electric Co.
Forecast by several patents now on
flle at the United States Patent Once
in Washington, the theoretical posi-
bility Of doing this has been recog-
nized by inventors for the last 20
years, but various inherent difficulties
have stood in the way of . practical
device. Recent calculations and ex-
perimental work on the basis Of 4
better understanding Of the phenome-
non of electric. conduction in gases
give promise Of practical devices gen.
Grating extraordinary power from the
kinetic energy Of the gases OF coal
combustion"
All present coal-burning power gen
Grating stations, Mr.. Smith stressed,
operate by producing steam power in
a steam turbine which in turn drives
the rotor Of dynamo-electric ma
chine. In this roundabout method OF
producing transmissable power there
is an enormous loss of the energy
stored in the coal by the sunshine of
hundred million years ago and the
possibilities of heavy. expensive tur-
bines and dynamos appear inadequate
for super-power stations such as may
be needed in the future.
Turbines Is Per Cent Efficient.
The very best that can be gotten
out of coal in the form of electricity
by the steam turbine method, accord.
ing to United States Bureau OF Stand
ards calculations. is about Is per cent
of the potential energy. The ideal, in
fact. could not exceed rs per cent, or
about one kilowatt-hour to one pound
Of COAL
The most recent Of the direct trans
formation devices. the patent for
which is assigned to Mr.. Smiths com.
pany, Is an invention Of the cele-
brated German inventor, Reinhold
Rudenberg, many Of whose previous
patents have had wide application
in the electrical generator fieid. He
proposes by the burning Of coal to
boil mercury under high pressure and
allowing the mercury to escape in q
stream through q small opening into
q low pressure chamber. In this mer-
curry gas would be countless billions
Of minute charges Of positive and mega
tive electricity. These would consist
Of the ionized atoms and molecules,
fundamental particles Of matter from
which one or more parts have become
detached. Thus they are left elec-
trically unbalanced. The Rudenberg
invention proposes to increase greatly
the number of these ions naturally
present in the mercury gas by sub
jecting the stream Of vapor to X-rays
or ultraviolet rays.
Then the vapor stream, moving with
high velocity because of the pressure
behind it, would shoot across a mag
netic field which would separate the
positively and the negatively charged
particles, causing them to move in Diff
ferent directions. In the path Of each
part Of the divided stream would be
an electric plate. One Of these plates,
acting as an Anode, would intercept
the positive ions, thus building up an
anode. The other would catch the
negative ions and form a cathode.
Thus positive and negative poles are
built up through which a current will
flow.
Can Use Any Kind Of Vapor.
The mercury gas then can be passed
into condenser, changed into liquid
mercury again and returned to the
boiler. The device could be operated.
1t il claimed. with almost any kind Of
vapor, but mercury Is specified as q
good example. The expensive and
cumbersome turbine and rotor. with
the inevitable losses through friction
and wear, are dispensed with alto
gether in the production Of this cur
rent. Another device for the direct
production of electric current from
the ionized particles in q stream Of
gas was patented 20 years ago by DR..
Robert H. Goddard Of Clark Univer-
sity, inventor of the celebrated moon
rocket"
While workable on small scale, this
sort of electrical generator has in
herent difficulties in the way Of prac-
tical, large-scale installation, which,
Mr.. Smith indicated today. rapidly are
being overcome by the newer expert
mentation.
Light on such mysterious phenomena
as the rise and fall Of epidemics, re-