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Aviation History
1909
1909 - 0522.PDF
AUGUST 28, 1909. THE LANE HYDROGEN PRODUCER. By HOWARD LANE. ALTHOUGH spherical balloons, such as are used for the purpose of pleasure trips, are, on the score of cheapness, inflated with coal gas from the ordinary town supply, the lifting power of this medium is so moderate, only about 30 lbs. per 1,000 cubic feet, that it is to all intents and purposes useless for dirigibles, which have to carry much greater loads in proportion to their size. Hydrogen, the lightest of all gases, is alone suited to this work, but on the other hand it is commonly very expensive, in fact, it is often so costly as to be prohibitive. Much attention has therefore been directed by engi- neers and chemists to the cheapening of the production of hydrogen, and before proceeding to describe the special process which is my own invention, it may be as well to briefly refer to the methods hitherto in vogue. Firstly, there is the old and well-known chemical process by which hydrogen is evolved when sulphuric acid is added to zinc or iron turnings. In this reaction the water becomes decomposed, yielding free hydrogen, while its oxygen combines with the metal to form a sulphate that remains in solution. The other principal method of obtaining hydro- gen is that known as the electrolytic process, in which water is split up into its elements by the passage of an electric current. In the former chemical process the hydrogen pro- duced is liable to impurities, and in the latter it is exceedingly costly, unless the circumstances are especially favourable for obtaining cheap electric power. There is another system for obtain- ing hydrogen, in which water in the form of steam is decomposed by red-hot iron in a retort, and it is a modification of this principle that underlies the action of the Lane producer. By the original steam process the oxydised iron needs to be removed from the retorts at each operation, and replaced by fresh metal, but by the Lane process the iron pre- paration which takes its place remains permanently in use, and there is an attendant saving of trouble and expense. As soon as the iron is oxydised or rendered incapable of decomposing more steam, it is reduced, or de-oxydised in situ by intermittently passing over it a cheap producer gas of high calorific power. The action of the producer gas is to abstract the oxygen from the oxide, thus Con- verting the medium to the metallic condition, and rendering it once more capable of decomposing steam. Thus, by means of alterations controlled by suitable valves, the process goes on indefinitely, while the only materials consumed are the water and the fuel from which the cheap producer gas is made. One of the special features of the Lane system is the use of a preparation of iron instead of the turnings commonly employed for such purposes. Turnings have been found not permanently satisfactory, and the material which is used in their place is iron oxide mixed with certain other ingredients which act catalytically and render the iron more sensitive. Before this material will act it must, of course, be initially reduced, that is to sayr the de-oxydisation must precede the oxydation. There are also other details on which the success of the main plant depend. The contents of the retorts, for instance, need special manipulation to prevent them becoming inert through the gradual accumulation of sulphur abstracted from the producer gas. Moreover, the material itself needs a change of treatment, as for some obscure reason after continued use it ceases to be active. These and other details have had to be studied and developed as difficulties have arisen, but one and all have now been overcome, and in the latest plants it is- possible to obtain hydrogen of 98 per cent, purity at a cost, in large installations, of from 3s. 6d. to $s. per 1,000 cubic feet. The Lane Hydrogen Plant. The Lane plant in its most recent, form, of which the accompanying photograph is an illustration, comprises producers for the reducing gas, washers, purifiers, fan, steam-engine, retort-furnace, condenser, washer and purifiers for the hydrogen and gas-holder. The plants are made in sizes capable of producing 500 cubic feet up to 10,000 cubic feet per hour. The initial cost of the plant is naturally fairly high, although the gas produced is cheap. On account of the massive nature of the apparatus it is desirable that the installation should be established in a permanent position, suitable for its local use, or from which the hydrogen can be conveniently transported under pressure in cylinders. Plants of this description- have been erected in St. Petersburg, Vienna, Paris, London and Newcastle, and another capable of producing 5,000 cubic feet per hour is in course of erection at Warrington. 524
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