A NEW STEAM WAGON FUEL.
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Bonded Coke Anthracite, which can be Broken to any Size Required, and which is Claimed to give Greater Efficiency.
IN 'VIEW of the high fuel Cods at I the present time any means whereby existing fuel TL.ources can be eked out, or used more economically, are deserving of close attention. Especially is this the case in regard to the fuels an which road transport is dependent.
• In the case of the petrol 'vehicle, a tremendous amount of thought has been devoted to the subject of. obtaining fuel economy by the careful design of engines and carburetters, the importance of this matter having been very much emphasized by reason of the soaring prices of liqUid. fuel. When considering the relative merits of the petrol lorry and the steamer, the lower fuel costs of the latter generally show up so favourably that it is probable much less attention. has really been given to the economical use of fuel on the latter type of 'vehicle.
Nevertheless, at the present time, in View of the. World shortage of coal, the present high costs and the very indifferent' average quality obtainable, it has become a very important matter.
Previous Attempts at Briquetting.
From time to time various attempts have been made to produce conglomerated fuels whii,h shall be uniform in composition,:and :by the use of which waste shall be avoided, but, so far, this type of briquette fuel has not yet achieved any great popularity amongst steam wagon users. -Yet the production of a really satisfactory 'fuel of this typo would go far towards solving the many difficulties whtth are 'undoubtedly experienced ,at the present time. Se far, however, none of them seems to have cbnitinceti the man who , gets a living with a steam wagon or the man
C14 who drives one. " Dry " steam coal alone has sustained its reputation, but, now the question of quality has come under the economic law of price.
• Present-day raining sends everything black to the surface, and there is a big percentage of "small." A typical example 'of dry steam coal examined recently in, a wagoner's yard showed 40 per cent. of small" rejected by the driver, and the' "large" showed much elate, and left, raueli clinker; besides, oonsiderable "small" passed through the fire-bars unburned. Coke has a vogue, but. the cake has lowered ip quality with that of the coal from which it is made. Coke . from lowtemperature carbonization ,processes haze proved too friable and light.
The ideal solid fuel is,one that would be of uniform size, smokeless, and of high heat and low ash content. A fuel for which all these desirable qualities are claimed has /list been brought_ forward. It is called "Fuelite," a.nd is Mad& by the Fuelite Co., Ltd., operating a trial plant at Hampton-enThames, and the inventor, Mr. W. W. Strafford, set out with the idea of turning out a fuel of the highest possible heating properties. Numerous difficulties had to be surmounted, but the experiments have resulted in a fuel that, is claimed to give surprisingly• good results—either used by itself, or mixed with the usual coal. It is said that steam wagon owners can assure 'themselves of a definite, ton-mile fuel cost with this fuel, arid that on submission of their fuel statistics and results, a definite route trial will bear out the claims made.
Fuelite is made from the smalls from best anthracite. • The problem was satisfactorily to hand this material without the -ase 9f pitch, the usual
briquette binder, as anthracite is devoid entirely. of adhesive properties ; tar and a certain chemical are, therefore, used as a means of binding.
Anthracite in a Coke Matrix.
Fuelite is coked anthracite. The
coking propensity varies in coals of 'different localities; and there is also 'wide divergence of scientific opinion as to the element which causes 'the coking, or massing together of bituminous coal as' coke. It is -claimed that the Fuelite process results in the hottest solid fuel
known. Purity and high-carbon content have been aimed at, and the material can readily be broken to the desired size. It lights • easily from sticks, and speedily assumes redness.. It contains no water' and is about oneeighth lighter than solid coal. It can he produced either wholly or partially coked. The latter, variety yields a blaze, and is heavier, and lasts longer. There ie little waste in breaking, and there is said, to be no smoke. The material has undergone some severe tests, both in the laboratory and in actual use, and it is intended to carry -supplies of the material in a depot fer the use of steam wagon owners. At present only limited quantities are being produced, but, as, the demand rises, steps will be taken immediately' to meet it with new and larger plant. The Loudon district has been selected for manufacture, as London contains one 'of the important raw materials, and another 'is obtainable near-by. Incidentally, the process adds to by-products recovery, and assists in providing ben,zole and fuel oil. The radiant heat effect is said to he double that of coal, and, used as a mixer with the usual coal, the raising of the heat reduces the smoke and prolongs the life of the fire.