Evening star., 1942-02-06
Tiny Device 10 Make
Best War Bomb
Invented in Russia
One Pound Apparatus
Produces Liquid Oxygen
For 'Superbombs'

S"et Ouho HPPoiotuS
Produces Liquid Oxygen
For 'Superbombs'
What might be the most destruc'
tive war weapon yet known has beer
invented in Russia.
1t is an apparatus for making I
continuous supply Of liquid oxygen
which weighs less than a pound an.
may be carried in an airplane.
About four years ago some ex.
tremely destructive bombs wert
dropped in Spain. They allegedly
shattered the countryside within 6
half-mile radius. They were cur.
rently reported to be liquid oxyger
bombs OF German manufacture. A
difficulty with this theory, quickly
pointed out by explosives specialists
was that this substance was ex-
tremely volatile, and that very bulky
stationary machinery was required
to produce it. 1t would be Of nc
value in warfare, 1t was claimed
unless factories could be set up on
the front lines.
At that time Constantine Ouman-
sky, Soviet Ambassador here, re-
marked that he had heard whis-
pered about Moscow a report that
some Russian scientist had an eff
cient liquid oxygen-making appara-
tus no bigger than matchbox. Mr.
Oumansky, however, was unable to
obtain any further details.
Scientist Writes Details.
Now, 1t appears, the rumors he
heard were only slightly exagger-
ated. The whole story is revealed
in the Chemical Trade Journal Of
London, organ of the British chem
ical industry, by Prof. N. N. Semyo-
nov, member of the Soviet Academy
Of Sciences.
He attributes the discovery to
Prof. p. L. Kapitsa, director Of the
Institute of Physical Research OF the
U. S. S. R., and says that 1t resulted
from studies on the fundamental
constitution of matter which are far
removed at present from any prac-
tical application.
He was investigating the strange
properties of liquid helium. The
sun gas" can be turned into liquid
only at extremely great pressures-
or at extremely low temperatures.
These 60 very close to minus $50
F., the absolute zero at which all
molecular motion stops, SO that 1t
cannot possibly be any colder.
1t is difficult to get adequate sup
plies of this remarkable liquid. Prof
Kapitsa first tried to build appara-
tus which would yield larger amounts
and succeeded in obtaining enough
TO investigate its fundamental prop
critics.
How It Compares to Water.
Among these, he found, is super
1iquidity" 1t Is about 100 900 900
times more liquid than water. The
size of the opening in \ container
through which given amount Of
this substance would flow in a sec
ond Is so small that it would require
several thousand years for the same
amount of water under the same
pressure to trickle through.
He developed his apparatus to the
point where it would produce four
quarts of liquid helium an hour. He
was able to distribute supplies to all
the Russian physical laboratories.
Then 1t occurred to him that the
discovery might be even more ap-
plicable to the liquefaction of air
and of oxygen. 1t is, he says, q de-
vice for cooling gas without using
high preSSures. The cooling neces-
sary for air nquefaction, for exam
pie, can be accomplished with pres
sures OF four to six atmospheres in
stead OF approximately 200 atmo-
spheres necessary in other processes.
The chief part of the apparatus,
says Prof. Semyonov, is very small
turbine very delicately put together.
The tolerance between the rotor of
this turbine and its casing is only
1Dodo q tChtl2 VI q lAllluilCtCI. IL
makes 10000 revolutions q minute
and weighs less than q half pound.
Model Runs 400 Hours.
With this, 1T is reported, Prof.
Kapitsa is able to produce 80 kilo-
grams Of liquid air or liquid oxygen
In an hour. Such a production in
the past would have required .
machine weighing several tons.
A model Of the new apparatus
made for industrial use, it Is re-
ported, now has been running con-
stantly for 400 hours and shows
no signs Of wear.
The apparatus obviously could not
be reconstructed from the meager
details given. UP to the present
there have been no authenticated
reports of the use Of liquid oxygen
bombs in the present war and the
difficulty of conserving them long
enough to get over an objective Is
one of the reasons given.
Whether the Red armies have
tried to capitalize in any way on
Prof. Kapitsa's discovery is un-
known and it doubtless would require
considerable adaptation for military
use
Released Through the North American
NsUxnonsr AlliaprsN