Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-10
AVOIDING THE SMOKE.
Another Continuance Intended to
Prevent Its Generation.
MILLIONS CAN BE SAVED IN FUEL
There Is No Further Necessity for Belching
Locomotives.
AN EXPLANATION OF THE NEW PROCESS

Pittsburg is going back to the use of coal
rapidly, and when the pressure from the
natural gas veins gives out, coal may again
take its old-time place. Petroleum is
cheaper than furniture, which the people of
Cincinnati once burned during coal fam
inc; but it is too dear for general use, and
coal after natural gas is the only fuel that
recommends itself, commercially speaking
But it is said that 80 per cent of the value
of coal is lost by ordinary methods of burn
ing it under stationary boilers and 95 per
cent in locomotive boilers Of course such
waste is criminal, if it can be avoided, and
that it can, at least to great extent, there
now remains no doubt whatever. In the
old-fashioned CRATE so much loved in Pitts
burg, where coal has always been cheap, the
waste is enormous and the public has caught
on to the fact of late to considerable ex-
| tent.
Among the appliances to reduce this
waste, and at the same time render the air
clear and save dirt and render towns COM
| paratively pleasant places of abode, the pro-
cess of w. c. Thayer. of New York, is now
being introduced in this city. 1t is not,
strictly speaking. smoke consumer, for
Mr.. Thayer says smoke once made cannot be
consumed with any degree of heat you can
get in an ordinary furnace, but it is an ar
rangement by which, it is claimed, the vola-
| tile combustible matter in coal is utilized
and not allowed to make smoke.
No Smoke Is Generated.
This passes off as smoke, because it has
no oxygen with which it can unite to pro-
duce combustion, and the object of Mr..
Thayer's apparatus is to prevent this and
introduce oxygen in highly heated state,
and by combining the oxygen and hydrogen
not only prevent the formation of smoke,
but make it do its perfect work. Hydrogen
has a strong affinity for the sulphur in the
coal and the oxygen in the steam unites
with the carbon and all are made to do their
perfect work. The heat units in pound
of coal are, of carbon Ia, 900, volatile COM
bustible matter %, 900, and hydrogen 63, 600.
Thus it will readily be understood what is
gained by getting the full work out of each.
This furnace is water gas furnace, with
this difference from the ordinary one, that
while the latter works intermittently, the
Thayer works continuously. In the ordi-
nary water gas furnace the mass of coal in
the CRATE is blown to white heat, when
steam is turned on and oil is added to give
it the illuminating power. The Thayer pro-
cess is continuous; the superheated steam
and air blast passing from the bottom through
the whole mass, form carbonic acid gas in
stead of carbonic oxide, which ordinarily
passes off as smoke, and this volatile COM
bustible matter is converted into fuel
Coal Will Cost Less Than Gas.
The Thayer process has been tried, and, it
is claimed, successfully, on stationary ana
locomotive boilers, on tugs and in smelling
furnaces, where great and uniform heat is a
desideratum. As nothing but pure heat
comes from this process, maintaining
an even temperature, great expansiveness
or contraction is avoided the boilers,
hence the maximum capacity Of the boilers
is obtained
But the result claimed that will be appre-
ciated by all, whether aesthetic or grossly
material, is that coal can be burned so
economically that its cost is but little more
than that of natural gas under the most favor
able conditions In the old retort stvIe of
making gas the amount of coal necessary to
make 5000 cubic feet, will in the modern
water-gas plants make $4,000 cubic feet, in
creasing the value of a ton of coal for power
soap and the temper of the ladies, who cannot
be expected to retain sweetness of temper,
when scrubbing without ceasing, as we'll as
prayer, is condition precedent to standing
in society.
To understand the length and breadth of
the Importance of such saving, it should be
considered that Pittsburg, when deprived
of natural gas, will burn in the present
wasteful way, if not remedied, 10000 tons
of coal per day and probably considerable
more; but putting it at $4,000, $1,000 tons
are absolutely wasted, worth, at the low
rate of 5 cents per bushel delivered, $36, 900,
or in round numbers S10,O0O,OO0 a year
The saving would add not only greatly to
the earnings of manufacturers, but in the
case of poor people it would make better
food and more money in the savings banks.
in addition to saving of soap and an in
crease of comfort
The Thayer service, it is announced, will
be tried by several of our leading manu-
factories within few weeks.