The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-05-28
GREAT SAYING
IS SHOWN IN
LIGNITE USE
New Device at Agricultural
College Proves Its
Worth
Nj f MS EXTENSIO
Expert Declares that Ignite
May be Used Widely in
Eastern No. Dakota

With tests by experts showing that
under new methods of burning lig-
mite coal, the cost of fuel in state
institutions may be materially low
cred, the state board of admil.i stra-
tion has authorized its architects to
draw plans for equipping large
boiler unit at the state insane hos
pital at jamestown with automatic
stokers. r. b. Murphy. chairman of
the board, said today.
At the same time q report of eX-
perts on the results of the automa-
tic stoking system installed ut the
Agricultural College during the win
ter as the result of an emergency
appropriation by the Legislature, was
made public
bcrs of the state board of admins
tration, are of vast Importance in
developing the Ignite industry in
North Dakota, rs well as effecting
a considerable saving to the state.
-Nf the performance in the test unit
at the Agricultural College is dupli-
Gated Il saving of probably $4,000
Il year in fuel will be affected at the
insane hospital as we'll as 4 reduc-
tion IN the cost of operation.
Results Summarized
Summarizing the results of the
Fargo experiment, Peopold Pistner,
of the Fuel Economy and Engineer
ing Company who supervised the in
stallation and tests of the stoker at
the Agricultural College, declared
that "the results obtaine/ at F.:go
render it certain that the use Of
mid western Goals in North Dakota
will shortly he a thing of the past.
and that the extension Of Ignite to
the western part OF Minnesota. US
standard fuel for that section, will
rapidly take place, and that within
two years. or as soon as the neces-
sary mechanical changes can be
made in various industrial plants,
the use of Ignite will be standard
practice for that area as we'll as
for North Dakota"
The device used at the Agriculture
al College, replacing hand-firing
methods, consists of series of
small interlocking castins, forming
a non-sifting CRATE surface, mounted
upon series Of rack heads, which
i'm turn are carried by four endless
chains, returning upon themselves.
The coal is dumped into hopper
And automatically drawn on the
Sgrates. The coal enters the furnace
nine inches, and by the time it has
travelled l2 feet is reduced to ash
This quick combustion is obtained
in part through forcing of air into
u series of compartments in which
be surface chamber is divided.
with the above construction it
was possible to operate the boiler
at twice its normal rated horsepow-
er," says the report of experts, "thus
permitting of the generation of
twice the amount Of steam within a
given boiler than is possible in the
case of hand-firing. This is now
common practice IN connection with
mid-western Goals, but had not been
considered possible in the case of
Ignite, and this fact was one of the
principal reasons retarding the gen.
eral development in the use of this
! fuel. With the provision of stoker
equipment which makes operate on
at these high ratings possible, one
OF the principal obstacles in the mat.
ter of Ignite is definitely removed.
This may be considered an event of
the first Importance in the history
of the Ignite industry"
Comparing the economy of the use
of Ignite by this method the report
shows that using Ignite contain
ing only $685. heat units per pound
of coal, an overall boiler and fur
mace efficiency of 70 l-2 percent was
obtained. This is within 21-2 per-
cent Of the maximum efficiencies pos
sible with Illionis Goals, under the
same conditions.
Equal to Eastern Goals
A temperature of $500 degrees fab
renheit, within the furnace was OBJ
tanned, which, the report says, "isi
\ equal to the temperatures possible
with eastern Goals"
Looking into the furnace" it
continues, "it was impossible to dis
!tinguish bhe fuel bed itself, the
entire furnace space being filled
with white hot blaze. Several au-
thorities accustomed to using Lake
and Illinois Goals were under the i'm
preston that we were burning these
Goals, rather than Ignite, and could
hardly be convinced that Ignite of
the very lowest grade could produce
fire of this type"
A comparison Of costs in burning
Ignite and other coal at Fargo is
given by the experts as result of
the test. Assuming Ignite. screen
ings of approximately 64O0 heat units
per pound can be laid down in bins
at Fargo for 1925 per ton, the cost
of coal required to produce 1000
lAnnds of steam will be 80 1-2 cents.
Assuming that the, competitive east
ern coal now used in Fargo, Yough-,