ECONOMICAL COMBUSTION OF GAS.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 20, 23 June 1874, Page 3

ECONOMICAL COMBUSTION OF GAS.

At a recent meeting of the Glasgow Philosophical Society, Dr Wallace, gas examiner for that city, read a paper on this subject, from which wc extract the following information respecting the effect of globe glasses over gas lights, and the result of the pressure being high is more waste and less light than that obtained from low pressure. He said:—

" The same quality of gas burned in different burners gave illuminating values varying from 8 - 9 to 31-25 ; and these calculations had been obtained by Mr Stewart at the Greenock gas-works. He afterwards described the various kinds of burners that had come into use, noticing the common metal burners, and the different kinds that had been patented at different times, indicating Morley's, Bray's, Williamson's, Brunner's, and others'. Ihe burners should be fixed, for the slightest escape lessened the brilliancy of the light. The pressure in the main pipes often varied, and iu order to obtain a steady light several regulators had been invented, but the best he had seen was that of Mr Peebles, of Edinburgh. About 9000 of the street lamps in Glasgow had already been fitted wijjh that regulator, and the intention of the authorities was to put them all over the city, and he calculated that their use would affect a saving of about £6OOO without any diminution of the light. Mr Peebles had aiso made a regulator which could be applied to the metres in houses, in halls, aud in large works. He had one of them in his own house at Hillhcad, and he found that at half an inch of pressure he could obtain a perfectly good light. The illuminating power of the gas in that district was from twenty-seven to twenty-nine caudles, and the pressure of the mains was about 2 inches. Dr Wallace also referred to the effect of the use of moon globes. By using a small 6-inch frosted globe there was a loss of 25 per cent of the light, by a globe a loss of 27.} per cent, and by a 10-inch globe, a loss of 38 per cent. That loss, however, was caused by the draught, which was greater the larger the globe. "Mr Mackintosh said if he understood aright it seemed to be that the higher the pressure the less light they got, and the lower the pressure the more light they got. "Dr Wallace said that was exactly the case, but iu arriving at the results which he had stated different burners were used. " Mr Mackintosh remarked that in that case the pressure of the gas should be lowered.

" Mr Foi.lis said the pressure referred to by Dr Wallace was at the point where the gas was burned and not in the mains. It was necessary to keep the pressure in the mains about l>i inches in order that there.

might be a thorough supply through the whole town, There was an enormous loss of gas caused by defective burners, and it was lime this subject received more attention in Scotland than it did at the present time. He then read a clause from the report of the referees appointed under the City of London Gas Act to show the need there was for an improvement in the method of burning gas. "MrW. R. W. Smith asked Dr Wallace what w;is the best burner.

"Dr Wallace replied that in his opinion it was Brunner's, which cost Is 6d each, but Bray's, which only cost 2d, came very near the same result. " A vote of thanks was awarded to Dr Wallace for his paper and the meeting separated."