COAL VERSUS OIL

Evening Star, Issue 19891, 13 June 1928, Page 9

COAL VERSUS OIL

THE MERCHANT MARINE PULVERISING SYSTEM In an article in the ‘ Daily Te!agraph ’ Air Archibald Hard reviews the situation in regard to the use of pulverised fuel. The steamship Mercer, ihe first s«a-going vessel to be suitably equipped, has just crossed the Atlantic, using pulverised fuel instead of either oil or ordinary coal. The economy as compared with ordinary coal was upwards of 30 per coni., while the consumption compared favourably with od. The vessel encountered heavy seas during the voyage, hut iho plant developed onlv slight and easily remediable defects. “If pulverised fuel can be used instead of oil,” says Air Hurd, “at any rate in ordinary cargo ships, which constitute about one-half of the tonnage under the British Hag, not only will the payment of several million pounds overseas bo avoided, thus assisting to adju-k tlm trade balance of this country, but an impetus will ho given to employment in Hie coal mines. The effect will hn exnoriencoci. not necessarily entirely in the districts which produce the best steam coal, but also in those which raise lower-grade coal, for inferior qualities can ho successfully treated. Coustv quontly both .ship owners and coal owners, stand to gain.

•‘The cramped furnace conditions of the Scotch, marine holler made it literoily a physical impossibility to burn pulvorscd coal in the necessary amount, by any known methods. It was not until the inventive genius and pertinacity of some American engineers evolved a new idea—or a new application of old Ideas—that this difficult# problem in combustion was solved. It, is a new development in combustion engineering, and that, alone, which has brought about a vessel equipped lor tlm burning of pulverised coal, "The success which has now been achieved has been due (o the combined efforts of private engineers, officials of tho Shipping Board, and research workers under the Navy Department at Washington. It has been due, however, in largest measure tn the work id Mr Krne.st Peabody, who devised a burner which has satisfied all demands. Tho coal is taken on board the ship in tho usual way. It is then carried up an endless belt elevator and passes through a small crusher, which breaks up the larger lumps. When this operation has been completed the coal goes into the reaily hunker. Tho next process is pulverisation. There is a. mill for this purpose, and when tho coal has been reduced to dust it goes to tho burners at tho furnace front. It is, of course, impossible to give a full description of the equipment without entering into many engineering technicalities. It must .suffice to stale that the extremely difficult problem id' dividing a stream of coal suspended in an air current into smaller streams in order that an equal amount of fuel may reach each of tile furnaces has been solved. “The insinuation on boara tho Mercer having proved a success, engineers nrc about lo tackle a further problem. Is it possible to pulverise coal at or near (lie pit’s mouth, convey it by pipe lino to tho water’s edge, and thenco pump it on hoard a ship as though it were oil, wgji an immense economy of labour and expense '< It is believed that this will eventually bo possible. Hut when this has been done there will remain another obstacle, for coal in tho form of a line powder is very inflammable under certain conditions. Tho risk of explosion cannot be run. Hut the engineer and tho chemist are convinced that they can surmount this difficulty. "In the meantime, as the voyage of the Mercer proves, tne use of pulverised fuel ou board ship, with au immense gain in efficiency and lessening of expense, is no longer a dream. The rivalry between coal and oil is likely to become increasingly keen as the coal engineer triumphs, step by step, over the arc still in Ins path. There is some confidence that he will he able eventually to offer a success!ul challenge, to oil for use at least in tho tramp ship.”