The San Francisco call., 1909-01-03
GAS DRIVEN SHIP
PROVES A SUCCESS
Obsolete British GunbOat Makes
Trip of Fourteen Miles
With New Plant
Owners of Engines Admit In
ability to Compete With
Steam Turbine

Vice Consul W. J. sulis of Liverpool
gives the following account of the sue
cessful demonstration of the applica-
bility of gas propulsion to slow going
ships just made there on the River
Mersey:
The Rattler, the vessel on which the
experiment was carried out. is an OBJ
solete British gunboat now being used
as training ship for volunteers. This
vessel of 700 tons made trip to the
Crosby lightship and back, about II
miles, propelled by gas. The old steam
machinery, which was of the usual
horizontal triple expansion type with
two navy boilers was removed and re-
placed by single acting gas produc-
ing plant and FIVE cylinder engines,
made by firm of engineers who have
made extensive experiments with the
new propelling agent.
A feature ~of the plant is the great
economy of coal which takes place by
its use, it being calculated that the
consumption of the anthracite coal used
was equivalent to 0.S pound per in
dicated horsepower per hour, while
the machinery, weight for weight, is
% per cent less than that of the old
machinery.
ROOM OF BOILERS SAVED
The saving of space by the absence
of boilers is marked, and there is no
stokehold. The whole staff engaged
at the engine consists of three engin-
eers and two fremen. The producer
is a steel casing. lined with fire brick,
and is fed from the top with coal once
every hour. No trimming or dressing
is required, and the coal being all used
up leaves residue of pure ash.
The gas is formed by the air being
drawn in through the bottom of the
producer, which, having been decom-
posed, reaches the top of the consumer
in the form of gas. After leaving the
producer the gas passes through a cool
ing tower, where it is treated by sprays
of water, thence to a, centrifugal drier.
where the water is separated. The drier
consists of a fan revolving at a high
rate of speed, and the gas being lighter
remains in the center of the drier, and
the high rate of speed of the blades
throws the water and grit to the sides
and passes to a water seal. The gas
then passes along to the engines, where
the normal process of carburation and
ignition takes place.
GOOD AUXILIARY POWER
The engine is of five cylinders of the
four cycle type. The exhaust gases are
treated by means of an exhaust drum
with tubes, through which water is cir
culaJed, and the steam thus generated
is conveyed to the producer to assist
in the production of gas. The exhaust
boxes effectua1ly silenced the engine of
the Rather, which, will all its cylinders
of 20 inch diameter and "a inch stroke,
produces 500 horsepower at 80 reyolu-
tions per minute, driving the wheel az
an average speed of 10 knots.
While the owners of the gas produc-
ing plant claim that the application of
the gas engine to marine engineering
would revOlutionize the mode of pro-
pelling vessels designed to travel at a
slow speed, 1T would not, they admit,
compete with the steam turbine at high
speeds, as the limits of its usefulness
are reached at a speed at which that of
a turbine only begins, viz, about IL
knots.
AS an auxiliary power to sailing YES
sells it is said to supply the desideratum
of economy in fuel and space.-Daily
Consular Reports.