Aug. 3, 1908.] ^Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 625 



" At the pit mouth, coal suitable for Mond producers could be obtained at 

 5s. per ton, thus decreasing the cost somewhat as regards fuel, but not in 

 the same ratio as the difference in the cost of the fuels, since the lower priced 

 fuel would contain more ash. 



" The Mond producers possess the further advantage, that about 90 lb. 

 of ammonium sulphate are obtained per ton of coal consumed. This opens 

 up the possibility of preparing ammoniixm nitrate and nitrite as a subsidiary 

 industry. 



" There is still a source of power in this country which is probably cheaper 

 than any we have considered this evening. I allude to the enormous volumes 

 of blast-furnace gases which are regularly produced in the manufacture of 

 iron, and a very large proportion of which, in this country, are just as regularly 

 wasted. The first to apply these gases to the production of power was 

 B. H. Thwaite, who, in May, 1895, was granted a patent for the special 

 methods he employed in effecting a purification of the gases, and using such 

 purified gases in the thermo-dynamic motors. A small plant was put down 

 at the Glasgow Iron and Steel Co.'s furnaces at Wishaw% and has since run 

 continuously, supplying electric light for the use of the works." 



Since that date enormous advances have been made on the Continent 

 in the utilisation of blast-furnace gases. The matter has long passed the 

 experimental stage, and success is assured. In Germany alone, about 340 

 blast-furnace gas engines, with a total capacity of 200,000 h.-p., were in use 

 m 1902. Since that date, another 100,000 h.-p. has been installed, represent- 

 ing 100 engines, each of over 1,000 h.-p. The Niirnberg Engine Co. are now 

 constructing engines up to 4,000 h.-p. Other well-known makers of blast- 

 furnace gas engines are Deutz, Korting, Berlin-Anhalt Engines, Daner, and 

 the Corkerill. I am also informed that the British Westinghouse Co. are 

 contemplating the construction of engines of more than 1,000 h.-p. The 

 very finely-divided dust remaining in the gases after scrubbing, and amounting 

 to about 0"17 per cent., does not apj)ear to have any deleterious effect on the 

 working parts of the engines. Very favourable reports as to the condition 

 of the cylinders after the engines had been running for a period of two years 

 have been received. Arfter providing for all the power necessary for the 

 operation of the works, such as heating the blast, blowing, hoisting, &c., 

 there remains a surplus which, when gas engines are used, is estimated at 

 fi'om 500 to 1,000 h.-p. hours per ton of iron made. 



Now, in 190G, V), 592, 737 tons of pig iron were produced in Great Britain. 

 For the sake of simplifying the calculations w^e will assume a yearly produc- 

 tion of 10,000,000 tons, or 1,250 tons per hour, and taking an average surplus 

 of 750 h.-p. hours per ton, the total available surplus will amount to 750 x 

 1,250=937,500 h.-p., or nearly 1,000,000 h.-p. 



In Germany, about the same amount of surplus power would be avail- 

 able ; in France, about one-third of this amount ; thus making a total for 

 Europe of at least 2,300,000 h.-p. 



B 



