4 Performance of cooking.
..
v cooling. . .
v a n d heating appliances, under the conditions of variable fuel composition, are receiving increased study b y gas distributors
Symposium o n . .
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Characteristics MANYgas distribution companies. (those distributing fuel gas to the ultimate consumers) must occasionally vary the composition of the gas distributed. They must, however, be continually assured that under these circumstances the safe and satisfactory performance of gas appliances and gas-burning equipment is not impaired. This has been possible in the past only through careful trial and experience and by maintaining a substantial service complaint department to correct faulty performance when it occurs. There is a considerable body of published data concerning the combustion properties and flame stability of a variety of fuel gases and gas-air mixtures. A large part of this was obtained in research sponsored over some years by the -4merican Gas Association, Many of the papers which came out of this ivork xvere published in I/EC. These data are not )-et of maximum utility to distribution companies, because there has been no way to combine the properties of the fuel with the characteristics of the gas-burning equipment to estimate burner performance as fuel cornposition is changed. There has been no method for predicting the limits of fuel variation which may be accommodated by the distribution system and connected burners. T h e objective of the work reported in the follolving papers was to discover and describe quantitative methods for correlating burner performance with fuel properties generally applied to all types of gas burners. Through application of this information, design of gas-burning equipment may be greatly improved in the future. As a result, gas di;tribution companies will have greater latitude for economic operation. At the same time, greater customcr satisfaction will be achieved. CHANNING W. WILSON Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. Division of Gas and Fuel Chemistry, ACS, Urbana, Ill., M a y 1958
JOSEPH GRUMER,Chairmun VOL. 51, NO. 4
APRIL 1959
555
