Hermann Blau
Encyclopedia
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. His attempts to separate gas mixtures by physical means eventually led to the great invention of his life, a transportable liquid lighting gas from the distillation of gases.
It was the manufacturer Ludwig August Riedinger who inspired the inventor to start his first production facility, the Blaugas factory in 1903 in Augsburg
at the Auer roads. The Augsburg-based company operated later on with Riedinger under the name the German Blau gas company which controlled factories in Vienna
, Budapest
, Bucharest
, Saint Petersburg
, the United States
, Canada
and Cuba
.
Blau gas has a rather water-like color. It was stored in steel cylinders for shipment and had the advantages that it possessed the highest specific energy
from all artificial produced gases and unlike coal gas
it was free from carbon monoxide
. Its main use was for lighting purposes especially in places where coal gas was not available. Blau gas factories were operated in Denmark and Holland for the supply of lighthouse
s.
When the electric lights became more common and the extraction of propane
became popular because of its cheaper production Blau gas was pushed out of the market. As a consequence of this decline, the Blaugas factory in Augsburg closed down in the fall of 1933, and moved the main operation of the company to a town in northern Germany.
Blau gas experienced an almost unexpected upswing when attempts were made to run the engines of the Zeppelin airships with Blau gas. The decisive factor was the fact that the weight of Blau gas hardly differs from that of air and the use of large quantities of the propellant had little impact on the ships buoyancy
. This advantage was evident on the Zeppelin airship's first voyage to America. Starting in 1929, the Zeppelin construction facility in Friedrichshafen produced the required Blau gas in a Blau manufacturing plant; the use of Blau gas as a buoyancy compensator
was demonstrated with the LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin
.
Hermann Blau was born in Graben
, Karlsruhe
and died in Stephanskirchen
, Rosenheim
. He was married to Caroline Blau, had a daughter, Martha, and four sons, Hermann, Rudolf, Edmund and Theodor.
Blau gas
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 oils in retorts by heat and compressing the resulting naphtha until it liquefied. It was transported in this condition, and...
.
Blau, a student of the Nobel Prize winning chemist Adolf von Baeyer
Adolf von Baeyer
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who synthesized indigo, and was the 1905 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born in Berlin, he initially studied mathematics and physics at Berlin University before moving to Heidelberg to study chemistry with Robert Bunsen...
was originally a pharmacist
Pharmacist
Pharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
but devoted himself in later life entirely to chemistry. His attempts to separate gas mixtures by physical means eventually led to the great invention of his life, a transportable liquid lighting gas from the distillation of gases.
It was the manufacturer Ludwig August Riedinger who inspired the inventor to start his first production facility, the Blaugas factory in 1903 in 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...
at the Auer roads. The Augsburg-based company operated later on with Riedinger under the name the German Blau gas company which controlled factories in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
Blau gas has a rather water-like color. It was stored in steel cylinders for shipment and had the advantages 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,...
from all artificial produced gases and 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...
. Its main use was for lighting purposes especially in places where coal gas was not available. Blau gas factories were operated in Denmark and Holland for the supply of lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
s.
When the electric lights became more common and the extraction of propane
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...
became popular because of its cheaper production Blau gas was pushed out of the market. As a consequence of this decline, the Blaugas factory in Augsburg closed down in the fall of 1933, and moved the main operation of the company to a town in northern Germany.
Blau gas experienced an almost unexpected upswing when attempts were made to run the engines of the Zeppelin airships with Blau gas. The decisive factor was the fact that the weight of Blau gas hardly differs from that of air and the use of large quantities of the propellant had little impact on the ships buoyancy
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:...
. This advantage was evident on the Zeppelin airship's first voyage to America. Starting in 1929, the Zeppelin construction facility in Friedrichshafen produced the required Blau gas in a Blau manufacturing plant; the use of Blau gas as a buoyancy compensator
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:...
was demonstrated with 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,...
.
Hermann Blau was born in Graben
Graben
In geology, a graben is a depressed block of land bordered by parallel faults. Graben is German for ditch. Graben is used for both the singular and plural....
, Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
and died in Stephanskirchen
Stephanskirchen
Stephanskirchen is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim, Upper Bavaria in Germany.- Geography :Stephanskirchen is located on a glacially formed plateau. The Inn river on the west and the lake Simssee are natural boundaries. The valley of the Sims river is a natural border at the south. North...
, Rosenheim
Rosenheim
Rosenheim is a town in Bavaria at the confluence of the rivers Inn and Mangfall. It is seat of administration of the district of Rosenheim, but is not a part of it.-Geography:...
. He was married to Caroline Blau, had a daughter, Martha, and four sons, Hermann, Rudolf, Edmund and Theodor.