Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, July 1899: Volume LV, No. 3, July 1899Various
Religion
Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, July 1899: Volume LV, No. 3, July 1899
Various
Science -- Periodicals; Technology -- Periodicals
The conclusions deduced from a large number of experiments were that
when, as in type 1, water is allowed to drip or flow in a fine stream
upon a mass of carbide, the temperature rapidly rises until after
eighteen to twenty-five minutes the maximum is reached, which varies
from 400° to 700° C. (720° to 1120° Fahrenheit), and it is probable
that in some of the mass the higher limit is always reached, as
traces of tar are usually found in the residual lime, in some cases in
sufficient quantity to make the lime yellow and pasty, while vapors of
benzene and other polymerization products pass off with the gas.
Leaving the question of temperature in this type of generator, another
important question is the length of time during which the generation
of gas continues after the water supply is automatically cut off. It
is found that gas is evolved with increasing slowness sometimes for an
hour and three quarters after the water supply has ceased, the total
volume of gas so evolved being large.
The experiments showed that in any automatic generator of this type
the cut-off should be so arranged that one quarter of the total
capacity of the gas holder is still available to store the slowly
generating gas.
The second class of generators bring about contact either by water
rising from below to the carbide suspended in the cage (II, _A_), or
by a cage of carbide suspended in a movable bell which, as it falls,
dips the carbide into water, withdrawing the carbide from the water as
the excessive generation of gas lifts the bell (II, _B_). Lewes found
that under certain conditions generators of the type II, _B_ were far
worse than those of type I.
The trials were made with a movable glass bell, with counterweights,
containing a half-pound of carbide. The maximum temperatures reached
in four trials were 703°, 734°, 754°, and 807° C. Excessive heating
took place in every case; in the last mentioned the temperature was
far above the point at which acetylene is decomposed into carbon and
hydrogen, a thin black smoke being formed immediately around the
carbide while tar vapor poured out. On removing the residue after
cooling it was found to be coated with soot and loaded with tar. On
several occasions the charge was removed from the generator just after
the maximum temperature was reached, and was found to be at a bright
red heat.
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