Blau gas
Encyclopedia
Blau gas was an artificial illuminating gas similar to propane
, named after its inventor, Dr. Hermann Blau
of Augsburg
, Germany
. It was manufactured by decomposing mineral oil
s in retorts by heat and compressing the resulting naphtha
until it liquefied. It was transported in this condition, and like LPG, upon release it assumed the gaseous state again. Chemically, it is similar to coal gas
.
Blau gas is not blue, but has a rather water-like color. It was stored in steel cylinders for shipment and had the advantage that it possessed the highest specific energy
of all artificially produced gases, but unlike coal gas
, it was free from carbon monoxide
.
Blau gas was burned for lighting and heating; a less-pure form known as Pintsch gas
fueled railroad car
lights and stoves in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Blau gas was most famous, however, as the buoyancy compensating
fuel for the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
. It had several advantages over liquid fuels such as gasoline
. It was non-explosive, and because it weighed approximately the same as air, burning it and replacing its volume with air did not lighten the airship
, eliminating the need to adjust buoyancy or ballast in-flight.
Blaugas contains about 50% olefins (alkenes), 37% methane
and other alkane
s, 6% hydrogen
and the rest is air. It has a specific energy
value of 15,349 kcal/m3 or 3000 Hefner lamp
(Hefnerkerze).
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
, named after its inventor, Dr. Hermann Blau
Hermann Blau
Hermann Blau was a German engineer and chemist, and inventor of Blau gas.Blau, a student of the Nobel Prize winning chemist Adolf von Baeyer was originally a pharmacist but devoted himself in later life entirely to chemistry...
of Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was manufactured by decomposing mineral oil
Mineral oil
A mineral oil is any of various colorless, odorless, light mixtures of alkanes in the C15 to C40 range from a non-vegetable source, particularly a distillate of petroleum....
s in retorts by heat and compressing the resulting naphtha
Naphtha
Naphtha normally refers to a number of different flammable liquid mixtures of hydrocarbons, i.e., a component of natural gas condensate or a distillation product from petroleum, coal tar or peat boiling in a certain range and containing certain hydrocarbons. It is a broad term covering among the...
until it liquefied. It was transported in this condition, and like LPG, upon release it assumed the gaseous state again. Chemically, it is similar to coal gas
Coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
.
Blau gas is not blue, but has a rather water-like color. It was stored in steel cylinders for shipment and had the advantage that it possessed the highest specific energy
Specific energy
Specific energy is defined as the energy per unit mass. Common metric units are J/kg. It is an intensive property. Contrast this with energy, which is an extensive property. There are two main types of specific energy: potential energy and specific kinetic energy. Others are the gray and sievert,...
of all artificially produced gases, but unlike coal gas
Coal gas
Coal gas is a flammable gaseous fuel made by the destructive distillation of coal containing a variety of calorific gases including hydrogen, carbon monoxide, methane and volatile hydrocarbons together with small quantities of non-calorific gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen...
, it was free from carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide , also called carbonous oxide, is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is slightly lighter than air. It is highly toxic to humans and animals in higher quantities, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal...
.
Blau gas was burned for lighting and heating; a less-pure form known as Pintsch gas
Pintsch gas
Pintsch gas was a compressed gas derived from distilled naphtha for illumination purposes during the 19th and early 20th centuries.It was invented in 1851 by German inventor and manufacturer Julius Pintsch . Its primary use in the latter half of the 19th century was for illumination of railroad cars...
fueled railroad car
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
lights and stoves in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Blau gas was most famous, however, as the buoyancy compensating
Buoyancy compensator (aviation)
The static buoyancy of airships during a trip is not constant. It is therefore necessary to take measures to control the buoyancy and thus the altitude, the so-called buoyancy compensation.-Changes which have an effect on buoyancy:...
fuel for the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin was a German built and operated passenger-carrying hydrogen-filled rigid airship which operated commercially from 1928 to 1937. It was named after the German pioneer of airships, Ferdinand von Zeppelin, who was a Graf or Count in the German nobility. During its operating life,...
. It had several advantages over liquid fuels such as gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. It was non-explosive, and because it weighed approximately the same as air, burning it and replacing its volume with air did not lighten the airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
, eliminating the need to adjust buoyancy or ballast in-flight.
Blaugas contains about 50% olefins (alkenes), 37% methane
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
and other alkane
Alkane
Alkanes are chemical compounds that consist only of hydrogen and carbon atoms and are bonded exclusively by single bonds without any cycles...
s, 6% hydrogen
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
and the rest is air. It has a specific energy
Specific energy
Specific energy is defined as the energy per unit mass. Common metric units are J/kg. It is an intensive property. Contrast this with energy, which is an extensive property. There are two main types of specific energy: potential energy and specific kinetic energy. Others are the gray and sievert,...
value of 15,349 kcal/m3 or 3000 Hefner lamp
Hefner lamp
The Hefner lamp, or in German Hefnerkerze, is a flame lamp used in photometry that burns amyl acetate.The lamp was invented by Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck in 1884 and he proposed its use as a standard flame for photometric purposes with a luminous intensity unit of the Hefnerkerze...
(Hefnerkerze).
See also
- August RiedingerAugust RiedingerAugust Riedinger was a German businessman who operated gas companies in Germany and Europe and also participated in balloon manufacturing.- Life :...
- History of manufactured gasHistory of manufactured gasThe history of manufactured gas, important for lighting, heating, and cooking purposes throughout most of the nineteenth century and the first half of the 20th century, began with the development of analytical and pneumatic chemistry in the eighteenth century...
- K-1 (airship)K-1 (airship)The K-1 was an experimental blimp designed by the United States Navy in 1929. Due to the inability to get Congressional approval for the construction of an airship the navy used the ploy of ordering a "universal" control car which could be used on the J-type airships from the Naval Aircraft...
- AirshipAirshipAn airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...