Dec., 1912
T H E JOC-R-YA4L OF I.YD1’STRI.IL
f oani cells or analogous structures governing the crystallization of the metal. Beilby evidently finds the “foam cell” theory less attractive after close consideration. I t is likely that a n exhaustive report o n our present knowledge of the passage from the liquid to one solid state in metals, will be prepared under the auspices of a committee of the Institute of Metals; this will certainly be very welcome to metallurgists and chemists. SOLID OIL AS A MARINE FUEL. The question of a solid fuel for ocean liners in the shape of solidified petroleum is being taken up in Europe, and the outlook for this kind of fuel seems promising according to the Scientific A m e r i c a v , 107, 326. Tests have becn made in many countries x i t h spray fuel burners, but when it came to actually applying these on shipboard a n obstacle arose, as the new method mould lead to a radical transformation of the existing apparatus. Besides, great storage tanks are needed for the liquid, and the action of the latter upon the walls of the tanks would be strongly felt when the vessel is rolling a t sea. I t was decided quite recently a t a meeting of ship owners a t London to go into the production of solidified petroleum brickets on a large scale. These are obtained as follow: The crude oil is boiled and to it is added a certain amount of stearic acid with a n alcoholic solution of caustic soda. Upon cooling, there is obtained a transparent mass someTvhat resembling glycerine soap, and it has sufficient cohesion to allox of making it into square-shaped brickets. Such blocks have a slow and very regular combustion owing to their uniformity of structure. The weather does not seem to affect them, and they always remain clear. The heat production from them is such that a ton of solidified petroleum serves instead of 21/2 tons of coal. The great saving of space on shipboard is evident, and another point is the great all-round economy realized for producing an equal amount of steam. Some British naval engineers studied the question and concluded that for a single trip of a Cunard liner from England to New Tork and return the lowest figure for the saving would be $60,000. They also reported the following points in favor of the new fuel: I . No appreciable modification of the furnaces or bunkers is needed. 2. The brickets burn very well in open furnaces. 3. They have a very high calorific power. 4. No inflammable gas is given off under the action of heat in the furnace. 5 . They burn slowly without running of liquid, nor is there any crackling or explosion. N o ash is left. 6. Their regular shape facilitates storing, and there is no space lost. 7 . The brickets harden with time and reach a great crushing resistance. 8. The range of the vessel will be much increased, which is a capital point for war vessels. From another point of view, it is held that the navigation companies will be more inclined to increase the speed of the ocean liners, since they are able to obtain high steam pressure a t a much less cost for fuel than before. HIGH-PRESSURE GAS LIGHTING. At a meeting of the New York Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society, held on October I O , 1912, G. S. Rarrons presented for the authors, F. W. Goodenough, Oscar Klatte and R. N. Zeek, papers relating to high-pressure gas lighting. High-pressure gas lighting has been employed in Germany for the past ten years and has reached a high stage of development. The lamps employed have from one to fiye mantles and vary in candle-power from 500 to 4000. An indication of the growth of this kind of lighting is found in the city of Berlin, where, up to 1905, about 1 5 miles of street were lighted v i t h electric arc lamps. From 1905 to 1911 a mile of electric lighting was added. I n 190j about 4 miles were lighted ;\ith highpressure gas, but, during the period from 1905 to 1911, 3 2 miles of high-pressure gas lighting were added, and a further extension of 42 miles is contemplated. There are ‘several high-pressure
-4-YD E . Y G I S E E R I S G C H E X I S T R Y
915
gas-lighting installations in America, but thus far they have not passed beyond the experimental stage. Norman Macbeth claimed that the rapid development of gas lighting in Europe as compared n i t h America represents an indictment either of electric men abroad or of the gas men here. H e claimed that the gas manufacturers in this country do not appreciate the opportunities that exist in their own field. H. T. Owens called attention to the increasing interest aroused in high-pressure lighting, I\ hich doubles the efficiency as conipared with the methods in common use to-day. In closing the discussion, JIr. Barrows remarked that while the life of the incandescent mantles as first used for high-pressure lighting in this country was about ten days, impro\-ements in mantles have caused an increase in life to about fifty days. THE PROPERTIES O F MOTOR FUELS. Romberg (Ditzg. poZj.. .I., 327, 616) gives the properties of the motor oils on the German market as folloTvs: Setting point, C. USE. 1 Diesel motors
TITLE. Galician gas oil American gas oil Motor benzine
Density. 0,868 0 858 0 705/15
B. p , , C. 300”-380° 3OO0-38O0 60°-120”
“1-eloxin” Motor benzine I1 .4utomobile benzine Motor benzine I Motor benzine I1 .lutomobile benzine Jlotor benzine I Motor benzine “Heraklin” Motor benzine I1 Gas oil Gas oil I Austrian gas oil Petroleum
0.69, 70 0 75/76 0.69,’70 0 715/25
5 0 0-1 100
-20
9O0-16Oo
-20
O.i5/7i
+
-10 -20
60c-1000
..
iOo-1200 10Oo-14O0
..
..
0 692/98
4O0-11Oo
0.704/15
4Oo-12O0
0.734./i4
i5’-135’ iOo-1500 174°-3600 19O0-3OO0
O.i51/58 0.864/88 0.863 0.860 0.80
Automobile and small motors
-70 -70 -70 -40
.. .. ..
.......
100 ‘-300
0
Diesel motors
Petroleum motors
THE CONSUMPTION OF OXYGEN. Following the increase in thc cmployment of oxygen in the welding of metals (oxy-acetylene and oxy-hydrogen welding), etc., the consumption of the commodity has grown greatly in recent years. The Chemiker Zeitung, 36, No. 1 1 7 , 1128, gives the consumption of oxygen for 1911 in 1000 cubic meters as follow: Number of oxygen works. r -
Country. Germany.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . United States and Canada.. . . . . . . . . . Austria-Hungary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Belgium and Holland., . . . . . . . . . . . Russia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . South America.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spain and Portugal.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scandinavia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Switzerland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . China and J a p a n . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Balkans.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Total..
.........................
Amount used. 4,000 2,000 1,100 1,100 600 600
500 250 230
ion 100 80 40
20 10,720
Lique- Electrofaction lytic of air. processes. 39 3 9 6 8 2 9 8 9 1 4 1 5 4 8 1 6 1 3 1 6 4 1 4
3
1
-
-
117
30
Altogether 145 factories are engaged in the manufacture of oxygen from the air, by means of condensation and distillation, and by the electrolysis of n-ater. There are, in addition, a number of plants employing other processes, but the oxygen is intended mainly for medicinal purposes. In France, the average
