INVENTION OUTLINED.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 230, 28 September 1928, Page 7

INVENTION OUTLINED.

Too Explosive For Commercial Use. i POWER CONFERENCE. (Australian Press Assn. —United Service.) (Received 12 noon.) LONDON, September 27. Walter von Hohenau, the Brazilian scientist, informed the Fuel Conference that after 30 years of research he had discovered a method of using water as a fuel at a fraction of the cost of present fuels and replacing coal, which henceforth would be useful only for its compound chemicals hitherto wasted. Von Hohenau claims the ability, by high frequency electro-magnetic vibrations, to release large volumes of hydrogen from separated oxygen at an expenditure of energy much less than hydrogen would produce. One horse-power expended by his machine working on low vibrations releases hydrogen generating 265 horsepower, and in heat units working at a voltage of from ten to 26, and producing 800,000 to 6,000,000 vibrations per second, high alternations would produce 779 ■ horse-power.

However, he did not recommend it industrially because an increase much above 5,000,000 decomposes the hydrogen and renders the water explosive. The plant occupies a small space and the existing engines and boiler can be retained owing to their adaptability as gas burners.

Von Hohenau is informing the British and German Governments of his discovery, and will instal a plant gratis, charging the consumers half the amount payable for present power costs.