COAL-GAS CONVERSIONS.
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Recent Developments, Improvements, Hints and Wrinkles.
The Fog of Uncertainty.
The steady stream of rules and:regulations pouring from the various official departments is precipitating a state of bewilderment. A ease -in point has recently come before our notice. A firm engaged in 'transport work of unassailable national importance, in order to save petrol, had decided to covert its vehicles to gas. ft plumped for the compression ayatem. It secured the necessary gas permit and commenced opera Gone for the installation of the requisite plant. All necessary purchases were completed and everything was ready for going ahead with the erection thereof. Thou came the gas; restriction Order, which in this instance cxereised no disadvantageous effect, inasmuch as the gas permit had already been obtained, while the local gas company had expressed its readiness to meet the firm's demands, there being supplies adequate for this purpose, inasmuch as in the diatrict in question no demand prevailed for the supply of gas to keep munition works &pg.
a The company was pushing ahea.d with work when progress was arrested by the discovery of an order to the effect that all further erection of machinery • outside that required 'for Government work was prohibited. The presiding spirit of this company, who, by the way, was a solicitor, forthwith stopped the work in the apprehension that lay eo doing he would be infringing the regulation in question. •
The position aeems distinctly anomalous. Here was all the plant required delivered to the ,site, the necessary building extensions had been completed, and the assembly of the plant was well advanced. The problem is the precise meaning of the word " erection." according to the powers-that-be. If it be intended as the synonym far assembly, albeit. the task in band involves no assistance outside that which has always been associated with the enterprise, then the stoppage of the work was correct. If by the term the authorities merely desired to extend a timely warning to prevent the extraneous employment of labour which is in keen demand. for more vital work, explanations to that effect should be forthcoming. So far as this inetallation is concerned it has always bee,.ri the
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presiding'spirit's intention to carry it out with all speed, bat -without any other help than that of his war-time staff, who have certain spells of relief from the daily round of toil to devote to the completion of the gas compression installation. Already an'expeaditine of two or three hundred pounds had been incurred, and the heaviest part of the erecting work has been completed. New it would seem as if the task will have to be delayed until the end of the war. In the meantime the Government will .be deprived of appreciable quantities of petrel which would be releaaed the moment the company could switch over to gas. The gentleman at the helm of the company in question, and to whose eaterprise the conversion to compressed gas is due, is taking the matter up with the authorities, in the hope that he will be extended the necessary facilities to complete the job, and thus turn it to productive and economical account. It is quite possible that the authorities prefer to judge each case upon its motifs, and that when a good sound case is proffered as in this instance, it will acqaiesce, provided no extra labour is employed. At. all events we await the result of the lie-. gotiations with interest.
A French Gas Conversion.
The Societe d'Eclairage, Chaaffage et Force Motrice (Gas Co-) of Germevilliers, near Paris, is one of the first of French firms to adopt gas to ran one of their light vans. The vehicle in question has been fitted with a gas container with a capacity of six cubic metres, and this and a copper pipe fitted from the gas container_to the carburetter are the only fittings used for the conversion.
On of the engineers of the company recently stated that the six cubic metres enabled the car to travel 18 miles, and the comparative running cost of petrol and gas was 5Q per cent, in favour of gas. He is firmly ccinvinced that after the war the fuel question will remain, nearly as acute as it .is at present, and lie reasons that the requirements of the large namber of American vehicles now being built will keep much petrol in Ebi
Refine Your Fittings.
The extemporary period, in matters. pertaining .to the use of coal-gas as a motor fuel has passed. Many of the 'Pioneer 'vehicles. , which are still doing goad work, might new be overhauled to advantage. A few days ago We wore looking over a vehicle which was fitted out over six months ago. • The instal, Whin was still proving satisfactory so far as it went, but the need to-conserve the coal-gas fuel being more imperatiye day than then, a careful record of mileage per charge of gas had been kept. It was found to average 7 miles-pea' 250 cubic. ft. On this showing the gas was giving an indifferent return in comparison with that of the petrol which it had displaced, and which had averaged 9 miles per gallon. At first the discrepancy was attributed to depreciation in the quality of the gas, but at the first opportunity an overhaul was made. Hitherto the feed of gas to the cylinders had remained constant at all engine speeds, and this feed had been adapted to the requirements of the engine when running under its heaviest load. The consequence was that when the best runningconditions were attained the self-same quasitity of gas was being ' consumed, or nearly so, irrespective of the fact that when the engine has attained its swing it merely demands sufficient fuel to saetabs that pitch. To achieve this end Jess gas suffices. A. few adjuatments were therefore made to the carburetter to enable the gaseous mixture to bo.morr diluted with air at the highast speeds. This titivation proved successful, the mileage at once going up to 8 per charge over the self-same roads with comparable loads. The owner of the vehicle in question is now convinced that by scrapping the devices which he extegaporied, in favour of others of more recent design and improvement he will be able to squeeze out another mile per charge, thus bringing the coal-gas mileage into line with that of the petrol. Unfortunately it. is to be feare'd that a close check is not being kept by vehicle owners upon Mileage under gas, especially when it is being.used in conjunction with petrol. The average user, who is entitled to run upon both as and petrol, is more disposed to watch his petrol consumption-, whereas present a conditions demand that he should be just as vigilant in regard to his tocilegaa in this respect.