Famous Hills Easily Surmounted on Gas
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NONT SARAH, Shap, Beattock and Sanquhar, formidable hills with which most British road-transport men are acquainted, were included in a 2,000-mile tour recently undertaken by a Dennis 45-cwt. van running on producer gas supplied by a Worldwin Gasmaker. This unit is made by Worldwin Products, Ltd., 13, Victoria Street, London, SAVA, and is built under Government licence, in collaboration with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
Good consumption, satisfactory speed and excellent hill-climbing were features of the trial. During one specific section, 700 miles were traversed on 14 45-lb. bags of Progasite. This works out at 1.1 lb. per mile. Averages exceeding 25 m.p.h. were maintained over parts of the route and in the hilly country 20 m.p.h. was averaged in the majority of cases.
Between Derby and Sheffield first gear was used fiVa times. The 40 miles between Leeds and Manchester, including the 1,200-ft. Nont Sarah climb, were covered in 21 hours. Shap was comfortably ascended in the lowest gear. For Beattock hill, except for 50 yards near the summit, the third ratio sufficed.
No trouble was experienced throughout the journey, bar a fractured carburetter flange, and at its completion no perceptible cylinder wear sNas found, according to the report, and carbon deposit was quite normal.
• No alteration was made to the Dennis 24 h.p. fourcylindered engine, which was six years old. The axle ratio was 5 to 1 and the load at the outset was 2 tons of fuel.
The Worldwin Gasmaker is of simple design and presents no special maintenance problems. As in all gas plants, one rule of first importance is to eliminate air leaks throughout the system. Gas is generated in a cross-draught dry-blast producer with water-cooled tuyere, the tank, of annular shape, surrounding the hopper and having an air space intervening. Its corrugated exterior_ promotes heat dissipation.
There are four gas-cooling tubes in series and from these the gas passes to the filters. These comprise two vertical cylinders each containing a pair of elements. Gas enters bath, at top and bottom, each of the four streams passing through one pack and leaving by a pipe connected amidships.
At the engine end, air and gas throttles are interconnected and the feed is to the induction pipe between manifold and carburetter, so that the last-named can be used as desired.
Plant and trailer, including gas mixer and controls, but excluding tow-bar for vehicle and Dive line, cost £125.