Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 235, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 October 1913 — PEAT FUEL FOR LOCOMOTIVES [ARTICLE]

PEAT FUEL FOR LOCOMOTIVES

Swedish Engineer’s Plan to Utilize the Bogs of Hls Country Seems Feasible.

The announcement that HJalmar von Porat, a Swedish engineer, had perfected a process for utilizing peat powder as fuel for locomotives has awakened interest in the possibility of developing the extensive peat bogs of Sweden for this purpose, says Power. The powder is manufactured by the Ekelund process. It does not appear that this process has made much headway as yet, but it is now predicted that in connection with the discovery of Mr. vou-Porat the use of peat powder will in time become extensive. In the Von Porat system the peat powder is fed by an automatic device into the furnace of the locomotive, which is specially arranged to consume it. According to Mr. von Porat the results obtained with peat powder may be summed up as follows: Substantially the same results can be had from one and one-half tons of peat powder that one ton of coal will produce. Peat powder may be burned with an admixture of about 5 per cent, of coal. As to firing with peat powder the work is almost nothing in comparison with firing with coal, becauserthe powder is forced into the furnace by automatic process. No change had to be qiade in the boiler and none in' the firebox, except Installing the special apparatus. There is no difficulty in bringing the powder from the tender to the firebox, as it passes through a conveyance pipe. Another advantage in using peat powder is that no cold air can get into the firebox and neither smoke nor sparks escape from the smokestack. As a result of Von Porat’s invention it is reported that a number of the Swedish railways are preparing to use peat powder instead of coal.