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115318A0.Pdf NATURE [FEBRUARY 28, I925 The Future of the Motor Ship. By Engineer-Capt. EDGAR C. SMITH, O.B.E., RN. HE introduction of the "Otto" cycle for gas­ In view of these facts, especial interest attaches T engines by Nicolas August Otto in 1876, the to the presidential address of Sir Westcott S. Abell, construction of the compact light spirit engine by the chief ship surveyor of Lloyd's Registry, to the Gottlieb Daimler in 1884, and the publication of his Institute of Marine Engineers, delivered on February memoir," The Theory and Construction of a Rational 10, and to the lecture of Sir Fortescue Flannery to Heat Motor," by Rudolf Diesel in 1893, are three of the Royal Society of Arts on the following day. the landmarks in the history of the internal com­ " The Motor Ship in the Light of the History of bustion engine. The first led to a great extension Marine Propulsion" was the title of Sir Westcott in the use of gas-engines, the second paved the way Abell's address, while Sir Fortescue Flannery took for the motor car and aeroplane engine, while Diesel's as his subject "The Diesel Engine in Navigation." work gave us the most efficient of modern heat engines. So firmly convinced are both authors that the Diesel Just as the petrol-engine has revolutionised transport engine is the ships' engine of the future, that the by road, so the Diesel engine bids fair to revolutionise former remarked that " the disappearance of the transport by sea. Otto died in 1891, Daimler in 1900, steam-engine from overseas trade is largely a matter and Diesel was drowned in the North Sea in 1913, of time," while Sir Fortescue Flannery said that an but each lived long enough to see his work bearing examination of the figures "gives support to the belief good fruit. that in a comparatively short time the Diesel engine Diesel, who was born in Paris of German parents will almost wholly displace the steam boiler at sea." in 1858, was induced to take up the study of thermo­ Though both containing the same conclusions, the dynamics by von Linde, and ultimately assisted Linde two addresses were very different in character. in his work on refrigerators. He also worked in the Starting with the point of view that the Diesel shops of the well-known firm of Sulzer Brothers of engine has demonstrated its reliability-an essential Winterthur, and after completing his theoretical feature in any marine engine-Sir Westcott Abell investigations was enabled to build an experimental discussed what he termed the economic efficiency of engine. Many interesting details of his early work the motor ship. At present, Diesel engines cost much were given by Diesel himself to the Institution of more than steam machinery, and the cost of the oil Mechanical Engineers in 1912, but it was his account per ton is enormously greater than the cost of coal of a 20 H.P. engine communicated in 1897, which per ton. But the reduction in the amount of fuel first attracted general attention, and it was then that, expended is so great that " with the present avail­ upon the advice of Lord Kelvin, a Scottish firm of ability of and cost of oil fuel there is a distinct margin engineers took up the manufacture of Diesel engines. in profit in favour of the Diesel-engined ship compared Though, like the steam turbine of Sir Charles Parsons, with the coal-fired boiler and the steam-engined it found its first useful sphere in the power-houses vessel." Sir Westcott's figures and diagrams illustrate of the day, its application to ships was only a matter this point, for with a ship of 8ooo tons deadweight of time, and after being used in various craft, a Diesel carrying capacity, the oil-engined ship can carry ro engine was fitted in the Toiler by the Tyne firm of per cent. more cargo than the steamship. Discussing Swan, Hunter, and Wigham Richardson, and in 1911 the mechanical and thermal efficiencies possible with that vessel crossed the Atlantic. modern machinery, Sir Westcott Abell comes to the The Toiler was but a small vessel of 3000 tons conclusion that even with the heavy Diesel engine carrying. capacity and 360 horse power, but she was at present fitted, where only 5 B.H.P. is obtained soon followed by the ]utlandia and Selandia, engined for every ton of machinery, "the principal economic by Burmeister and Wain of Copenhagen, and then by gain arising from the introduction of the Diesel engine the British vessels Arum, Arabis, and Abelia, all three has already been obtained." The problem now is of which were the victims of German submarines " to devote considerable attention to obtaining the during the War. At the beginning of the War in maxtmum simplicity, gaining thereby in reliability 1914 there were nearly three hundred Diesel-engined and ease of maintenance." Also, there are the ships afloat. The War, however, hindered progress auxiliaries, in which many improvements can be made. in this direction, but during the last year or two much Among the diagrams illustrating the address is one greater strides have been taken, and there are now showing the decline of the sailing-ship and the rise nearly 2000 motor ships of a total tonnage of 2,ooo,ooo of the steamship, and it will be interesting to see tons, and about half the ships under construction if the Diesel engine supersedes the steamship in the to-day are designed for driving by Diesel engines. It same way. is true this 2,ooo,ooo tons is but about a thirtieth The crowded lecture-room of the RoyaLSociety of of the world's tonnage, but the facts are significant, and Arts and the gathering of distinguished shipowners, many consider that what the Americans have called shipbuilders, and engineers on the occasion of Sir the " Dieselisation of the sea" has definitely set in. Fortescue Flannery's lecture were ample testimony to How the steam reciprocating engine and the steam the importance of the subject. The interest of the turbine are being displaced can be seen from the occasion was increased by the presence in the chair following figures, gleaned from the returns of Lloyd's of Lord Bearsted, the pioneer of the present- day Registry of shipping, which show the tonnage classed system of carriage of petroleum in bulk in tank each year and the types of machinery adopted. steamers. The lecture was a review of the introduction of the use of oil and the action of the Diesel engine, Steam and contained explanations of the types of Diesel Year. eating Engine. Steam Turbine. /__ engines, of which there is a somewhat bewildering variety. Compared with a good steam plant, which Tons. Tons. Tons. uses about I ·8 lb. of coal or I ·4 lb. of oil per B.H.P. 1918-19 2,633.570 1,051,302 75.934 per hour, the Diesel engine burns about 0"4 lb. Apart 1919-20 2,821,031 1,286,046 79,805 from the saving in the fuel bill, a Diesel-engined ship 1920-21 2,373,067 754.513 101,608 1921-22 1,420,524 870,037 226,552 can go farther afield or more cargo can be carried. 1922-23 842,358 603,037 165,229 All early motor ships had twin screws, but experience 1923-24 610,851 99.464 164.336 has shown the oil engine to be reliable and single screws are now being fitted where suitable. Sir NO. 2887, VOL. I I 5] ©1925 Nature Publishing Group FEBRUARY 28, 1925] NATURE 319 Fortescue Flannery dealt with the main. points in He seemed to think that the Admiralty has not done the different designs of single-acting and double­ so much as it might to further the progress of the acting, and of four- stroke and two -stroke engines oil-engine for propulsion. such as the Burmeister and Wain, North British, Tosi, In the discussion that followed, Engineer Admiral Vickers, Werkspoor, Doxford, Fullagar, Polar, and Sir Robert Dixon, the Engineer-in-Chief of the Fleet, Sulzer, and also of that most interesting development, recalled the work done in the Navy on the Diesel the Still engine, which is a Diesel engine and steam­ engines for submarines and referred to the experimental engine combined. Developments are still proceeding plant founded at West Drayton. Before an oil­ with rapid strides towards the double-acting type engined battleship is feasible, however, the Diesel and the consequent increase of power in proportion engine must give far more power for its weight than to the weight, but there is at present no approach those in existence at present. to the standardisation such as is attained in the triple­ It may be remarked that even the late Lord Fisher expansion engine. would scarcely have cared to command a light During the course of the evening, Lord Bearsted cruiser of 26 knots, even if fitted with oil- engines, read a characteristic letter on the oil question from when trying to overtake an enemy ship of the same the late Lord Fisher, written in Igii, and he also class wth a speed of 28 knots. In building the gave some figures respecting the oil-engines suitable famous Dreadnought, a thousand tons in weight and for a light cruiser. The cruiser, it is true, would roo,oool. in money were saved by the adoption of have a speed of 26 knots as against a speed of 28 steam- turbine machinery, but there seems little knots of her sister ship with steam machinery, but prospect at present of doing anything similar by the she would have a very much greater radius of action.
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