The copper era., 1908-02-20
Recent improvements in the Utilization
Of Coal.

questions of vital interest to almost
every person in the country, for the
foundation of modern civilization is
power, and the necessaries and COM
forts of life are dependent on it.
Cheapening the cost of power will
not necessarily directly decrease the
cost of living, but the tendency will
be in that direction and hence will be
welcome event. Ordinarily the
geologist is not particularly inter-
ested in the question of the genera
ton Of power, but if the improve
ment tends to prolong the life of our
coal fields, makes a marketable fuel
out of what is now waste product
of coal mining, or points out way to
utilize our great deposits of peat, the
geoIogist cannot be other than inter
ested in the change.
During the last decade many i'm
provements in the production of
power have been suggested, among
which producer gas and the gas en-
CINE stand forth pre-eminently as the
most eficacious. To be sure, the use
of producers and gas engines is not
new. They have been in operation liz
this country for many years, Iue the
utilization of soft coal and ignite,
and even peat, in the manufacture
of producer gas for power purposes
is a novelty, and as such deserves
special consideration.
- - he 100l n
this country had succeeded in using
soft coal and ignite in this way, and
consequently the results obtained at
the .Fuel-Testing Plant of the United
States Geological Survey at st. Louis
are of the greatest interest, for in
that plant such fuels have been used
successfully for at least three seasons.
The results of the operation of this
plant during 1904 and 1895 are now
published, ard it is easy for engi-
neers to see from the figures the re-
suits attained, but to the layman they
are scarcely ineligible and need in
depreciation.
During the period of time covered
by the reports mentioned above, sew
enty-two tests were made under prac-
teal conditions, in the producer plant
on as many different samples of coal,
ranging in quality from the brown,
woody lignites of North Dakota and
Texas, with a moisture content of
from 80 to 40 per cent, to the best
Virginia, West Virginia and Penn
sylvania semibituminous Goals with
a moisture content of little more
than per cent, and one test on ma
chined peat. Only few failures
were made, and generally these we're
the result of the mechanical rather
than the chemical condition of the
COAL
The duration of the tests ranged
from 10 to 72 hours; those made dur.
ing 1904 were generally short, about
80 hours, but those made during 1905
were almost all of y hours duration
long enough to develop approxi-
mately the efficiency of the coal and
to prove the practicability of this
method of use.
The work performed during these
tests was all of the greatest interest
because the method was new, and nc
one could say in advance what would
be the result of any given test. Ger
tain features, however, can be sim
gled out as presenting particularly
important and interesting points.
One of these is the absence of all
smoke. This alone would probably
pay for the installation of the new
type of machines in manufacturing
plants in large cities and for war
vessels. In the producer the fuel is
burned, and the smoke is consumed
or goes out as tar which is mechani-
cally separated from the gas.
Another feature of great interest
from an economic standpoint is the
fact that Goals with high percentage
of impurities, such as sulphur and
ash, can be used successfully, making
excellent fuel for the producer.
Goals carrying from small fraction
of per cent. to 1856 per cent. of sui
phur were used, and ash as high as
% A per cent, gave excellent results
In fact, it seems that coal containing
ash up to so per cent, or even more,
could be used, provided it did not
form clinkers and was not so fine as
to pack in the producer.
Another point of interest to the
consumer is that in the producer
lump coal gives no better result than
fine coal, provided the fragments are
prismatic and not dust or plates
For use under the steam boiler the
size of the coal is of great import.
ance and slack and weathered
(slacked) coal gives poor results
Their behavior in the producer is not
well determined, but there is not SC
much difference in the results obtain
ed from the different grades as there
is in the generation of steam.-From
article in Mines and Minerals, for
February.
Ordinarily it is figured that d
dynamo will light from eight to