426 Mr, W. Herapath's Experiments on Oil and Coal Gas. 



Gasometers and Burners changed. 



Xo. of 

 Experi- 

 ments. 



Size of 

 Burners. 



No. 



3. same 



3. same 

 ArganJ lamp 



Heisht 



of 

 Flame. 



a TIT 



Dura- 

 tion of 

 Hxperi- 



ment. 



16 58 



Quan- 

 tity of 

 Gas 



consumcU 



1-00 

 •42 



loSgrs oil 



Distance 

 of Light 



from 

 Shadow. 



Eelative 

 A^alues 

 L'-nlculated 

 from Ex- 

 ]H-riment. 



equal 



1-00 



2-38 



Gas. 



I coal 

 !oil 



Experiment 1 repeated, Gasometers only changed. 

 ( I 4. 15 usual holcsl 3^ I 11' 9" 1 1-000 | ^ ^^,,^1 1 I'OO 



4. 15 fine holes 



— -Ub 



■24 



I coal 



I oil 



Average of six experiments, as 1 to 2-24. 



These experiments were repeated in public, as far as time 

 would allow, on February 27th, and less heat was made use of. 

 The same sort of oil was decomposed at a low red heat in the 

 same apparatus. l-8th in weight was found as residual car- 

 bon ; and 83^ cubic feet of gas, spec. grav. -902, were produced 

 per gallon. If the density had been only -876, as in the last 

 experiment, the quantity would have been (found by propor- 

 tion) 85-9; it was then 86*9, as near a coincidence as can be 

 expected. Thus what was gained in densiti/ by operating at 

 a low heat, was lost in quantitij, 



A most respectable and scientific company attended the ex- 

 periments on light, &c., and the results were, as before, less 

 than 2^ to 1 ; or, more ])lainly, 1 foot of oil gas would not give 

 as much light as 1\ of coal gas* 



As much had been said, contrary to our experience, of the 

 inoffensive smell of oil gas, and we thought that the fairest 

 mode of trying would be to allow the company present to 

 smell to each while escapmg, — and none of the party knowing 

 which gas was made from either substance, — often gentlemen, 

 three said oil gas smelt the worst. Coal gas therefore cannot 

 be so much worse than oil gas, as has been represented. Coal 

 gas has the peculiar smell of naphthaline mixed with a small 

 portion of sulphuretted hydrogen and hydro-sulphuret of 

 ammonia ; and oil gas i-esembles a lamp blown out, but not 

 extinguished. 



To ascertain nearly the heat given out during combustion, 

 we liad three tin vessels made, with covers and vei'y concave 

 bottoms, capable of holding one quart of water : a pint at 40° 

 Fahrenheit was introduced into each, and the number of de- 

 grees acquired in the same time from equal lights, and at 



equal 



