Hi MRA, Just for historical accuracy, in the UK (or the "old country" as many colonials call it), we have used "natural gas" - from the subterranean gas and oil-fields here - instead of "coal gas" that was phased-out for public consumption in the 1960s. There was a national changeover of every gas appliance needing new jets - or in some cases scrapped - due to the change in pressure, and change of every meter in every household and factory. - I remember it well.
However, a steel works with Coke plant would use their own produced Coal-gas - a by-product from the manufacture of the Coke they wanted in vast quantities. Even the last of the Coke works was phased out of the UK in the 1980s. (Last used in making COKE for sale to Sweden and Norway, who would not burn Coal because of "acid rain" bad publicity among the tree huggers. We then got blamed for allowing the "smoke" from these Coke plants causing their acid rainfall! - But they wanted our Coke because their legislation had banned their use of coal - for making their own coke....).
But I do agree that Coal gas ( a mix on Methane - Ch4 - and hydrogen - H2) is much easier to ignite than Propane (C3H8) or Butane (C4H10). But Acetylene is much the same as Coal gas for combustion in engines... as it ignites very easily! (mixture ratio insensitive!). It is easier to make Acetylene from carbide that coal gas from coal... but you could risk a large explosion and make your own? Get a coal fire going, red hot, then shut-off the air and add water/steam and make "water-gas"... which you collect into a vessel that has water seals to prevent leakage... Nah... too dangerous! - You'd probably die while trying!
You could of course try a bubbler with a jar of petrol, where the intake air "bubbles" through liquid petrol when the air/fuel mix is sucked into the engine... (Another way to die?). Some wierd people post reports that "their Truck engines run better and more economically than on the original carburettor"! - The internet is never wrong?
K2
However, a steel works with Coke plant would use their own produced Coal-gas - a by-product from the manufacture of the Coke they wanted in vast quantities. Even the last of the Coke works was phased out of the UK in the 1980s. (Last used in making COKE for sale to Sweden and Norway, who would not burn Coal because of "acid rain" bad publicity among the tree huggers. We then got blamed for allowing the "smoke" from these Coke plants causing their acid rainfall! - But they wanted our Coke because their legislation had banned their use of coal - for making their own coke....).
But I do agree that Coal gas ( a mix on Methane - Ch4 - and hydrogen - H2) is much easier to ignite than Propane (C3H8) or Butane (C4H10). But Acetylene is much the same as Coal gas for combustion in engines... as it ignites very easily! (mixture ratio insensitive!). It is easier to make Acetylene from carbide that coal gas from coal... but you could risk a large explosion and make your own? Get a coal fire going, red hot, then shut-off the air and add water/steam and make "water-gas"... which you collect into a vessel that has water seals to prevent leakage... Nah... too dangerous! - You'd probably die while trying!
You could of course try a bubbler with a jar of petrol, where the intake air "bubbles" through liquid petrol when the air/fuel mix is sucked into the engine... (Another way to die?). Some wierd people post reports that "their Truck engines run better and more economically than on the original carburettor"! - The internet is never wrong?
K2
