PRODUCER GAS IN SWEDEN

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23739, 10 September 1942, Page 3

PRODUCER GAS IN SWEDEN

MANY VEHICLES CONVERTED new types of plant designed STOCKHOLM, August 7. ThP scarcity of imported liquid ntnr fuel has promoted an extensive e of producer gas traction in cLpden Long before the war Swedish SW Jneers had evolved effective types gas sets, although they only used on a very minor scale 71 long-distance trucks and army „ Thanks to this pioneering work vtvas possible, however, for Swedish ntnr traffic to change over to producer gas traction immediately on the CU At re present practically all Swedish motor traffic is handled by vehicles Sted on gas generated from char- /• oi nr wood. The number of progas driven motor vehicles >' JnJalied more than 67,000 at the end of March 1942, Of these the majority, or B V 00 ’ w ere lorries, 3400 were buses, n’a about 28.500 were passenger cars. nJore the war there were about 63,000 lories 5100 buses, and 180,000 private in Sweden. Comparison with Juice figures shows that 60 per cent, nf the lorries and 70 per cent, of the biiVes have been adapted for producer «ac while the corresponding percentage for private cars is only about 16 P Thesmall proportion of private cars converted to producer gas is largely Jnp to the limitations which the Swedish authorities have had to introduce owing to the growing scarcity nf lubricants and rubber. This scarn tv has made it necessary to confine the traffic to strictly utilitarian purnoses It may in this connexion be mentioned that to alleviate the shortage of lorry tyres some of the trucks are being rebuilt successively t 0 use passenger car tyres. Latest Developments During the two and a half years that producer gas has been employed V large scale in Sweden the system and‘ equipment used have been far developed and have probably reached a higher state of perfection than in any other country. A very Ke number of aggregate types have been evolved, so that to-day there are suitable sets for every kind of automobile, from heavy trucks down to sy” cars and even llght ' welght m The'm C odern sets are characterised hv high efficiency and reliability, and the traffic, in Stockholm for instance, k to-day running practica ly as smoothly as during the "petrol time. The time required for lighting the generator and producing the gas has been considerably shortened designs existing which allow the start of the motor, as soon as half a minute after the generator has been lighted. The majority of the vehicles, or about 60 per cent., are using charcoal as fuel, while about 40 per cent, are burning uncoaled wood. Wood has been found especially suitable for heavy trucks and BuHHffmpt qnly automobiles that are being-operated on producer-gas in Swedett. The hew fuel has also been found serviceable for tractors, fishing, boats, ferries, and stationary engines. Of the country’s 20,000 tractors, more than 4000 had been converted for producer-gas—generally with wood as fuel—at the end of 1941, and during this year, the number is expected to rise to about 8000. The remainder are being run meanwhile mainly pn domestic spirit fuel. Producer-gas traction has contributed heavily to Increase the demand for charcpal and wood in Sweden. It is estimated that it consumes about 2,500,000 cubic metres (88,000,000 cubic feet). of charcoal and more than (2,0 M,OOO cubic metres (71,000,000 cubic Ivet) of wood a year. To cover this new efficient methods for the production of charcoal have been evolyed, which enable the by-products to be. recovered as well. It Is estimated that-there Are about 3000- charcoal furnaces in the country at present. The motor driver in Sweden’, of to-day has at his disposal-, just" as effective a service system as before the war. Practically all the former petrol stations are selling solid automobile fuel, and the service stations and automobile workshops have adapted themselves for the new form ofjtraction. Thanks to the country’s, forests and the Swede’s natural technical bent, Sweden has succeeded in mastering fairly satisfactorily the transport problem that arose with the severance of the.oil supply caused by the war. Producer-gas and the extensive electrification of the Swedish railways constitute two very great assets for Sweden to-day, and without them her difficulties undoubtedly would have been much'greater.