Hi Jock
On (29 Aug 97) Jock Rogan wrote to Elvis Hargrove...
 JR> LOYS, I have never seen this engine you described, but at an 
gricultural
 JR> field day I saw what was described as a coke engine.
 JR> Seems this engine burnt coke or hard wood and the heat from the fire 
ome
 JR> how drove a huge piston.
A common machine Down Under until the 1940s: technically called a Producer 
as
engine, and used for wee rural municipal generating stations, then during WW2
many autos buses and trucks were converted so the petrol engine could be gas
fed using a furnace on back of the vehicle.
In principle, a furnace burning coke or charcoal was used, but with greatly
restricted air intake. This generated a rich explosive mixture of carbom
monoxide, methane and other nasties. Motorist would start the day on normal
gasoline and switch to producer gas when the engine and the furnace were
running sweetly. There was a considerable loss of engine performance but in
those days the gasoline ration here was two gallons per week.
The producer gas furnace was virtually self regulating: at low load, the gas
pressure would rise so little fresh air would enter so less solid fuel would
be consumed.  At high load, the gas pressure collapsing would allow a lot 
ore
fresh air into the solid fuel so additional gas would be supplied to the
engine. Neat!
I was then a bowser boy! Clean your windscreen sir??
... ......I look upon Switzerland as an inferior sort of Scotland [Rev S. 
Smith]
--- PPoint 1.92
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