Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1909-03-11
A Popular Error About Natural
Gas

their supply is pumping air into their
main, when the gas pressure is low
! that some attention should be given
the subject, and the most peculiar fea.
| ture of this charge is that men of or
dinary common sense and many with
rudimentary education in chemistry
make these charges. If firms supply
ing natural gas were to pump air into
their mains they would within twenty
four hours asphyxiate or blow up
seven eights of their consumers and
the subsequent damage suits would
ruin such a concern beyond all hope of
recovery.
The simplest illustration to show
that air cannot be forced through gas
main and made to light, even for an in
stant, is that of new installation in a
building. After the plumber or pipe
filter completes his woY! and the gas
| pressure is permitted to enter the pipes
any attempt to at lighting a burner
will be frustrated. A pressure of air
will be forced from the pipes sometimes
| strong enough to blow out a lighted
match but it will not burn. This is
because the pipes are filed with air,
| nitrogen, oxygen, carbon di-oXide and
certain amount of vapor. This will
not burn, although it is necessary to
| aid combustion of gas and other in
| flammable substances. What results
in new pipe or where air fills pipe
would also result if pressure of air
was forced into a gas main to force the
gas more quickly through the mains or
to enrich the gas or even to make a
gas meter work more rapidly as the
charge is frequently made.
1t has been maintained that the air
pressure forced into the gas main as
Stimulates with the gas and impoverishes
it, If this is true, why did not the air
in the gas pipe left there after plumb
er or gas filter has completed his work
assimilaue with the gas? That it does
not every one has observed VINO has
ever tried to light burner at the end
of newly laid pipe. Many compan-
| les supplying natural gas maintain
| large pumping stations along their
mains between the gas wells and the
point of consumption. These are To-
Gated in isolated places usually, and
| the public merely learns that such
| pumping places are maintained, but
| few attempts are made to inVestigage
the orking of these pumps and why
| they are necessary. When natural gas
was first made use of as a fuel it was
wasted in every possible manner, with
in few years the pressure from ma
ture's storage tanks began to diminish.
There was still plenty of gas within
the bowels of the earth, but it could
not issue forth in sufficient volume to
supply the demand, what more natural
than to have pumps erected and to
pump it out of the earth to the con-
| sumers? This is exactly what is being
| done.
Some cities have rivers passing
through their confines, others have
lakes nearby from which the water
supply is secured. The water does not
run into the homes of the citizens. 1t
is pumped into reservoirs or stand
pipes, or it is pumped in some places
direct to the consumer. Do the pumps
supply air instead of water? Not any
more than the natural amount that
mingles with the water in its passage.
| The nunp N of N oturoI r,oo 20 ayootI.,
the same proposition. The only air
that is mixed with the gas is that which
comes from the gas chambers below
and every one who has given the sub
| ject any attention knows that gas will
ascend above air because it is lighter,
volume for volume.
If air was pumped into gas mains,
the consumer would have gust of air,
then small supply of gas between the
stroks of pumping. 1t would require
continuous igniter at the place ofburn-
ing to start blaze every time the rush
of air extinguished the blaze. The
truth is that some gas is so poor that it
will not develop proper heat. In most
cases, however, the ignorance of the
consumer and the plumber is to bame.
They do not know how to regulate the
air pressure through the mixer, believ-
ing one mixer will do all sorts of gas and
pressure. A special mixer is necessary
for each mixture of gas and it requires
some little attention to regulate the
amount. Gas burners have been noticed
with large quantities of black carbon
hanging about and the complaint is
heard that the gas is poor, so as to
hurry the gas meter and enrich the
corporation. The very carbons hang
ing about in profusien is evidence that