I 'K KS 1 ni-: X •]■ I A I . A I )I)k l-.SS SI-XT ION A . 



6 1 



The nn fortunate failure of the gas engine jxiwer-plant al 

 Joliannes!)urg has served to create a prejudice against tliis type 

 of prime mover in South Africa. But that faihn-e is generallv 

 recognised by engineers to have l)een due to causes unconnected 

 with the gas engine itself. In Fig. 35 is sliewn the central 

 lK)\ver station at Beardmore's great naval works, where gas 

 engines, worked from bituminous prt)duccr gas, aggregating over 

 20.000 h.])., have been at work continuously and successfully for 

 many AX*ars. 



Mond, in i^V'3- succeeded in o])taining a tar free gas. suitable 

 for gas engines, ironi bittuninous coal. Dowson's ijroducer was 

 confined to the use of non-bituminous fuel, so the introdtiction 



Fig. 36.— Bituminous .suction gas plant of ^75 



AJfnes, Transvaal. 



II. P., at AlachaviL' (iold 



of the Alond .system has greatly increased the scope of the gas 

 engine. A large central Mond producer plant was installecfat 

 J3udley Port, near Wolverhampton, in kjoi. with the object 

 of distributing gas under pressure over an area of 140 .scjuare 

 miles for power and heating purposes, it bein^ estimated that 

 the bye-i)roducts would practically pay for the coal. The 

 original hopes, however, have not been (|uite realised; during 

 a visit to this plant a few years ago I was informed by one of 

 the directors that the extraordinary development of the suction 

 gas producer had introduced serious competition with the gas 

 transmission scheme. 



Suction Gas Plants. — Referring to the suction gas engine, 

 one writer sa}s : " No more important invention from the i)oint 

 of view of the ])roduction of power in small and moderate-sized 



