Although no expert, I feel I should give my two cents worth on the use of
alternate fuels for internal combustian engines.  It would seem almost from
the start, that alternate fuels were considered.  Back in 1997 for a
graduate level class, I chose a bodacious topic for my class paper; Material
Support for the Air Effort in WWI from Arkansas.  Not an easy thing to pin
down.  Anyway, I remember one of the documents I looked at concerned the of
use of coal slurry in place of oil for fuel extraction, because there were a
limited number of oil facilities in 1918.  Now (6 Years later) I can't
remember much more, but it shows that innovative minds were looking at all
possible solutions for oil.  However, they still stuck on carbon based
forms.

William McAlexander

-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 5:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: CHARCOAL BURNING ENGINES circa 1930s


Interesting: all the references I got hold of talked about CHARCOAL burners
and, the unit we have certainly used charcoal - it is still in the burner
unit.

Have a look at some of those references under WOOD GAS that Ron mentions in
his e mail. These units were not the most efficient according to some
commentators.  Power reduced by around 50%.  Consider too how many trees you
need to fuel up for a decent run: see my original e-mail.

Gordon

> From: David Babson <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2003 08:30:44 -0500
> 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
> --
> Gordon Grimwade & Associates,
> Heritage Consultants,
> PO Box 9
> Yungaburra,
> Queensland, Australia 4872.
> Phone 07 4095 3737
> Fax 07 4095 2117
> Mobile 0419 677 022
> Office email <[log in to unmask]>
> Web site <gga.com.au>
>
> If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up somewhere
else.
> Confucius