A FRENCH GAS PRODUCER.
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A Description of an Apparatus Embodying Many Features of Interest.
THE HIGH cost of petrol, higher in France than
in England, because of the low French rate of exchange, has caused a considerable amount of attention to be paid, by French inventors, to the possibility of utilizing other fuels. Pressure producers, developed from the Dowson type, have been tried by some builders, but the results of the experiments were not encouraging.
Hernu, engineer I.E.G., has invented a gas generator worked by the suction of the engine to which it supplies the gas. The Hernu gas producer presents many points -of interest. Only one of its operations -is 'performed mechanically, and the working of the plant is absolutely automatic. Experi, Meats have been carried out by M. Hernu, for the past three years, and, during the war, a Berliet lorry was fitted with one of his producer-gas plants. The running of this lorry, being very satisfactory, demonstrated the capabilities of the Hernu device.After the cessation of hostilities the trials were continued. The latest model Hernu generator consists of :
Afire-box (A), of which the lower part is lined with refractory material (B), fitted with an upper boiler (D), used as a vaporizer, and a lower super-heater (C). The vapour of the boiler is carried to the firebox by a pipe (E.F.I.J.) and, under the grate (K), is mixed with the air admitted at the base of the generator by-G. The Hernu producer gives off gas of constant quality, and is thoroughly cleaned in a scrubber of a new type. It consists of two centrifugal turbines (V and Z) and a set of metallic, perforated discs (Y), driven by the engine for which it scrubs and filters the gas.
The first turbine (V) is fed with water in proportion to the quantity of gas passing, thus the gas is cooled and partially rid of thehtarry and condensible contents, and of the dust in suspension. The set of
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drilled metallic discs (Y), through which they gas passes in a direction perpendicular to their plane of rotation, clears the gas and completes the work of the first turbine. The second centrifugal turbine (Z) helps to. dry the -gas after scrubbing. From the scrubber, or filtering 'apparatus, the gas is carried to the engine
For starting purposes, a hand-operated blower is provided. .A wood fire is lit in the fire-box and, by operating the blower, an experienced mechanician can light the generator in three minutes. Five minutes after that the engine can start very easily. The results obtained up to the present with the Hernu generator, on the agricultural tractor shown in the illustration, are very satisfactory. The inventor claims that after six hours of agricultural work (ploughing with a three-breast plough) the fire was clean ,and did not require skilled attention, also the producer did not use a great deal of water and coke.
When the-tractor. stopped at each headland, to turn the plotigh, the engine " ticked " over and the producer automatically ceased to give off gas, although it worked up again without any attention.
It is said that an important French company will undertake the production, of generator gas plants an the Hernu system.