My apologies. The man couldn't have been that much older. He was talking WWII vintage.
Jane
Jane L. Brown
Anthropology/Sociology
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723-9646
[log in to unmask]
Telephone: 828.227.3696
FAX: 828.227.7061
-----Original Message-----
From: David Babson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 8:31 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CHARCOAL BURNING ENGINES circa 1930s
Heard that on Car Talk too. How would you get enough energy out of charcoal to run an internal combustion engine? I can understand getting enough heat by burning it; pre-Civil War blast furnaces were charged with charcoal, and I think you could run an extenal combustion (steam) engine on charcoal, if you could provide enough fuel and keep the material burning. but, an internal combustion engine?
D. Babson
-----Original Message-----
From: Jane Brown [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wed 1/29/2003 8:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: CHARCOAL BURNING ENGINES circa 1930s
Listers,
I, too, would be interested in responses to this post. A week or so ago an older man called in to the National Public Radio show, Car Talk. He talked about an engine on a vehicle (WWI vintage) that had a hopper on the front end. From time to time, the drivers stopped and loaded a mixture of wood chips and sawdust into the hopper. Tom and Ray were clueless and bumfuzzled. I can't help but wonder if charcoal were being formed to power the engine.
Thoughts?
Jane
Jane L. Brown
Anthropology/Sociology
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC 28723-9646
[log in to unmask]
Telephone: 828.227.3696
FAX: 828.227.7061
-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 3:23 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: CHARCOAL BURNING ENGINES circa 1930s
We are working on a charcoal burning engine as part of a display in a local mining town. I have tracked down pics and some info but I wonder if anyone has any description of how they actually functioned? A cut away drawing showing the component parts would be the ultimate.... A summary of the material we have to date appears below.
DRAFT TEXT FOR INTERP SIGN CHARCOAL BURNING ENGINE
Fuel was scarce and expensive during the Second World War. Charcoal fuelled motor vehicles offered possible energy savings. They were being developed when war broke out. Countries as far apart as Australia, Japan, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom were among those which used these vehicles. While their use was stimulated by the war their widespread adoption never became reality.
Performance
1934 eight cylinder Pontiac coupé
Average speed 64 kph.
Fuel consumption (charcoal) around 220 grams/ kilometre.
2 tonne Chevrolet truck with 22 tonnes load
Average 25 kph.
Fuel consumption (charcoal) around 300grams/ kilometre.
Five kilograms of wood produces about one kilogram of charcoal. On a return trip to Cairns from Herberton (190 km) the Chevrolet would have used over 60kgs of charcoal requiring 300kgs of timber. It was hardly surprising that, when petrol prices declined again after the war, the charcoal burning engine was all but discarded.
Any clues out there??
Gordon
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