The general formula then becomes:
Heat of combustion = 14,544 {C + 4.265 (H-(O/8))},
and water evaporated from and at 212 deg., taking 966 units as the heat
necessary to evaporate 1 pound of water,
lb. evaporated = 15.06 {C + 4.265 (H-(O/8))},
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen being taken at their weight per cent. in
the fuel. Strictly speaking, marsh gas should be separately
determined. It often happens that available energy is not in a form in
which it can be applied directly to our needs. The water flowing down
from the mountains in the neighborhood of the Alpine tunnels was
competent to provide the power necessary for boring through them, but
it was not in a form in which it could be directly applied. The
kinetic energy of the water had first to be changed into the potential
energy of air under pressure, then, in that form, by suitable
mechanism, it was used with signal success to disintegrate and
excavate the hard rock of the tunnels. The energy resulting from
combustion is also incapable of being directly transformed into useful
motive power; it must first be converted into potential force of steam
or air at high temperature and pressure, and then applied by means of
suitable heat engines to produce the motions we require. It is
probably to this circumstance that we must attribute the slowness of
the human race to take advantage of the energy of combustion.
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