HUTT VALLEY GAS.

Hutt News, Volume 2, Issue 26, 21 November 1929, Page 12

HUTT VALLEY GAS.

Ways and means of ensuring an adequate supply of gas for the Hutt Valley -was discussed at some length by itieinbers at the meeting of the Petone and Lower Hutt Gas Lighting Board on .Tuesday" night. As a result of Parliament failing to pasw the-'Bill; rat-, isfying the contract between the Board and By-Products Ltd., for the supply of gas, the Board has been placed in a very awkward position. ' Mr C. *T. 8.. Norward, representing iy-Prbduets'' TJtk wrote recalling that on July 1 a contract was entered into for the company by which they woul<t undertake to supply the board's entire "between the board, and himself as trustee requirements of gas on a<- sliding scale as to volume which" was greatly advantageous both to the hoard and its consumers. "1 regret now to have to inform you he continued Hhat owing to the' Bill promoted by the'board not haying received full attention and confirmation by the Government, the whole agreement referred to is in a precarious state, as I have grent doubts that the financiers ■overseas will be able to see their way to hoW up £350000 which they had agreed, to find for these works until the/ next session of Parliament.

"Apart altogether from my company's very considerable loss, due to the purchase "of the Pe.tone site, and arranging if or the.oeal supplies from the jWest Coast, I am aware that the board is placed in a -very- awkward position to provide the growing requirements for gas in the district. I am sure your board will agree with me that the failure.of Parliament'"''to realise the importance of tins BUI constitutes a severe set-back to the progress of economic local industry within the Dominion/ Apart alto-g-ether from itfe beneficial effect upon the ever-recurring seasonal unemployment, the loss to gas consumers over a wide range of territory within the supply reach of the works;, 'which practically amounts-to .every, house, is. a serious

flatter -which cannot be over-estimated. *|-Tlie- mining" transport-and processing If yOO tons of coal, daily from the "West froast to Pe'itone and the consequent reikansport of the products^ could not fail li create considerable labour and commer <j|al activity in our midst and it is regrettable that this should te so lightly $rrned aside by our Parlamentarians. ;'*!-£< Providing, the' following will meet with the" board's approval, I propose after putting a frank statement of the whole position before my London fronds, to- ask i£ they will permit their agreement, to remaixi open until next session, when it is my-persoiial opinion that the BiU can be put through the Hbuse giving the requisite powers to: ,the board and to the proposed company to proceed with the works v . .. '•"'Please understand that this is only a'suggestion by -;me'.'.-( which must be con-, firmed in London) as a last effort, to try aid secure this-overseas capital ,which. •i/ unsuccessful, will undoubtedly put back the processing-of New Zealand coal for- many years to come." : *

Ttte letter^a^eeeiYed.

Mi- W. (}. chairman of the board said that^ome people would say that they shpuldKhave gone on and installed, a new plant. But had they done so,: and spent £35,000 or £40,000, the board would have looked very foolish when By-Piqducts, Limited, who could have sold and would have been glad to sell gas kt avrerj- low rate, had 'come along. He. considered that they had acted sin the best interests of the Valley, lie considered, that if the member for the district (the: EC6n/"T. M.; Wilfotd) had not had^to-go South, the Bill might have been, parsed IMe iii; the sfessicm, when most of the oppbsition-.^puld have been withdrawn;- However^ they could not leave "the Valley in' the' lureh X and they would have to go to the ehairinaa o f th& Loans Board, t^-"liiin|;tha^ tfey ■ could not let the BoisumeTS d<^wn, "atvd get "Mm to increase the overdraft

They liaa %d JVIr K. English, •of Ghriistehureh^at;; the works for^ a week, diid he had 1 ittk^le soMie suggestions upon the matter .

Mx English in his report^ the BpaTd wlfielv'is to fee' followed by a more.de-> ta^fl one, said:— ' V./'I -understancl tlie main object of my report' is,■ to \advise. jou as to the best Jneans of cariying on your gas business untii siich timejas you are in a position to either" purchae^gas from te By-Pro-ducts or erect the necessary plant on ,<-, ■■■ —'

I <Now the position is'quite a unique one^ anff tfl gi^e jo^i proper advice, oap. slioul'iL laiow-definiteljr if you are going to make tlie gas yourself or obtain it from tlie By-Product Company. If you \ver.fc« going to make the gas yourselves

after two years time, then my report would be totally different to the one 1 would present' to you if you were going to obtain it from the By-Product? Conipanv: It really boils down to this; .

you to

have either to prepare your plant

manufacture the necessary gas for future requirements, and erect plant accordingly or the By-Products Company have to commence erecting their works to supply you at the end of that period. I will treat the subject with the idea that you will be in the position of being able to purchase tfie gas from the By-Products Company, say, within the next two or three years. '

"This report is based on the following figures: Your present output of gas per annum is given to me as 110 million cubic feet and your average - increase output for. the last three yeaTS has been approximately 12 per cent per anmiia or more. Taking compound increase for the next three years at the above late, yoijr outpu- at the end of this period would bo equal .to 154 mil; lion cubic feet per annum. This. would mean that you,v plant will have to. be capable of producing this quantity of gas during the second and third year from the present date. This output -per annum represents an output of 422, thousand cubic feet per day. which your plant must.. be- capable 'of producing this quantity of gas..

''Should your Retort- Houses be put into.proper order nnd properly managed/ they.should produce eveni-with using New Zealand coals .351 thousand cubic feet per'day, add to this the quantitj of gas made by the Carburetted Water Gas, 160 thousand cubic feet per day your iojbal make, should be 511v thousand cubic feet., which should be ninple for. all tequirernents. To obtain these results it would be necessary to rebuild at least six of your present beds, 'spread over a period-of say two years—liaye'your" hydraulic Mains perfectly level^-Hsee that your tar runs off from- the bottom of the Hydraulic Mains—erect tar towers which maintain a liquor seal in your feetort House (particulars of which I am sending up). Have all ascension pipesr tiioroughly cleaned, insist on the .stokers using a sin auger,, see .that all mouthpieces are in good order, kept thoroughly scraped and eleanedn^. and adjusted. Have an exhaust vacuum recorder placed ia engine room

"The cost to do this would be about

£400 per bed and as it would Tbe necessary to 'repair at least six beds, the total cost would be about £2,400. Although it would cost you this amount spread over a period of less than two v years, the. saving during that, period from results obtained, would be more. than double 'the cost, llf yoi\,wished toy *be doubly secure, you could two more beds.of retorts at the end of No. 2 Retort House, which would cost about ,£2,000. The fox; the quantity of gas obtained are as follows •.--^6O retorts charged with 3cwt .of coal three1 duTing the 24 hours, 27 tons of -coal per day. 27 tons of coal x by 13,000 cubic feet per t0n,N,351 ? 000 culJie ...iee^ of coal per day. Add to* tlus 16Q$pC(cubic '•feet;, of 'carburftted./%ateri "'M&&— 513;,,-----000 cubic feet^per aay."sM: thy \ above conditions are complied i^iththere should be -no> difficulty-vof nialnrig cubic ■feet of gas per "ton. GAKBBRETTEI) WATEJK GAS ; •On my^rst! visit: |b.';".tlie; ; , rWorks, . I found they were -putting the 'Garburetted "Water Gag, wliidi is a. finished; gas, into, tbe Hydmuiie Mains. I immediately advised tliis should be stopped and the gas connected up to |tie outlet of the ■,cbiidenserSiAAtt5 !T\." the;:':conne_etion was made; tvMd '■% 'gflage placed on -the outlet of the condensers, and noted tlie .vacuuni required j, in the • Retort HoXise when/not v using Carburetted Water GaSj vand gave, instructions -that this vacuum should be maintained. in the Retort House when- Carbuvetted Water ■~GttS-,Avas^l . bfeinjgi: facioitted r :by-in.cireasing • the pull '.on ;tlie Exhausters. It was : .ps > iiAtedxOut^o^ni^.-duving>tlus:, r yisit that local ■ heating was taking' "place in the Carburetter:" ana it to close ' down the plant for": inspection;-On re- ; visiting thd 'Tvorte^':it1 was /f6und^^ that the■ checker in -the Carburet;tcv. was\\fHKedttt>; practically one solJd iuaK^fov r Jibpui' l>/3 -of its depth d«e- to improper. w,qrfcing. As : -time was important, and Bndiitg they;: had nojb sufficient lining bl6ckg.tb i;erieW the whole- of the fining,.■■ I: advisjecl tlia*^the water sbould ■"Cbe spiayed •onl>the brickworik^ which was* 'red hot. Hadi time permitted, the' proXper metliod;• wotild ;Ijate^ been>to - blow the brickwork coid by means of the shutting down the Fgeirerator, and blowing it: coltl by:mDans:ctf the, air-blast. After the repairs were completed, the plant was put to work again and every care was taken during the heating up, how-

ever, very iiuliifi'nmt results- wort' being obtained - For about two duys. when I noticed a bltiek stretijn was being formeel in. "the centre of the brickwork and the oil was running down in a stream. I asked for the oil projector to be taken out. On inspection and information, gathered, I S. oiuid they were not passing

! the oil.'-through the sprayer, but it was just running out ou "the .brickwork. I immediately ga\:e instructions for the' valve to be screwed down iight, so that every..bit--of oil was properly sprayed over the top of the checker brickwork. The plant continued to work under these conditions until the next morning, but 1 found before I arrived, the valve had been • unscrewed again and the oil was ; pouring- down the brickwork as before. As soon as I could get in touch with Mr Appleya.rd, I gave instructions for the valve to be closed again and with Mr Appleyarcl,. watched the working of the plant very clos"ely.

■' " "Under these conditions the . plant hap been Avorking; perfectly ever since, and I am of the opinion it will continue to do so, providing the pressure of steam is- 7«aiatainecl. i might also mention it is impossible for the plant to work correctly unless the steam, pressure maintained, as it required dry steam to obtain the necessary reactions required in the Generator.

-* l During the whole of the time the above operations were taking. place. I frequently tested and analysed the gases produced from the plant, and at the same time did my best to teach Engineer how to make tests

your the necessary

'* During my stay on the works, I was tible to jnake many detailed observations

i! what is being done, and what it is, I' und.eistand, intended to be done,. but I would strongly advise you if it is' found nccossary to make these alterations and

iiproveinents. to give certain matters your •"■•very careful consideration. 'INo, doubt your works has gone is v~res'p'onsible ' for additions arid alterations which have been forced upon through many phases.for which no •

them by the growth of the district, but the tinte has come to prepare ya coinpre-. hensive^elicmo^ so 'that all further improvements and alterations can be carTied out. on a plan that will not perpetuate the evils..'of the past. In conclusion I would just state that the distribution of your gas requires ideal conditions, especially when taking into consideration the great possibilities that present themselves to you in the v near future." '

ft was decided to call f6r plans, specifications and lenders for the erecting of two benches of Tetorts and the making provision for five, "benches. Mr'W. G. M*drum asked whether the new works would cause the death of vegetation'within a'niile of the works. Mr I-oddev that so far as lie knew the new works would be no different from vany other gag works, and seeing', that? the gas was to be made at a jlower temperature it should be even less than at present. They had one in the. centre .oi Glasgow " and1 that has not killed anybody yet.'' (Laughter): ...''"'l/ \. :'" '"^ ■. ■' ■ ... ■'■ It was decided that an inquiry be niade aiid the matter referred to Dr. Marsden of the Scientific Besearch., Department. - /■Mr Strand said that statements were Being circulated and they were void of fact: ''What' with different interests and local "bodies, I feel too.' to talk &bout it—l might say too much abou^it'' declared Mr Strand. The holding' oxer of the Bili would not only affect the HuttYalley;but would prove detrimental to the whole Dominion. He thought that the action which had been fakeii called for'an inquiry that would ultimatQly' dig Out and ' rieveal the : benefits that could have been derived from the scheme. Then upon those who had beeii^spbnsibie:. for the 'trouble to the board and the" district it would re-bound-tenfold. *