Oswaldtwistle Proves Town Gas an Economic Fuel
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A SAVING of £.26 13s. 5d. on fuel art costs in six months has been achieved by Oswaldtwistle Urban District -Council with a Bedford -30-cwt, tipping lorry, by operating it on lowpressure town gas. Here are the actual working results obtained during that period, April 1 to September 30, 1940: Petrol used
The very low m.p.g. arises from the fact that the,lorzy is used entirely for delivery of heavy loads over short dista.nces, with frequent use of the poweroperated tipping gear and =eh reversing.
• Experiments were commenced by the Oswaldtwistle Gas Department in November, 1939, and, because the vehicle was a tipper, it was necessary to mount the gas hag on a platform • built over the cab and engine. The bag fitted measures 10 ft. by 6 ft, by 4 It. high, giving a capacity of 240 cubic ft.
A gas carburetter made out of sheet metal to the Department's design was fitted, and after initial experiments.this finally proved highly satisfactory. The air supply is automatically regulated by
engine suction, and no hand control whatever is provided. within the cab except that operating the gas supply cock. An important feature is that the lorry may be run on either petroLor gas .by merely turning on the appropriate fuel as required.
Since thetime when the experiments commenced, standard gas carburetters have made their appearance on the market, and it is probably no longer necessary for any individual gas undertaking to spend time and money on evolving its own design.
The bag is made of a double canvas material with a rubber insertion, and is provided with straps to hold the base of the bag rigid and secure ,ron the platform. It has now been in use for 13 months, and aypears to be as good As new. No leaks have developed, but at arr early stage "one patch was provided, of the same material as the bag and attached with seccotine, at a 'point where chafing appeared likely • to develop in time.
Operators who may consider the advantages of such a conversion will certainly find the above figures illuminating. The sponsors of the experiment emphasize that, provided a reasonable life of bag cad be obtained, it is a paying proposition for large-scale commercial-transport operators to run their vehicles on low-pressure town gas.