194 REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS AND PROJECTS. 



ENGINEERING. 



Goss, W. F. M., Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana. Grant No. 425. 

 An investigation to determine (i) the value of superheated steam when 

 employed in single-expansion locomotives; (2) the performance of com- 

 pound locomotives when served zvith saturated steam and when served 

 with superheated steam. $4,000. 



Operations under this grant have thus far been directed to a determination 

 of the value of superheated steam when employed in single-expansion locomo- 

 tives. They have been in cooperation with the authorities of Purdue Uni- 

 versity, which has made available for the work its locomotive-testing labora- 

 tory, together with all apparatus therein contained. In response to plans 

 which had been outlined previous to the announcement of the grant, the 

 Purdue experimental locomotive had, by the courtesy of the American 

 Locomotive Company, been equipped with a Cole superheater by which the 

 steam delivered to the locomotive cylinders is heated to a temperature which 

 is from 150° to 200° higher than that of the water from which it is gener- 

 ated. Results obtained from this locomotive prior to its being equipped with 

 a superheater supply an acceptable base from which to estimate the advan- 

 tages to be derived from the presence of the superheater. The grant became 

 available January i, 1907, and as all necessary equipment was in readiness, 

 no time was lost in starting the work. Up to July i, twenty tests had been 

 run and it is expected that the whole series involving the present superheater 

 will be completed before the end of the summer, after which a new super- 

 heater having other proportions will be installed, in anticipation of a second 

 series of tests. 



While the work of the computing-room is necessarily behind that of the 

 laboratory, it has been possible to prepare a preliminary statement defining 

 the performance of the superheater, and giving a forecast of the economic 

 results to be expected from its use. This was in the form of a paper entitled 

 "Notes concerning the performance of the Cole superheater as applied to 

 the Purdue University locomotive," presented at the spring meeting of the 

 American Society of Mechanical Engineers. 



Throughout the progress of the work the laboratory has been fortunate in 

 having the cooperation of the technologic branch of the U. S. Geological Sur- 

 vey, which has supplied two skilled investigators, who have had special 

 charge of all work relating to analyses and tests to determine calorific values 

 of fuels used, and of the ash, cinders, sparks, and smoke-box gases developed 

 by the tests. 



