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searcher
Senior Member
Username: searcher
Post Number: 230
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 03:10 pm: | 
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Various carburetors were designed to vaporize kerosene, paraffin, alcohol, petrol, or gasolene (sic). Occasionally, a carburetor was touted as being suitable for all of them with only minor modifications required. A comment in one thread on this board seemed to use the terms kerosene and paraffin interchangeably. The attached ad would lead one to believe there is a difference between petrol and gasolene as well. After a couple of years in Europe, petrol to me IS gasoline. Obviously, these terms had somewhat different meanings 100 years ago. Does anybody have an old reference that would shed light on the subject.
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richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1656
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 05:19 pm: |
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Here's two more fuels to add to the list !
1. Blue Blaze
2. Distolite Oli
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richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1657
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2008 - 05:55 pm: |
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Producer gas was another !
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richardday
Senior Member
Username: richardday
Post Number: 573
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 09:52 am: |
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During WWII it was very common to see taxies in Naples, Rome and all the cities of europe burning producer gas. You would see a vertical boiler like tank about 18" in diameter by 4' tall with a small diameter smoke stack about 6" high at the top. There would be a hand crank blower at the bottom of the fire box. I gather they driver would put almost anything which would burn in the bottom portion and water would be sprinkled onthe top to keep the fire from burning too fast and these units would be seen running about and every once in while one would stop and the driver would jump out run to the back and turn the blower handle like a blacksmith and get the fire going again. Jump back in and off he would go.
Somebody commented old mattresses where good fuel for self propelled barges on the canals. I suspect the taxies and trucks had to use a small amount of gasoline to get started and then they would switch to producer gas.
I have a 5 hsp Bulldog which ran on producer gas from coal. It ran a wood working shop in Baltimore. Seems to be in very good condition. As I understand the setup the coal fire was in one tank with a water spray in the top to slow down the rate of burn and the gas drawn off the top into a second tank filled with excelsior which for the younger whipper snappers is old time wood shaving used before plastic peanuts were invented. The wet excelsior removed the dust and tar from the producer gas which was sucked into the engine intake. The whole kluge must have been a mess to clean out occasionally. I hope this profound contribution will not encourage some energetic individual to show up at a show with a running producer gas display. |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1658
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 08:11 pm: |
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Dick - Very interesting post, I wasn't aware that producer gas was used in automobiles and in those years. I have seen a few ads for producer gas plants for yachts mostly around yrs 1909-15( can't find one right now to post).
This is a 1909 ad for the Reeves-Graef engines made by Trenton Engine Co., they made marine and stationary producer gas engs !
1909
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richardday
Senior Member
Username: richardday
Post Number: 574
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 07:10 am: |
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Richard, I had to laugh sometime back in the 1960s Holleywood made a movie centered in the Phillipines regarding post WWII and the fighting among the various factions. One of the trucks in the movie was a beat up WWII Dodge 3/4 ton with a producer gas tank bolted to the side and it had the classic hand crank blower which they operated from time to time to keep moving. I suspected it was not used for real but probably had been years earlier when the shortage of gasoline was very serious. I don't know what they were using for fuel during the earlier years. Suspect sugar cane stalks, banana stalks, coco nut husks and similar local fuel. I don't exspect the producer gas automobile to catch on in this country no matter how high the cost of gasoline goes!!!
I didn't mention in my earlier posting the large number of trucks and canal boats in wartime Europe running on coal fired producer gas generators. These were much larger and very well made units when compared to the taxi cab units. I would guess most of those were home grown by the owner of the cab. |
rholcomb
Member
Username: rholcomb
Post Number: 19
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, March 23, 2008 - 11:56 pm: |
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My dad while a quest in germany during 1941-1945 told me of tractors that ran off of wood on the local farms,he mentioned these were gutless wonders but did run, |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1677
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 09:38 am: |
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Marine Producer Gas Power Plant 1919
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miro
Senior Member
Username: miro
Post Number: 321
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 12:31 pm: |
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Weston Farmer's book - From My Old Boat Shop - has a really good section about producer gas as a fuel for marine engines.
It is quite informative and relatively technical.
He suggested that producer gas powered boats which needed steady power ( eg small freighters) were about the best application for this fuel source. It is not all that good for a start stop type application.
I reckon that in the modern context, this would mean that I'd have to go for a long slow and very pleasant ride in my boat - IF I had a producer gas power plant - oh well - I can but dream . . . .
miro |
richarddurgee
Senior Member
Username: richarddurgee
Post Number: 1692
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 - 06:15 pm: |
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This one looks just about the right size to fit in the bed of my F-250 pickup ? Now to convert the engine !
1913
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bluecometk
New member
Username: bluecometk
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2008
| | Posted on Saturday, May 17, 2008 - 10:10 pm: |
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I think you can can buy a producer gas unit from Utterpower.com and also they can be purchased on ebay.
Bluecometk |
