Abstract
IN the eighth Thomas Lowe Gray Lecture entitled “The Future of Steam Propulsion” and read before the Institution of Mechanical Engineers on January 10, Mr. John Johnson, chief engineer of steamship services, Canadian Pacific Railway, gave it as his opinion that, for such powers as are necessary for ship propulsion, steam plant will ultimately prove to be unsurpassed in reliability, durability and smoothness of working. A few years ago, the Diesel engine was rapidly gaining in popularity; but, with the improvements already made and likely to appear in the near future, the position is being reversed. It is essential, of course, that the cruder forms of boiler, engine and auxiliary machinery be discarded and be replaced by a system in which each individual part is pre-eminently fitted to give the most efficient service. Boilers in service in the older ships gave an evaporation of 140 Ib. of steam per hour per ton weight at an efficiency of 80–82 per cent; with improved water-tube boilers and preheaters, the corresponding figures are anticipated to be 750 Ib. and 90 per cent. To reduce costs of cleaning and repairs, Mr. Johnson looks forward to the use of de-aerated water being accepted as fundamentally necessary in boilers, just as a lubricant is in bearings. Equally effective improvements are suggested in the case of steam turbines, condensers and auxiliary plant.
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Future of Steam Propulsion. Nature 137, 267 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/137267b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/137267b0