Part 7

This apparatus is designed much after the principle of the Regnault-Reiset apparatus, in that there is a confined volume of air in which the subject lives and which is purified by its passage through vessels containing absorbents for water and carbon dioxide. Fresh oxygen is added to this current of air and it is then returned to the chamber to be respired. This principle, in order to be accurate for oxygen determinations, necessitates an absolutely air-tight system and consequently special precautions have been taken in the construction of the chamber and accessories.

TESTING THE CHAMBER FOR TIGHTNESS.

As already suggested, the walls are constructed of the largest possible sheets of copper with a minimum number of seams and opportunities for leakage. In testing the apparatus for leaks, the greatest precaution is taken. A small air-pressure is applied and the variations in height of a delicate manometer noted. In cases of apparent leakage, all possible sources of leak are gone over with soapsuds when there is a slight pressure on the chamber. As a last resort, which has ultimately proven to be the best method of testing, an assistant goes inside of the chamber, it is then hermetically sealed, and a slight diminished pressure is produced. Ether is then poured about the walls of the chamber and the odor of ether soon becomes apparent inside of the chamber if there is a leakage. Many leaks that could not be found by soapsuds can be readily detected by this method.

VENTILATION OF THE CHAMBER.

The special features of the respiration chamber are the ventilating-pipe system and openings for supplementary apparatus for absorption of water and carbon dioxide. The air entering the chamber is absolutely dry and is directed into the top of the chamber immediately above the head of the subject. The moisture given off from the lungs and skin and the expired gases all tend to mix readily with this dry air as it descends, and the final mixture of gases is withdrawn through an opening near the bottom of the chamber at the front. Under these conditions, therefore, we believe we have a maximum intermingling of the gases. However, even with this system of ventilation, we do not feel that there is theoretically the best mixture of gases, and an electric fan is used inside of the chamber. In experiments where there is considerable regularity in the carbon-dioxide production and oxygen consumption, the system very quickly attains a state of equilibrium, and while the analysis of the outcoming air does not necessarily represent fairly the actual composition of the air inside of the chamber, it evidently represents to the same degree from hour to hour the state of equilibrium that is usually maintained through the whole of a 6-hour experiment.

The interior of the chamber and all appliances are constructed of metal except the chair in which the subject sits. This is of hard wood, well shellacked, and consequently non-porous. With this calorimeter it is desired to make studies regarding the moisture elimination, and consequently it is necessary to avoid the use of all material of a hygroscopic nature. Although the chair can be weighed from time to time with great accuracy and its changes in weight obtained, it is obviously impossible, in any type of experiment thus far made, to differentiate between the water vaporized from the lungs and skin of the man and that from his clothes. Subsequent experiments with a metal chair, with minimum clothing, with cloth of different textures, without clothing, with an oiled skin, and various other modifications affecting the vaporization of water from the body of the man will doubtless throw more definite light upon the question of the water elimination through the skin. At present, however, we resort to the use of a wooden chair, relying upon its changes in weight as noted by the balance to aid us in apportioning the water vaporized between the man and his clothing and the chair.

The walls of the chamber are semi-rigid. Owing to the calorimetric features of this apparatus, it is impracticable to use heavy boiler-plate or heavy metal walls, as the sluggishness of the changes in temperature, the mass of metal, and its relatively large hydrothermal equivalent would interfere seriously with the sensitiveness of the apparatus as a calorimeter. Hence we use copper walls, with a fair degree of rigidity, attached to a substantial structural-steel support; and for all practical purposes the apparatus can be considered as of constant volume. Particularly is this the case when it is considered that the pressure inside of the chamber during an experiment never varies from the atmospheric pressure by more than a few millimeters of water. It is possible, therefore, from the measurements of this chamber, to compute with considerable accuracy the absolute volume. The apparent volume has been calculated to be 1,347 liters.

OPENINGS IN THE CHAMBER.

In order to communicate with the interior of the chamber, maintain a ventilating air-current, and provide for the passage of the current of water for the heat-absorber system and the large number of electrical connections, a number of openings through the walls of the chamber were necessary. The great importance of maintaining this chamber absolutely air-tight renders it necessary to minimize the number of these openings, to reduce their size as much as possible, and to take extra precaution in securing their closure during an experiment. The largest opening is obviously the trap-door at the top through which the subject enters, shown in dotted outline in fig. 7. While somewhat inconvenient to enter the chamber in this way, the entrance from above possesses many advantages. It is readily closed and sealed by hot wax and rarely is a leakage experienced. The trap-door is constructed on precisely the same plan as the rest of the calorimeter, having its double walls of copper and zinc, its thermal-junction system, its heating wires and connections, and its cooling pipes. When closed and sealed, and the connections made with the cooling pipes and heating wires, it presents an appearance not differing from any other portion of the calorimeter.

The next largest opening is the food-aperture, which is a large sheet-copper tube, somewhat flattened, thus giving a slightly oval form, closed with a port, such as is used on vessels. The door of the port consists of a heavy brass frame with a heavy glass window and it can be closed tightly by means of a rubber gasket and two thumbscrews. On the outside is used a similar port provided with a tube somewhat larger in diameter than that connected with the inner port. The annular space between these tubes is filled with a pneumatic gasket which can be inflated and thus a tight closure may be maintained. When one door is closed and the other opened, articles can be placed in and taken out of the chamber without the passage of a material amount of air from the chamber to the room outside or into the chamber from outside.

The air-pipes passing through the wall of the calorimeter are of standard 1-inch piping. The insulation from the copper wall is made by a rubber stopper through which this piping is passed, the stopper being crowded into a brass ferule which is stoutly soldered to the copper wall. This is shown in detail in fig. 25, in which N is the brass ferule and M the rubber stopper through which the air-pipe passes. The closure is absolutely air-tight and a minimum amount of heat is conducted out of the chamber, owing to the insulation of the rubber stopper M. The water-current enters and leaves the chamber through two pipes insulated in two similar brass ferules soldered to the copper and zinc walls. The insulation between the water-pipe and the brass ferule has been the subject of much experimenting and is discussed on page 24. The best insulation was secured by a vacuum-jacketed glass tube, although the special hard-rubber tubes surrounding the electric-resistance thermometers have proven very effective as insulators in the bed calorimeter.

A series of small brass tubes, from 10 to 15 millimeters in diameter, are soldered into the copper wall in the vicinity of the water-pipes. These are used for electrical connections and for connections with the manometer, stethoscope, and pneumograph. All of these openings are tested carefully and shown to be absolutely air-tight before being put in use.

In the dome of the calorimeter, and directly over the head of the subject, is the opening for the weighing apparatus. This consists of a hard-rubber tube, threaded at one end and screwed into a brass flange heavily soldered to the copper wall (fig. 9). When not in use, a solid rubber stopper on a brass rod is drawn into this opening, thus producing an air-tight closure. When in actual use during the process of weighing, a thin rubber diaphragm prevents leakage of air through this opening. The escape of heat through the weighing-tube is minimized by having this tube of hard rubber.

VENTILATING AIR-CURRENT.

The ventilating air-current is so adjusted that the air which leaves the chamber is caused to pass through purifiers, where the water-vapor and the carbon dioxide are removed, and then, after being replenished with fresh oxygen, it is returned to the chamber ready for use. The general scheme of the respiration apparatus is shown in fig. 27. The air leaving the chamber contains carbon dioxide and water-vapor and the original amount of nitrogen and is somewhat deficient in oxygen. In order to purify the air it must be passed through absorbents for carbonic acid and water-vapor and hence some pressure is necessary to force the gas through these purifying vessels. This pressure is obtained by a small positive rotary blower, which has been described previously in detail.[18] The air is thus forced successively through sulphuric acid, soda or potash-lime, and again sulphuric acid. Finally it is directed back to the respiration chamber free from carbon dioxide and water and deficient in oxygen. Pure oxygen is admitted to the chamber to make up the deficiency, and the air thus regenerated is breathed again by the subject.

BLOWER.

The rotary blower used in these experiments for maintaining the ventilating current of air has given the greatest satisfaction. It is a so-called positive blower and capable of producing at the outlet considerable pressure and at the inlet a vacuum of several inches of mercury. At a speed of 230 revolutions per minute it delivers the air at a pressure of 43 millimeters of mercury, forcing it through the purifying vessels at the rate of 75 liters per minute. This rate of ventilation has been established as being satisfactory for all experiments and is constant. Under the pressure of 43 millimeters of mercury there are possibilities of leakage of air from the blower connections and hence, to note this immediately, the blower system is immersed in a tank filled with heavy lubricating oil. The connections are so well made, however, that leakage rarely occurs, and, when it does, a slight tightening of the stuffing-box on the shaft makes the apparatus tight again.

ABSORBERS FOR WATER-VAPOR.

To absorb 25 to 40 grams of water-vapor in an hour from a current of air moving at the rate of 75 liters per minute and leaving the air essentially dry under these conditions has been met by the apparatus herewith described. The earlier attempts to secure this result involved the use of enameled-iron soup-stock pots, fitted with special enameled-iron covers and closed with rubber gaskets. For the preliminary experimenting and for a few experiments with man these proved satisfactory, but in spite of their resistance to the action of sulphuric acid, it was found that they were not as desirable as they should be for continued experimenting from year to year. Recourse was then had to a special form of chemical pottery, glazed, and a type that usually gives excellent satisfaction in manufacturing concerns was used.

This special form of absorbers presented many difficulties in construction, but the mechanical difficulties were overcome by the potter's skill and a number of such vessels were furnished by the Charles Graham Chemical Pottery Works. Here again these vessels served our purpose for several months, but unfortunately the glaze used did not suffice to cover them completely and there was a slight, though persistent, leakage of sulphuric acid through the porous walls. To overcome this difficulty the interior of the vessels was coated with hot paraffin after a long-continued washing to remove the acid and after they had been allowed to dry thoroughly. The paraffin-treated absorbers continued to give satisfaction, but it was soon seen that for permanent use something more satisfactory must be had. After innumerable trials with glazed vessels of different kinds of pottery and glass, arrangements were made with the Royal Berlin Porcelain Works to mold and make these absorbers out of their highly resistant porcelain. The result thus far leaves nothing to be desired as a vessel for this purpose. A number of such absorbers were made and have been constantly used for a year and are absolutely without criticism.

Fig. 28 shows the nature of the interior of the apparatus. The air enters through one opening at the top, passes down through a bent pipe, and enters a series of roses, consisting of inverted circular saucers with holes in the rims. The position of the holes is such that when the vessel is one-fourth to one-third full of sulphuric acid the air must pass through the acid three times. To prevent spattering, a small cup-shaped arrangement, provided with holes, is attached to the opening through which the air passes out of the absorber, and for filling the vessel with acid a small opening is made near one edge. The specifications required that the apparatus should be made absolutely air-tight to pressures of over 1 meter of water, and that there is no porosity in these vessels under these conditions is shown by the fact that such a pressure is held indefinitely. The inside and outside are both heavily glazed. There is no apparent action of sulphuric acid on the vessels and the slight increase in temperature resulting from the absorption of water-vapor as the air passes through does not appear to have any deleterious effect.

The vessels without filling and without rubber elbows weigh 11.5 kilograms; with the special elbows and couplings attached so as to enable them to be connected with the ventilating air-system, the empty absorbers weigh 13.4 kilograms; and filled with sulphuric acid they weigh 19 kilograms. Repeated tests have shown that 5.5 kilograms of sulphuric acid will remove the water-vapor from a current of air passing through the absorbers at the rate of 75 liters of air per minute, without letting any appreciable amount pass by until 500 grams of water have been absorbed. At this degree of saturation a small persistent amount of moisture escapes absorption in the acid and consequently a second absorber will begin to gain in weight. Experiments demonstrate that the first vessel can gain 1,500 grams of water before the second gains 5 grams. As a matter of fact, it has been found more advantageous to use but one absorber and have it refilled as soon as it has gained 400 grams, thus allowing a liberal factor of safety and no danger of loss of water.

POTASH-LIME CANS.

The problem of absorbing the water-vapor from so rapid a current of air is second only to that of absorbing the carbon dioxide from such a current. All experiments with potassium hydroxide in the form of sticks or in solution failed to give the desired results and the use of soda-lime has supplemented all other forms of carbon dioxide absorption. More recently we have been using potash-lime, substituting caustic potash for caustic soda in the formula, and the results thus obtained are, if anything, more satisfactory than with the soda-lime.

The potash-lime is made as follows: 1 kilogram of commercial potassium hydroxide, pulverized, is dissolved in 550 to 650 cubic centimeters of water and 1 kilogram of pulverized quicklime added slowly. The amount of water to be used varies with the moisture content of the potash. There is a variation in the moisture content of different kegs of potash, so when a keg is opened we determine experimentally the amount of water to be used. After a batch is made up in this way it should be allowed to cool before testing whether it has the right amount of water, and this is determined by feeling of it and noting how it pulverizes in the hand. It is not advisable to make a great quantity at once, because we have found that if a large quantity is made and broken into small particles and stored in a container it has a tendency to cake and thus interfere with its ready subsequent use.

A record was kept of the gains in weight of a can filled with potash-lime during a series of experiments where there were three silver-plated cans used. This can was put at the head of the system and when it began to lose weight it was removed. The records of gains of weight when added together amount to 400 grams. From experience with other cans where the loss of moisture was determined, it is highly probable that at least 200 grams of water were vaporized from the reagent and thus the total amount of carbon dioxide absorbed must have been not far from 600 grams. At present our method is not to allow the cans to gain a certain weight, but during 4-hour or 5-hour experiments, in which each can may be used 2 or 3 hours, it is the practice to put a new can on each side of the absorber system (see page 66) at the beginning of every experiment. This insures the same power of absorption on each side of the absorption system so that the residual amount of carbon dioxide in the chamber from period to period does not undergo very marked changes. This has been found the best method, because if one can is left on a day longer than the other there is apt to be alternately a rise and fall in the amount of residual carbon dioxide in the apparatus, owing to the unequal efficiency of the absorbers.

These cans are each day taken to the basement, where the first section[19] only is taken out and replaced with new potash-lime. Thus, three-quarters of the contents of the can is used over and over, while the first quarter is freshly renewed every day. Potash-lime has not been found practicable for the U-tubes because one can not, as in the case of soda-lime, see the whitening of the reagent where the carbon dioxide is absorbed.

The importance of having the soda-lime or potash-lime somewhat moist, to secure the highest efficiency for the absorption of the carbon dioxide, makes it necessary to absorb the moisture taken up by the dry air in passing through the potash-lime can. Consequently a second vessel containing sulphuric acid is placed in the system to receive the air immediately after it leaves the potash-lime can. Obviously the amount of water absorbed here is very much less than in the first acid absorber and hence the same absorber can be used for a greater number of experiments.

BALANCE FOR WEIGHING ABSORBERS.

The complete removal of water-vapor and carbon dioxide from a current of air moving at the rate of 75 liters per minute calls for large and somewhat unwieldy vessels in which is placed the absorbing material. This is particularly the case with the vessels containing the rather large amounts of sulphuric acid required to dry the air. In the course of an hour there is ordinarily removed from the chamber not far from 25 grams of water-vapor and 20 to 30 grams of carbon dioxide. This necessitates weighing the absorbers to within 0.25 gram if an accuracy of 1 per cent is desired. The sulphuric-acid absorbers weigh about 18 kilograms when filled with acid. In order to weigh this receptacle so as to measure accurately the increase in weight due to the absorption of water to within less than 1 per cent, we use the balance shown in fig. 29. This balance has been employed in a number of other manipulations in connection with the respiration calorimeter and accessory apparatus and the general type of balance leaves nothing to be desired as a balance capable of carrying a heavy load with remarkable sensitiveness.

The balance is rigidly mounted on a frame consisting of four upright structural-steel angle-irons, fastened at the top to a substantial wooden bed. Two heavy wooden pieces run the length of the table and furnish a substantial base to which the standard of the balance is bolted. The balance is surrounded by a glass case to prevent errors due to air-currents (see fig. 2). The pan of the balance is not large enough to permit the weighing of an absorber, hence provision is made for suspending it on a steel or brass rod from one of the hanger arms. This rod passes through a hole in the bottom of the balance case, and its lower end is provided with a piece of pipe having hooks at either end. Since the increase in weight rather than the absolute weight of the absorber is used, the greater part of the weight is taken up by lead counterpoises suspended above the pan on the right-hand arm of the balance. The remainder of the weight is made up with brass weights placed in the pan.

In order to suspend this heavy absorber, a small elevator has been constructed, so that the vessel may be raised by a compressed-air piston. This piston is placed in an upright position at the right of the elevator and is connected with the compressed-air service of the building. The pressure is about 25 pounds per square inch and the diameter of the cylinder is 2.5 inches, thus giving ample service for raising and lowering the elevator and its load. By turning a 3-way valve at the end of the compressed-air supply-pipe, so that the air rushes into the cylinder above the piston, the piston is pushed to the base of the cylinder and the elevator thereby raised. The pressure of the compressed air holds the elevator in this position while the hooks are being adjusted on the absorber. By turning the 3-way valve so as to open the exhaust leading to the upper part of the cylinder to the air, the weight of the elevator expels the air, and it soon settles into the position shown in the figure. The weighing can then be made as the absorber is swinging freely in the air. After the weighing has been made, the elevator is again lifted, the hooks are released, and by turning the valve the elevator and load are safely lowered.