"SUN-POWER" ENGINE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 23 October 1913, Page 7

"SUN-POWER" ENGINE.

A message from Cairo states that the "sun-power" pumping plant, invented by Mr Frank Shuman, which was recently installed in Egypt, has been insjjected by Field-Marshal "Visdount Kitchener, who was much impressed by the plant This invention has been applied to pumping operations, and is capable of pumping 3000 gallons of water per minute to a height of 33ft, equal to» the actual delivery of 30 horse-power. The principle of this, the la.test system of power production, is simple, the heat of the sun being used to raise steam in a specially-constructed boiler, to drive a high-pressure engine. There is a series of generators, each consisting of a flat sheet-iron box, 3ft square, with plates only l-Bth of an inch apart and covered by two sheets of glass an inch apart. The boxes are massed together over a space of 5000 square feet, and have a heat-collecting isti'iictcd boiler, to drive a low pressure tip of 26 rows of boxes, each row containing 22 single units'. Each box, which is painted with, a dull black composition that does not reflect more than 6 per cent, of the sun's rays, rests upon a layer of non-conducting material. The resulting insulation is so good that, if desired, a temperature of over 400deg. Fahr. can be obtained in the boxes. The boxes are placed on trestles, aJid can be set at angles to .suit the sun, whilst mirrors are used to direct additional sunlight onto them. On one side of each box is a pipe for taking away the steam generated.. The steam - pipes from the various; boxes are connected together so that they discharge into a pipe Bin in diameter, which conveys the steam to the engine. The latter is a low-pressure machine, designed specially to r?fluco heat losses to a minimum. It is provided with a tubular surface type condenser, which type is essential, as only distilled water can be used in the' generators.