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114 \ 1 * ge ' and - "consttucting engineer of Sop pigrior also constructed a ae docks at this same port in 1906, for the Pusey: & Jones Co.,- of Wilmington, Del., con- tractors for the Venezuelan govern- ment. The designor of this former -dock was Mr. Horace H. Thayer Jr., of Wilmington, Del. Mr. been for several years making a spec- jalty of dry dock construction, having Crowell has THE MARINE REVIEW drawn peak for two in New York and had. charge of the 'construction' of the large dock of the Ollinger & Bruce Co., of Mobile, Ala, and also of the one built later at Orange, Texas, for the New Orleans Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Co., © ef which, Mr. superintendent. Walter Thompson was The engineer of this present work was. ably assisted by Senor Eliseo Gon- zalez,« an / expert jn this line of con- April, 1912 'struction, he having superintended the "eenstruction of the large Besant dock at Havana. Senor Gonzalez's services were all the more valuable owing to his thorough knowledge of the Spanish lan-- guage. Accompanying this article are two photographs showing the present state of completion' of) this project. The dock needs but the installation of the electric plant on shore to be ready for business. _ Diesel Engines For Ocean Ships The Search for a Prime Mover to Replace the Steam Engine in Marine Practice--The Pros and Cons of the Diesel Type . ECENT.> newspaper paragraphs to R the effect that Germany has lately been experimenting with a form oi internal combustion engine, exclu- sively for the navy, has aroused interest in the Diesel engine as applied to sea- going ships. Germany is said to have designed an engine having three double- acting cylinders each producing 2,000 im. ©. one cylinder, to. each. propeller shaft. a a 6paper uby 6J.. ul... Milton, he Says that tuel economy, is, the,. real ~reagon which has caused ship builders to entertain the idea of using any other form of power than that supplied by the tried and trustworthy steam Fuel economy alone would, however, not be a sufficient reason for the change. ficiency, fully.as .certain .as that of the steam engine is also required and the newer engine in the field must 'show as little liability to accident, and it must present as much opportunity for temporary repairs, in case of break down, as the steam engine does, and it must have a fairly maintenance charge. An internal Soabuition engine, using oil has advantages over an engine using gas made from coal. One of these is the doing away with bulky gas pro- ducers and scrubbers, and there is no trouble with dust in the cylinders. 'When compared with coal, weight for weight, oil has' about 50 per cent higher evaporative _ efficiency. Oil ° occupies 'much less space than coal does, and it can be carried in double bottoms of ships and other places not suitable for cargo. When, burned, it produces a low higher. temperature and therefore, with . a given boiler, more power can be ob- tained than that derived from the same boiler using coal. No fire cleaning is required with oil fuel and it can be pumped on board very easily and: so avoids the labor and dirt incident to engine. . Dr, RupoLpH: DIESEL Dr. Diesel is now on a visit to this country to appear before various engineering societies, cdaling-a ship. It is very satisfactory for vessels which ply regularly between ports where oil can be obtained, but: for tramp steamers which go all over the world, coal is still necessary. it 3s said that 'oil-producing areas are distributed all round the globe and if there was a steady demand for fuel enterprise would soon place it regularly on the market wher- itwas..wanted..... Safety..requires only oils having a comparatively high flash-point should be used on ships. If oils having a comparatively low flash-point are used in the closed cylinders of engines instead of in or- dinary boiler furnaces there is not the cil commercial ever that same need for high flash-point. Ex- perience has shown that even petrol can be safely carried on board ship. lf internal combustion engines of the - residue. sumed.. Dr. 'gine if it By George Sherwood Hodgins oil-burning type are to be used exten- sively in sea-going ships, crude oil will be 'the fuel most generally employed. instead of the residues from distillation. li is claimed that the Diesel engine can use any form of oil that leaves no If this is so, experience will determine the adjustments of the fuel valve so as to obtain suitable combus- tion for each, in order to consume them slowly enough to prevent an undue rise of temperature and yet to secure their entire combustion. Hydrocarbon oils, natural or distilled brown coal, ordinary coal, or crude oil, differ in their behavior when raised to a high temperature. One class when used*in the Diesel engine decom- poses into free: hydrogen and heavier hydro-carbons. The other class first va- porise or partly vaporize. In those of the first-mentioned class, the hydro- gen burns first and the resulting heat enables the hydro-carbons to be burnt. In the second class, a high temperature is required to start- combustion which approximates to an explosion in order that such oils may be properly con- Rieppel states that even these oils may be-used in a Diesel en- is designed to suit the con- ditions they impose. Distilled oils are it: general, not suited for this engine. Oils made from brown coal or natural. crude oils are the most suitable. Some of the crude oils, and all the residues from their distillation, contain combined sulphur. This, at high temperatures, has an affinity for copper, and oil con- taining sulphur cannot be used with pipes, fittings or valves made of. cop- per or copper alloys. Cast iron resists the action of these oils and has given good. service where brass has failed. Fuel.pipes should be made of steel or iron for this reason. Lloyd's from rules for fuel oil bunkers