Coal-gas, After One Year.
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By the Editor.
There are now 350 flexible gas-holders fitted to commercial motors, for use on the highways of the United Kingdom, and in service.. The displacement, or replacement, of petrol is alrehdy at the rate of 700,000 gallons per annum. Messrs. Barton Bros., of Beeston, Notts., are completing new holders at the rate of 50 a week, which weekly production represents a further improvement of the petrol situation each week at the of of 100,000 gallons per annum. A year's output of holders, at the present rate of manufacture, represents a relief of the petrol situation to the extent of 5,000,000 gallons per annum.
Users Are Satisfied.
The claims of coal-gas for propulsion on common roads has attracted much additional support during the past three months, by reason of the satisfactory experiences of earlier users. If one takes the cost of coal-gas so high as 4s. per 1000 cubic ft., and puts theaverage tonsumption of a three-ton lorry at 2000 gallons of petrol per annum, the use of the alternative fuel effects an economy of more than 2100 in a year. If the gas can be bought so low as 2s. per 1000 cubic ft., the saving will exceed 150 in a year—per threetonner. If a user is concerned with motorbus operation, in which business the daily mileages are higher than in average goods service, the economy may run to so much as 21 per vehicle per day, or even be greater than that.
Durability of Flexible Gas-holders.
It was the writer's pleasure, one day last week, personally to examine a flexible gas-holder which has been in regular and bard service for twelve months, on the top of a single-deck motorbus. It had run more than 20,000 miles on coal-gas, in the period under notice. The condition of the holder, notwithstanding indifferent fitting of the surrounding framework, in that many rough places were left to wear the fabric, was such as to justify an estimated life of some 50,000 miles for a Barton holder. Depreciation may, therefore, safely be put at a maximum of one-tenth of a penny per mile run, and it goes without saying that the flexible holder is the only " delicate " partaof the equipment. This normal figure, will oat, of course, cover any ripping of the fabric, due to carelessness or accident, although repairs can be quiskly effected, by stitching the torn faces together, giving a coating of rubber solution to the new joining, and covering over the whole with a strip of solutioned fabric. It is sometimes found that an. unobservant driver will allow an overhead obstruction, such as a projecting bough of a tree, to catch the fabric. Such contact does not always result in a puncture ora tear, but it may do BO. Best Results Demand Attention to Detail in the First Place.
The installation of a flexible holder on the top of any vehicle, in conjunction with suitable connections to the engine, does not in all eases immediately bring about the best results. New users will be well, advised to secure a board, about two feet high, arranged vertically across the front of the light framework which surrounds the holder. This front board, particularly when the vehicle is running against a head wind, creates a partial vacuum behind it, and draws the gas-holder towards the front of the 'framework,' causing the contents to " heap up !'at the front, over the outlet pipe which leads to the engine. There is no occasion, in our opinion, to arrange to take the gas from the black of a holder, apart from the fact that such a point of discharge from the back involves the use of an additional length of piping. Another important point is to see that the bag is free to expand to its full capacity, and is not unduly restrained by any extra lashings. The holding-down tabs along each side are undoubtedly sufficient restraint, without additional lashings which pass over the top of the bag.
The Housing for the Holder Bolts.
As to the housing for the holder, the usual custom is to bend some light iron bar (say, 1 in. in width by a?‘ in. in thickness) to support a light framing of wooden slats, the lower portion of each stay being secured to the roof by screwed bolts. Wear on the underside of a holder will be reduced if care is exercised to secure the absence of any projections or sharp edges on the top of the vehicle.
Too Rich a Mixture Uneconomical: Economy in the use of coal-gas is obviously governed by considerations. which are comparable to those which determine the economical use of petroj. Most users know that too large a jet in the carburetter means too rich a mixture, and consequent waste of petrol. It is found, similarly, that too largee gasnipple means a waste, of gas. We have heard, complaints recently, from new purchase rs.of these flexible gas-holders, that they have only been getting half the estimated mileage. We have generally found, on enquiry, that they were using 6 gas orifice of -cross-section large enough to allow the engine-suction to draw too much gas into the cylinders, and too little air. Not only was the mileage unsatisfactory, but the engine gave very little power. People who do not take, suitable steps to cut down the' diameter of the gas admission-pipe to a proper diameter cannot 1.00k for economy. We gather, after communication with users who have got good results, thatasuflicient gas can in normal circumstances be &sawn through orifices of ithe ..following diameters, for the stated horsepowers : 20 h.p., I in. ; 30 h.p., in. ; 40 h.p., in.
Gas Companies Support the Development.
It was our pleasure, a year ago to direct the attention of the British Commercial Geis Association to the likely revival of interest in, and demand for, ordinary town gas, in connection with road transport. There was a, certain amount of scepticism amongst individual members of that association, and amongst gas engineers and managers in different parts of the country, as press-cuttings in our possession show. We are glad to know that an expert investigation, which the British Commercial Gas Association instituted at our instigation, has resulted in a, report which is generally favourable, and which report should soon be available for wide circulation. The ranging of the financial resources of the gas companies of the United Kingdom behind the developments which we foresee is essential to anything approaching rapid progress. The year that has passed has clearly shown enough progress to satisfy the gas tompanieeithat there is money in it fOrtthem. Commercial-motor users also benefit financially, as we have recorded.
One Gallon of Petrol Replaced by 250 Cubic Feet Of Coal-gas. • We made the estimate, a year ago, basing our conclusions solely on calorific (heat) equivalents, that 330 cubic ft. of coal-gas are necessary to replace one gallon of petrol. It is now proved that the average for the country is 250 cubic ft., as the equivalent of one gallon of petrol, although there may be a few areas, where the coal-gas is extremely poor, in which our original estimate will be reached. Grimsby holds the record for economy, over a long period of months, with 210 cubic ft. of coal-gas as the proved equivalent of one gallon of petrol.
Use Under Pressure Deferred.
No effective steps have been possible, during the year under review, in the direction of the extended use of rigid containers. Demands for steel for war purposes are imperative, and existing stocks of available cylinders are relatively negligible. A few experiments are in course of being made, whilst others have had to be stopped, for want of materials, after their initiation.
The use of coal-gas under compression will be an after-peace development, and one of which we have the highest hopes, although there is no reason, once provisiontof space can be arranged, and recharging stages fixed, to ignore the immediate effectiveness of coal-gas at atmospheric pressure. The wise user will not put off the use of coal-gas as a fuel to some estimated date when he can buy and use it under pressure.
Use of Gas.-bags on Lorries with Flat Platforms.
There appears to be a false impression about, that flexible holders can only be accommodated. on the roof of a single-deck motorbus, or on the top of a boxvan. The housing of sich holders is undoubtedly easier when a vehicle has a boarded top available, but there is absolutely no reason why the holder should not be used on all other classes of vehicles. There is sufficient experience available no*, to show that a holder can safely be allowed to rest on the top of a tilt van, or on the-top of a standard Army Service Corps wagon, although there is no rigid roof from end to end. So far as a flat-platform lorry goes, four vertical standards of angle-iron, or of other material, might be set up at the extremities of the,platferin, or of the frame, these standards being connected together by light horizontal rails (of iron bar or rod of suitable section), and the flexible holder secured to these rails, without the necessity for it to rest
its ts length upon any supporting structure.
A finished holder of 500 cubic ft. capacity, complete with holding-down tabs, lengths of rope, filling sleeve, and gas-delieery pipe, weighs a little below 80 lb. When the bag is full, the lifting power of the gas is about 20 lb., so that total weight is reduced to 00 lb. There is no difficulty of any kind, apart from provision against wind pressure, and the spacing of the holding-down tabs at half the usual interval of 2 ft. should overcome any difficulty, subject to the placing of boards fore and aft of the bag.
What If There Is No,Petrol?
The importance of the past year's progress, with which it has been our pleasure to be so closely associated, is not unlikely, to be emphasized in striking fashion at an early date. The shortage of petrol threatens to become more and more acute, and we shall not be surprised to find the C.M.U.A. calling upon its members to adopt coal-gas to the utmost limits of their own possibilities before they press applications for further supplies of petrol. The equipment and adaptation of any commercial motor, to fit it to run on coal-gas, are matters of relatively-small expense. Messrs. Barton are arranging, we knew, to put up their output of gas-holders, if necessary, to 200 a, week, and there is no difficulty, subject to the necessary licences for supplies of cotton and other materials, why the output of gas-holders should not go up, at a few weeks' notice, to 1000 a, week or more. An output of 1000 holders a week represents, on the average, as has already been indicated, a relief of the petrol situation to the extent of 22000,000 gallons per annum for each week's production of gas-holders. Such figures indicate that the use of coal-gas as a fuel for commercial motors may _ become a very big branch of activity.
Is There a Better Way?
It is with regret that we must point to limitations of supply of electrics. The home output, we fear, can in no circumstances reach 100 vehicles between now and the end of the year, even if the desired priority (P4) can be secured for copper, lead and steel. Another 500 vehicles at the most, complete with batteries, might possibly be imported. What are these problematical and prospective means of relief, as compared with a simple, quick and inexpensive adaptation of existing petrol vehicles ? It is possible, by recourse to coal-gas, to adapt as many as 10,000 existing petrol vehicles before the 31st December next. The demands upon manufacture are small, for this to be achieved ; the demands upon labour can be easily met ; the requisite plant consists principally of sewingmachines.• The results are : (1) existing vehicles kept on the road; (2) marked fuel economies ; (3) as good an all-round range of action as with either electric or steam vehicles, having regard to speed of re-filling
It is of national importance to bear in mind that gas distributes itself. The means are there, the "pipe lines" are laid. There will be no new demands upon transport, so far as this "new" fuel is concerned.
One Better Course: More Petrol from America.
There is one better course, we admit. It is, that the Government should at once proceed to get more petrol into the country. It can be done. The petrol is in America, waiting. Tonnage is the crux of the trouble. More tank-steamers have to be brought to the service of England. We think that the War Cabinet should at once send, responsible negotiators to America, charged with the duty of chartering tonnage to bring over petrol for the civilian transport of the U.K. Petrol can never be cheaper than coal-gas in this country, but coal-gas cannot as quickly do as much to help as petrol tan. Coal-gas can only come into use gradually—say, 500 new users a week, with Messrs. Barton at "full stretch" and other arrangements for manufacture running in parallel. The Government, however, definitely has it in its power to get from America all the petrol that the country wants. We urge it to move. We think it must.