PULVEROSED FUEL

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 106, 8 May 1933, Page 5

PULVEROSED FUEL

HORORATA'S EXPERIMENTS

After a number of experiments, last* ing over three years, the use-'of pulverised coal as a fuel has been brought to a satisfactory woiking stage on the New Zealand Shipping Company's steamer Hororata, which is at present at Auckland (states the "New Zealand Herald"). All the vessel's six boilers are now fired with this fuel, which is crushed •by special mills in the stokehold;- - ■■ The first pulveriser was installed three years ago to provide fuel for ona boiler. After a voyage to Now Zca« land, the engineers were able to supply; the builders with ■ valuable data on their return to England, and other devices wore tested' on subsequent- voyages, new machinery being tested'and alterations being made from time to time, until the use of the fuel was proved to be thoroughly practicable. The Hororata now carries threA mills, each of which supplies two boilers. Coal from the bunkers is shovelled into a crusher, whore it is broken up. A magnetic roller then extracts fragments of steel or 'iron that may ba present, the fine coal then being forced by a blast of air through a fine screen. < Particles too coarse to pass through.' the screen arc again crushed in s> grinder, consisting of three Tollers, revolving in a drum, the dust then being1 forced by pneumatic pressure to jets! in the furnaces, where jt is burned' in the same manner as oil fuel. The j dust is exceedingly fine and is ignited as it emerges from the jets. .Although ordinary bunker coal is at, present being used on the Hororata,. slack which could not normally be used I in the furnaces can be utilised, whils | more heat is obtained than if (the fur*' naces were hand-fired. The Hororata. ] which formerly carried 18 firemen, now;requires only six.