THE THEORY OF SUCTION GAS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 22 October 1907, Page 4

THE THEORY OF SUCTION GAS

.Mr C. 11. Hall, speaking on "The Use of Gas lor Heating and Re-heating i'ur-po-cs .it a it-cent meeting of the Staffordshire iron and Steel Institute, said"l here is no more ecuimon object than the ordinary domestic fire, anS yet none can illustrate or convey a greater vtneiv of interesting lessons in science both scientific-and historical-such h how and when in ancient times man first became possessed of it. We „,„ wt . i( in the production of flame from the gases which are produced hy distillation of the coal by the action of heat burning contact with air. Here we have also coke or carbon, which is consumed burning in union with the air but without flame. When the fire is deep and thick and contains only glowim- carbon a short bluish tlanie appears from tie' surface. This is due to the fact thai the carbonic acid gas, which is produced by complete combustion of the carbon in the lower strata of the fuel, becomes reduced to carbonic oxide gas. burnin" again, to carbonic acid. What pas- -s up the chimney in this case is a mixture Of carbonic acid gas, water vapor, nitrogen, and the excess of air passing over the fire. When fresh fuel or coal is laid on a hot fire an immediate tooling takes place. The cold fuel take, up a certain amount of heat, if wet still more, and soon begins to give off in abundance gases of grey and yellow tint. As the heat increases, stream's of flames shoot up, till all the gases risht" from the coal take fire, and the wholtMif th,> upper surface of the fuel is covered with flame. The gases in this case are completely burned to carbolic acid and water vapor. The gases first given off are prevented from burning by the temperature at that spot being too low to cause them to ignite, and by further action with the cold air, which meets them in large quantities, causing an alteration in their chemical composition inks cooing effect. If we were to r)o*c the upper part of the fireplace, and finis stop the free passage of air io these gases, a large quantity of them would remain combustihtc, and with suitable arrangements could be ignited and consumed with the flame. The same would happen to carbonic oxide given oft from the fire in its glowing condition. So that it is possible to change the form of fuel into combustible gases, which can be, by means c!. pipes and flues, carried and conveyed into places arranged for the operation and there burned."