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All the forces controlled by man for industrial purposes are derived from three main sources. The first of
these is the muscular force of man and animals; the second is the attraction of the earth which we know as gravity;
and the third, being chemical combinations. The latter is by far the most important, as it is in this way we obtain heat
and electricity, the two greatest forces in use at the present time. Electricity must be placed second to heat, for in most
cases it is obtained by a primary use of a heat motive power. Even waterpower owes its energy originally to the heat
of the sun, which drew the water into the air and gave it its potential energy of altitude. Windmills come in the same
class, as the winds are caused by the unequal distribution of the sun's heat. The steam engine is a heat motor, and the
most extensively used of any for industrial purposes. The steam itself does not perform the work, but the heat
contained in the steam. Water vapor is the best known medium for conveying heat from its source to the place where
it is converted into useful work--namely, the engine cylinders.
History shows that the ancients knew something of steam. Two hundred years ago steam pumps of a crude
design were in use in England for lifting water out of the mines. About 1775 James Watt invented the steam engine in
the form it is most commonly known today. Watt was a genius, for the principles he laid down at that time are still
followed. The majority of improvements since have been mainly along the lines of detail, material and construction.
The same can be said in regard to the advance made in the art of manufacturing devices for generating steam. The
same principle has been adhered to, namely, of having a large volume of water exposed to more or less heating
surface and a receptacle at the top from which to remove the steam without entraining the water. The earliest boilers
carried a steam pressure of 2 lb. to the square inch. From 2 lb. pressure there has been a steady increase up to the high
pressures used in modern marine and locomotive boilers. As fast as the advance in strength of materials and improved
construction permitted the amount of pressure was raised, yet there is little difference between the first and last in
principle.
About 1899 R. H. White of Cleveland, Ohio brought out the White Steam Generator, which embodied many
new principles. This departure from the old ideas was the greatest stride in the science of steam generation since the
time of Watt, and should be noted as a distinct invention, not an improvement. To appreciate it one should compare it
with an old type boiler. Placed together, the two appear as a pygmy and a giant, although their power capacity is
exactly the same. A man of ordinary strength can easily lift the present 40 HP generator. To conclude this line of
thought the performances of this new type of steam generator have created a sensation in the engineering world.
Much credit is due the inventor for breaking away from the old ideas and giving to the industrial world of the present
something so new and efficient.
As often described in the literature issued by the White Co. this generator consists of a series of coils of
seamless steel tubing, placed one above another, and the whole surrounded by a light annular casing. The greatest
point of difference from the old type of boiler is that the water enters at the top and the steam is drawn off at the
bottom. The water is being continually forced downward by the feed pumps to replace that which passes out as steam.
The small amount of water contained insures against explosion. A boiler explosion, as commonly known, is caused
by the quick liberation of a great quantity of water, which is under high temperature and pressure. The liberation
suddenly reduces the pressure and the whole mass of water flashes into steam almost instantaneously. Such a thing is
absolutely impossible with the White generator. The nearest thing to it would be a rupture of a tube through which the
small amount of steam would escape with less noise than would occur when the safety valve "pops off."
There are 2 principal points to observe in the care of the generator. Avoid overheating and keep the water
tank clean. If the coils are allowed to run at a red heat the metal becomes soft and the pressure is apt to expand them
enough to cause rupture. (2) Mineral scales, which are the enemies of ordinary boilers, have no effect on the coils.
The circulation is too rapid. However, if the oil in the water tank is permitted to accumulate and is pumped into the
generator by allowing water to run low, much harm will result. The oil spreads itself over the inner surface, and
unless removed while still soft, will carbonize from the heat, in the course of a few days. Once carbonized, it
necessitates taking the generator apart in order to remove.
The White engine is a cross compound of the marine type. The earlier models had both valves of the D slide
type. In 1907 and 1908 they had a high pressure piston valve and a low pressure slide valve, and at the present time
both the high and low pressure have piston valves. The piston valve has the advantage of being almost perfectly
balanced, and consequently wears very little. The Joy valve gear is being used at present, taking the place of the
1
CHAPTER I
THE WHITE CAR
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