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Alcohol as a Fuel for Motorbuses.

5th December 1907
Page 9
Page 9, 5th December 1907 — Alcohol as a Fuel for Motorbuses.
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

A full and complete enquiry into the merits and demerits of " denatured alcohol " (a term coined in France) has just been concluded in the Congress flail of the Grand Palais, Paris, where the Salon de PAutomobile ended last Sunday. The question (writes our Paris correspondent) is a vitally important one, not only to those engaged in the motor industry, but also to the immense agricultural classes of the country, while it is also of great interest to the War Glee and the public in general-to the public because of the extended use of alcohol in the home for lighting and heating purposes.

The work of the Congres de l'Alceol was divided into a number of sections, in each of which experts had been nominated to lay a report before the Congress for discussion, and thus the question was treated in the greatest detail not only in its practical aspect as viewed by the commercial and touring car owner, but also from the chemical and economical aspect.

Specially interesting was a speech by M. Brillie, who gave testimony to the practicability of substituting alcohol for petrol in explosion motors. After an exhaustive study of the question, he was Ted to the conclusion that the erosion of valves or any other mechanical part which had been instanced as a drawback to the employment of alcohol did not exist. On the other hand, it was his experience that motors work

ing on alcohol as against petrol worked more smoothly; and it was evident that, gibing the same power of a smaller number of calories, it must have fewer lost calories, and thus the motor running on alcohol became less heated than when consuming petrol. He admitted, however, as one drawback to alcohol, that when the atmosphere was cold there was some difficulty in getting the motor going, but a few drops of petrol in the taps sufficed to start the motor. The only serious consideration was that of the price of alcohol. In his case, this had been an object of considerable study when the question of what fuel should be used in the Paris motorbuses was raised.

At present the comparative prices of petrol and alcohol were :—

Petrol : 56 fr. per hectolitre, including 20 fr. octroi.

Carburetted alcohol 39 fr. per hectolitre, including 5 fr. to C. octroi.

This gave a difference of 17 fr. per hectolitre in favour of alcohol, which was, therefore, adopted for the Paris motorbuses. From rith June, 1906, when the service was inaugurated, to est November, 5907, these buses had travelled 3,570,000 kilometres and consumed 22,000 hectolitres of alcohol carburetted to 50 per cent. Its employment had represented to the Compagnie des Omnibus de Paris a saving of 3to,000fr. so far, and it had been amply proved that, in Paris at least, alcohol was the cheap

est fuel. Even outside the French capital the difference in the prices of alcohol and petrol (33 fr. go C. and 36 fr. per hectolitre respectively) was an argument for the use of the former.

M. Chasseloup-Laubat, president of the Congress, said that a deputation had visited M. Millerand, the Minister of Commerce, and proposed to him the establishment of a central body which should fix the price of industrial alcohol. It had been admitted that, for this purpose, the article in the Penal Code prohibiting the formation of associations for the monopoly of a product would have to be abrogated in this special instance. The Minister's response was that it was impossible for him to propose this step and advised that measures should be taken to bring about an understanding between alcohol producers similar to that existing between petrol refiners. M. Chasse. loup-Laubat now described this sugges. tien as impracticable, and it was ultimately decided to follow up the delega. tion's suggestion by action through thc Parliamentary committee. The report of the evidence bearing on the suitability of engines, built for petrol consumption, for the'employmen. of alcohol has not yet been issued, hu• it is undoubtedly the most vital! aspec of the problem, and since the highes authorities were requested to deal witt this phase, the official report is awaite( with great ititerest.


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