Consideration of the conditions indicates that in order to keep the price of power developed from fuel down to a consistent figure—
(a) Grades of fuel which warrant transportation, or which may be defined as “marketable,” should be used with the greatest possible practicable economy.
(b) The very large percentage of coal of so-called low grade which today is left at or in the mine must be utilized.
(c) Advantage must be taken of the large deposits of lignite and peat which are found in many sections of the country.
It is undoubtedly true that in general, under conditions which do not require the use of steam for other than power purposes, the producer-gas power plant meets the requirements of (a).
At present the only method of advantageously handling the fuels mentioned in (b) and (c) is in the gas producer, and the utilization of these lower grades of fuel on an extensive scale demands concentration of the power plants within close proximity to the fuel supply.
The logical conclusion from a careful study of the producer-gas power situation is that the time is not distant when financial interests in power production will be directed toward the centralization of the producer-gas power plant at the mines and the distribution of the energy developed either by high-voltage long-distance electrical transmission or by pipe systems for conveying the gas.
EFFICIENCY IN SHOP OPERATIONS.
BY H. F. STIMPSON.
[Consulting Efficiency Engineer, New York. Published in The Iron Age, Jan. 6, 1910, and reproduced by special arrangement.]