The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-10-07
HOW GAS is MADE
Two Kind, Of Illuminating Gas
Manufactured

Manufdctured
Manufactured gas, accepted by its
consumers as commonplace OF life
In ordinary times has assumed great
importance now because OF the short.
age Of coal which has driven many
families and business concerns to the
use of gas as substitute fuel for the
unobtainable coal The many pro.
cesses through which gas must pass
before 1t Is consumed at the burner
are described In statement issued by
the New York State Committee on
Public Utility Information.
There are two kinds of manufac-
tured gas says the statement, "'coal
gas, and water gas Large and eff
Client modern plants combine the two
processes OF manufacture, because the
coal used In the first process becomes
changed into coke, which can be used
again as fuel In making water gas.
In making coal gas. highly volatile
coal produced only In two fields In
Pennsylvania, is used This IS roast
ed for about four hours in air.tight,
flre-clay retorts. II then becomes coke,
which 10 withdrawn and replaced by
a fresh charge Of coal. The roasting
drives off gas. which is withdrawn
into a condenser, where II passes
through water-cooled tubes. Tar and
oil carried by the gas becomes liquid.
which Is drawn off into a tar storage
tank.
From the condenser the gas passes
TO the scrubber-a cylindrical tower
with number OF wooden trays with
crss-cross sits, wet constantly with
criss cross alats, wet constantly by a
spray OF water falling from the top OF
the tower. This washes ont impurities
and ammonia which mingles with the
water and Is taken into an ammonia
storage tank. Next the gas goes to a
puritier--a large iron tank containing
trays OF oxide OF iron. which absorbs
the remaining impurities. From there
the gas passes through the station me-
ter into the storage holder, from
which il is removed through a gov
ernor, regulating the pressure, into the
mains for distribution to consumers
I'm making water gas. coke or coal
Is heated red hot and steam Is blown
through il. This steam Is broken up
into the two component parts OF water
hydrogen and oxygen-and the car
bon OF the coal units unites with the
oxygen. These gases. hydrogen and
carbon monoxide, burn with blue,
non.luminous flame. In order to give
the water.gas increased heating quail
ity, oil is sprayed over the hot inside
shell of the carbureter. a chamber into
which the water-gas IL drawn. This
oil becomes a gas whSh mixes with
the watergas. then known technically
as carburrete water-gas. This car
burreted watergas passes through the
various other processes to which coal
gas Is subjected, to cleanse and purify
ID.
Where a gas plant makei both
coal gas and water gas, the two are
mixed in the storage tank, from which
the combination Is forced into the
mains to be served to the consumers.
wnen communities are small ana the
gas had to be sent only short dis
tances, the pressure In the mains was
supplied by the weight of the NOV
able top in the storage tank. AS the
transmission distances becomes long
er, "pushers" had 70 be installed to
furnish additional pressure; and today
when gas made In one community is
sent niles away to another com.
unity. 1t is frequently pumped through
the mains ut high pressure, which Is
modified here and there TO assure the
proper pres ure al each burner.