1 GO The Trials of Suction Gas Plants at Derby , 1906. 
impulse every stroke type (Clerk type), and, in addition to 
the explosion cylinder, required two other cylinders. On 
the out stroke, one of these cylinders sucked the steam and 
air through the producer to make the gas, and the other 
cylinder sucked in air at the same time. On the return stroke 
the gas and air were compressed into 1 the mixing chamber 
and the explosion cylinder. The engine was governed by 
throttling the gas admission. 1 Later on, Messrs. Taylor & Co., 
of Paris, improved the Benier producer, and several Taylor- 
Benier suction producer plants are still satisfactorily at work. 
Whilst Benier was experimenting Messrs. Korting Bros, were 
doing the same thing in Germany, and they took out a patent 
for a suction producer, in which the air and steam were drawn 
through by the suction of a gas engine ; but the results were 
so discouraging that the patent was abandoned. Then, in 1901, 
Messrs. Julius Pintsch, of Berlin, erected a suction gas plant near 
Verviers in Belgium. At first it was found impossible to start 
the engine, but Mr. H. Gerdes, the chief engineer to Messrs. 
Pintsch, after making various adjustments, had the satisfaction 
of getting the plant to work, and it has been in successful 
operation ever since. The first makers of suction producers 
in this country were Messrs. Crossley, in 1901. 
These were the beginnings from which the present suction 
gas plants have been developed in so short a period of time. 
Design and Construction of Suction Gas Plants. 
A suction gas producer consists essentially of the following 
parts : — 
1. A furnace, in the lower part of which the fuel is burnt 
and forms carbonic acid (C 0 2 ), and the water vapour made in 
the vaporiser (see below) is broken up or dissociated into its 
constituents, hydrogen and oxygen. The mixture of air and 
steam required for the above operation is drawn in from the 
underside of the grate by the suction caused by the engine. 
In the upper layers of incandescent fuel the C 0 2 is converted 
into carbonic oxide (C 0) and the oxygen due to the 
decomposed water vapour is utilised to make some more C 0. 
The temperature in the furnace gradually increases from the 
grate to the point at which C 0 begins to be formed, where 
it reaches about 1,800° F. From this point the temperature 
gradually diminishes, and the gases quit the top of the fuel in 
the furnace at a temperature of about 1,600° F. On leaving 
the producer the gas consists of a mixture of hydrogen and 
carbonic oxide diluted with nitrogen from the air, together 
with some carbonic acid which has not been converted. 
1 This information has been obtained from Mr. W. C. Horne, who was 
Mons. Benier’ s agent in this country. 
