POWDERED FUEL

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1929, Page 7

POWDERED FUEL

USE IN MARINE BOILERS. , “Powdered ‘ fuel" was the subject of a paper ready by Mr. L. Hall on Wednesday to the Wellington branch of the New Zealand Institute of Marino and Power Engineers. - The members present found the subject one of supreme interest, and any layman present, unversed in the problems of marine came away knowing much more than he did before.

Although powdered fuel was being used to a staggering extent on land, at present, said Mr. Hall, its use for marine engines was limited. Far reaching experiments, nevertheless, were being carried out, and one of the experimental ships, the Hororata, recently came to New Zealand under power generated by pulverised or powdered fuel. Attempts to adapt powdered fuel for marine engines had been made as long ago as fifty, years. Although success had been met with, little. progress had resulted. In battleships it had been found that the extra weight of machinery necessary had tended to limit the cruising range. • But the time might be coming, it was suggested, when the wide use of powdered fuel would enable Great Britain to stage a spectacular “come-back” and to regain the commercial supremacy that the age of coal had originally given her. For marine engines, said Mr. Hall, there were two methods by which powdered fuel could be supplied to vessels. The first was by the establishment of depots of this fuel at all the coaling stations' throughout the world. The initial cost would bo more than counter-balanced by the advantages and it would certainly be the quickest method of providing ships with fuel. The second method of supply was to have crushers on board. These would break down tho ordinary coal as required, and improved methods would very likely make this quite feasible on a largo scale. The great advantages of powdered fuel were that practically any type of low grade coal could be used; various types of coal could bo used interchangeably without alteration of apparatus; and the maximum efficiency in the combustion of coal was attained. The uso of powdered fuel also reduced manual labour to a minimum; steadiness of steam pressure was attained; and in emergencies steam could bo got up in a very short time. Tho different kinds .of mechanical stokers and burners for powdered fuel in uso at tho present time w r ere explained by Mr. Hall, who displayed a number of illuminating diagrams. After thv subsequent discussion, Mn Hall was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his paper. "