The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-08-26
BLOWN COAL is
BASIS OF new
HEATING PLANT
indianapolis Firms Develop
ing Device for Factory
! and Home.

Indianapolis skies would not be
smoke befogged this winter if homes
and factories we're equipped with
the device developed at the former
Premier Motor plant, Twentieth
and Olney Sts., by the Barrows Mo-
tor Truck Company, the Economy
Burner Manufacturing Company
and the Economy Fuel Corporation,
in the opinion of Fred I. Barrows,
general manager of the three con-
Germs.
N At the same time a saving of 80
per cent in fuel consumption would
be effected.
This can be accomplished, accord
Ing to Barrows, by the application
of a number of devices and princi-
piles generally known to those direct
ly affiliated with the use of fuel for
industrial institutions.
Uses Pulverized Coal
The outstanding feature is the
use of pulverized coal. Ordinary In
diana coal gives as satisfactory re-
suits as more expensive grades, Bar
MnWs said. He pointed out that this
H6el usually contains about 10 per
cent of ash, but in its use in lump
form its efficiency is reduced to APP
proximately so per cent.
A large part of the heat value is
lost through smoke, which, he
pointed out, is merelyi unburned
fuel.
At the Barrows plant lump coal is
dumped from railroad cars directly
into a conveyor. First it passes
through stabilizer and drier,
which removes water particles from
the coal. This renders harmless the
causes of spontaneous combustion,
as gases do not form in stored coal
without the presence of water.
Leaving the drier the lump coal
enters large steel drum, contain
ing steel balls. The rotation of this
brushes the coal until 1t is as fine
rs talcum powder. The pulverized
fuel is blown out of the drum
through tube at the top.
Transported in Tanks
This powder is either placed in
trucks or sacks Or stored. If it is
to be used at another plant, it will
be transported in large tank trucks,
built by the Barrows truck firm.
resembling oil trucks.
Before entering a furnace the
fuel goes into hopper, with which
is connected a cleaner for removing
foreign particles that might be left
in the powder. Air then drives the
coal into the fire basin Of the fur
mace at the rate of 100 feet a
minute.
M. The story of the coal itself prac-
tally ends in the fire box. There
~ virtually no smoke escaping
through the chimney and the
amount of residue or ash is exceed
ingly small in comparison to the
normal amount of ashes remaining
after the burning of lump coal,
Barrows said.
To Invest S15O,OOO
The Barrows interests, with the
completion of improvements now I'M
der way, will have invested around
$l5o,0O0 in their enterprise.
1t is proposed first to interest
small industrial plants to adopt the
method of burning pulverized coal
to heat boiler then apartments and
residence. This is the initial trial
of the method in the United States,
according to Barrows.
The Economy Fuel Corporation
proposes to prepare the pulverized
coal; the burner plant to manu-
facture the appliances for furnaces
to use the powder, and the truck
company to supply the special trucks
for hauling the powder. The fuel
concern will also provide the addi-
tional service of removing the ash
and the upkeep of the equipment.
An engineering department is main
tanned to design the apparatus for
any size Of furnaces to which the
system Is to be applied.