Pa,e Eight

Theof PopularGas Cells-Substitute for

Inefficient Heat EnginesSADI CARNOT (1796-1832)

was a brilliant youngFrench ph y sic is t and

army officer who in one of themasterful memoirs of modernscience .laid the foundation ofthe present -day heat engine.Today, more than' a hundredyears later, engineers are em-barrassed by the ~ppalling in-efficiency with which they con-vert the heat energy of, say, apound of coal into the usefulmechanical work of turning adynamo. By efficiency is meantthe ratio of the amount of heatactually turned into mechanicalwork to the amount given bythe fuel consumed.For example, the efficiency of

a good locomotive now reaches10 per cent; in triple-expansionmarine engines, about 20 percent; in steam turbines, 25 percent; in a good automobile en-gine, 25 per cent; and in the bestDiesel engines, about 34 per cent.To make the comparisons fair,boiler losses are included in-------7--------------------~

IC++I=CARBON ATOM THAT IHAS LEFT TWO NEGATIVE I

CHARGES ON CARBON ROD

'~~I~EJ NI

II iii il

~lI BATTERY """."_'.,,,",

IIII IO=I=OXYGEN ATOM

THAT HAS TAKEN TWO

II NEGATIVE CHARGES FROM

PLATINUM ELECTRODE,LEAVING TWO POSITIVE

i CHARGES IL_ .._... ._. . . .-J

Figur. 2-Famoua carbon - oxyg.ncell, A fortune await. the p.11I0nwho discov.r. a .olv.nt for carbonthat will al.o conduct .l.ctricity

r.adily.

these figures for steam engines.The tables below show wherethe heat of combustion of fuelgoes. It is interesting to notethe small amount that is eon-verted into useful work; the restis wasted.

TYPICALSTEAMENGINEU•• ful work '" .. ·S'Y.Exhau.t.t.am. . . . . . . .. 57'Y.Up the chimn.y. . . . . . .. 22%Boil.r 10............... 12'Y.

100%AVERAGEAUTOMOBILE

U•• ful work 21%Into cooling .y.t.m.... 36%Out of .xhau.t. . . . . . . .. 35%Friction :... 8%

100%As a further illustration of

these ideas let us see what stepsare necessary according to pres-ent engineering practice for theconversion of energy of coal intoelectrical energy. The first stepis to burn the coal in a boiler.When the carbonor the coal andthe oxygen of the air unite toform' carbon dioxide gas a verylarge amount of heat is evolved.We note from the table thatabout 34 per cent of this heat islost via the chimney and boilerradiation,' Ieavlng only 66 percent of the heat energy for theconversion. of water into steamat 200 degrees centigrade or 392Fahrenheit (corresponding to asteam pressure of 225 poundsper square inch). If this steamenters an ordinary steam engineand after being used is exhaust-ed into the atmosphere at 100 C.or 212 F., as.Is the case in manyengines, then the maximum the-oretical efficiency with whichthe engine can change the heatcontent of the steam into me-chanical work is only 21 percent. That is, more than three-quarters of the heat put into theengine is thrown away, eventhough the engine is perfect. Inspecially designed condensingsteam engines, where the pres-sure is very low in the condenserand hence the exhaust tempera·ture is correspondingly low, the.efficiencymay rise to 35 per cent.The reason for this low ef·

fIciency is this: The laws ofphysics and chemistry dictatethat no machine whatsoevertaking in steam at 200 C. andexhausting it at 100 C. can con-vert into mechanical work morethan 21 per cent of the availableheat, for if a machine did eon-vert more than 21 per cent, thenit would be possible to constructa perpetual motion machine.Such a state of a1rairs certainlycannot exist. The importantidea of Sadi Carnot is that if theengineer had at his disposal amechanically perfect heat en-gine, still the efficiency withi--'-'-- -.-.---'------_-clI

(WI=HYDROGEN ATOM THAT :HAS LEFT ITS NEGATIVE 'I

I CHARGE ON PLATINUM i

ELECTRODE _ ,! i5I __. , .... iI.c£-=, " ..' '-'1~;IIHYDR.OGW r- PCA rIN'UM,. "I , Z; I

~

L~A'S_I,.i'H'1 ~2:::\~. I ~ !I I I, i ii 1..1 !.! .,' • -1· :.~ .'.

I .•. - I

! BATTERY ~~W:.::;:::;.:-",e:.--I .••H""-6il. ocH'L..o'h,e I', ~c.!Q. __

(an=CHLORINE ATOMTHAT HAS TAKEN NEGATIVECHARGE FROM PLATINUM

ELECTRODE, LEAVINGPOSITIVE CHARGE

Figure l-Simpl. gas eell for con-v.rting .n.rgy 01 combu.tion ofhydrog.n and chlorin. dir.ctly into

el.ctrical .n.rgy.

which it could abstract heat anddo work would be determinedby the temperature at which thesteam entered and that at whichit was exhausted; and only if theexhaust temperature were atthe absolute zero (-454.9 F.)would the efficiency reach 100per cent. .Is it possible for our engineers

to stop such a waste of naturalresources? The answer is yes.By means of an electric cell orbattery it is possible to convertdirectly into electrical energythe energy available when coaland oxygen combine, thus elimi-nating the necessity of the high·ly inefficient s tea m engine.These cells, sometimes calledgas cells, but more appropriate-ly fuel cells, operate on a prin-ciple as old as modern chemistryitself.A simple type of a gas or fuel

cell is sketched in Figure 1. Hy-drogen and chlorine gases areallowed to bubble past platinumrods that are immersed in hydro-chloric acld-a good conductorof electricity. It is found that

c ren c

CLiea'o SUDday TribuDe

ByDr. Michael Ference

(Acme photo.)

Th. mod.m .team .ngine i. at be.t only 10 p.r cent effici.nt.

both gases in the presence of theplatinum dissolve in the hydro-chloric acid and in doing soleave an electrical charge on theplatinum rods or electrodes. Thehydrogen gas leaves a minuscharge of electricity and thechlorine a plus charge. In thisway a battery is formed whosevoltage is of the order of onevolt. By combining a largenumber of these cells any de-sired voltage may be obtained.

• • •However, the cell described

above is only of academic Inter-est. What the physical chemists,especially in hard-pressed Ger·many, have been investigatingis the possibility of making asolvent in which the carbon ofcoal will go into solution, leav-ing a negative charge on thecarbon electrode, and at thesame time oxygen of the air willalso dissolve, forming carbondioxide and thus releasing theenergy of this reaction not asheat but as electriclty (Figure2). In this way they can utilizethe energy of the coal and oxy-gen with a theoretical efficiencyof 100 per cent .. To date no onehas been able to produce theconditions under which such atransformation will take place.A fortune awaits the person whosucceeds.It is of .lnterest to point out

that' a group of British chemistshave succeeded in combining acombustible fuel gas (such asis used in gas burners) withoxygen in a cell containing aliquid mixture of two commonchemicals, sod i u m carbonate

and calcium carbonate. Suchcells, however, are still in thelaboratory stage of development.Another and more practical

approach to the general problemof conserving natural resourceswas emphasized by Dr. F. W.Godwin of the Armour instituteresearch foundation in a paperon colloidal coal. The problemwas to utilize the coal dust ofthe mines of southern Illinois bysuspending the fine particles 'ofcoal in a fuel oil. If a suitableoil is chosen and the correct sizeof coal dust particles used sucha suspension was found to bestable for some months.The chief advantages of the

colloidal coal as a fuel are:First, it offers operators of coalfields an opportunity to makegood use of the coal dust; and,second, the heat content· of col-loidal fuel is about 11.2 thermsper cubic foot, or approximately5 per cent greater than that ot.good fuel oil.A notable experiment in the

use of this so-called colloidalfuel has been reported. In 1932the Cunard steamship companyprepared 150 tons of colloidalfuel containing 40 per cent coal.This was used in place of oil infiring one of the twelve boilersof the steamship Scythia on around trip between Liverpooland New York. No specialequipment was employed. Theexperiment was a complete suc-cess, and it is especially signif-icant in that it demonstrated be-yond doubt that colloidal fuelcan be used in ordinary oil-handling and oll-burnlng equip-ment.

Backgroundof the Irish

TerrierABOUT sixty years ago a dogn fancier in the British

Isles stated that ••to SirWalter Raleigh, through potatoskins and hardships, we owe theIrish terrier."Sir Walter Raleigh, occupying

as he does a rather romanticplace in history, has been aaso-ciated with many exploits, butwe never have been able to fig-ure out just how he could becredited with the Irish terrier.Without doubt he may havebrought English terriers intoIreland, but to give him creditfor the origin of the Irish terrierseems a bit far-fetched. Therehave been terriers in Irelandfrom time immemorial-not onetype, but several, each varyingsomewhat in di1rerent localities.It is reasonable to believe thatfrom this old terrier stock ourmodern Irish terrier has beendeveloped. Today the exact ori-gin of the breed is a subject fordebate. Some believe that theold black-and-tan of England isin some way mixed up in thefamily tree of the" Irisher." But

(Tribune photo.)

Champion Enocklong Dandy, an Iri.h t.rri.r that has won high hon011linAmerican dog show•.. Dandy i. own.d by John Mulcahy.

nobody is able to say with cer-tainty what all the steps were inproducing the Irish terrier.It makes no di1rerence. The

important thing today is thatthe Irish terrier is smart in ap-pearance, loyal in his allegianceto his master, a companionablepal, afraid of nothing on two orfour legs, and areal example ofterrier character.When we consider the early

days of Ireland it is easy to seehow these qualities have become

the heritage of the Irish terrier.Residents of the Emerald islefound terriers useful aroundtheir homes. They wouldn'tkeep a dog that was mean andbit children. The weak dogsdied. Those lacking in fightingqualities failed to breed. Thusdown through the early yearsthose terriers kept by the peopleon small farms were the resultof the survival of the fIttest-rugged, active, pugnacious dogs(as far as other dogs were

1938's Sf r e c m l in e d Air Races

By WAYNE THOMIS

PRIZE MONEY totaling $106,750will those developing up to 550 h.p, Thebe the lure to race pilots at the 1938 maximum will be for engines of 1,860national air races on the magnlf- cubic inch displacement, or about 1,200

icent Cleveland, 0., airport Sept. 3-5. horsepower.The purses this year are nearly $40,000 2. No airplane entering the Bendixahead of the best previous total in the trophy race-2,2oo miles, from Los An-ten-year history of aviation's premier geles to Cleveland-may also enter theevent, The four days of action during Thompson and Greve trophy races,the last five years are to be compressed which are closed-course pylon events.into three. This is a far cry from the 3. The Thompson race will be 300milesten-day meetings of the late twenties around a ten-mile course, the Greve forand early thirties. 200miles around the same course. TheseGeneral rules and regulations for the are extreme limits for some of the small-

meet include the following item's: er ships. One problem this year will be1. There will be no races for airplanes to get enough fuel aboard them to last

with engines of the 397 cubic inch dts- out the Thompson race, at least. Theplacement class. Instead the minimum lengthening of the course also means awill be for 549 cubic inch engines, or more grueling test of engines.

(A •• ocIUecI Pre •• photo.)

Frank Full.r. winn.r of the 1937 B.ndix •.•••nt. g.ttinga .ignal from flagman at Cl.v.land national air rae•••

, ~~~~~.(A •• oclated Pre •• photo.)

Earl Ortman cro.... the finishlin. of the Thompson trophy raceat the CI•.•••land .how in 1937 •.H. wali a ele •••• cond to Rudy

Jain".

This puppy has a Hollywood car •• rah.ad· of it. It·. own.d by Louis.Campb.lL a Northw•• t.m univer.aity graduate now in motion pic-tur... who i. holding the puppy in

this pictUr••

concerned), but friendly to hu-mans and with one importantattribute - a strong sense ofproperty. They had the guarddog instinct developed. Thiswas the type of dog from which(according to the best evidenceon hand) our smart, courageousIrish terrier of today has come.Add the infIuence of the earlyblack-and-tans and very likelythe ancestral canine picture iscomplete.Weighing about 27 pounds, the

Irish terrier of today is farahead of the early representa-tivesin appearance and confer-mation. He has been nicknamed" the daredevil" not withoutreason. He'll tackle anything,and once in a scrap you can bepretty sure that the little Irisherwill be the last to leave it. Gay,active, dectionate,' pugnacious,it's no wonder that the Irishterrier fanciers today are sokeen about the breed.It is fortunate that breeders

have not changed the weight ofthe dog, because as he standstoday the Irish terrier is whatyou might call a handy size. Bythat we mean he is large enoughfor a guard dog around thehome, yet small enough to livein rather moderate-sized quar-ters. He doesn't take up toomuch room in a car, either. Agood specimen must give theimpression of speed, with a racy,trim outline. He must not becobby in type, a conformationthat is much desired in someother breeds. The color of theIrish also is a pleasing one tomost dog fanciers. He must bewhole-colored, with bright red,red wheaten, or golden red pre-ferred. As is the case in mostwhole -colored dogs, a smallwhite spot is allowed on thebreast. Although this white spotis permissible, it is not desirablein the show ring. White any-where else on the body is mostobjectionable.The coat of the Irish terrier

is dense and wiry in texture.The novice in picking one ofthese terriers should keep inmind that while the coat has abroken appearance, it n eve l' .

should be wavy or curly. Norshould the hair be silky and soft.Although the coat of this breed

doesn't require as much atten-tion as some of the others be-cause of its color, an Irish ter-rier must be given a haircut oc-casionally in order to have agood coat and also look well.

• For attractive offers ofdogs, tum to the Dogs, Cats,Birds, and Poultry columnsin the want ad section oftoday's Tribune.