[Report 1936] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City.

  • Sheffield (England). City Council.
Date:
1936
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1936] / Medical Officer of Health, Sheffield City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    182/226 (page 180)
    To this end it was agreed that the Programme should include:— 1. Analytical data regarding representative boiler and furnace coals in use in Sheffield and Rotherham, in particular ash and moisture contents, calorific value and fusibility of ash. In addition, laboratory studies should be made of the behaviour of the coals during heating (e.g. as regards their tendency to melt); and of their “ re-activity.” 2. Small-scale furnace tests of the burning properties of representative coals. 3. Full-scale trials at hand-fired boilers, of a limited number of coals chosen from those examined under (1) and (2) to correlate their performance with the analytical and test data obtained. In addition to the organisations mentioned above as carrying out research on cognate problems, Professor Wheeler stated that the Combustion Appliance Makers Association proposed to undertake research on the burning properties of house coals and asked that the Committee should co-operate with them, which was agreed to. The Committee agreed that research for the year ending 1st September, 1937, should continue on the lines indicated. Progress reports were submitted, copies of which had been forwarded to the British Iron and Steel Federation for submission to the Iron and Steel Industrial Research Council. Professor Wheeler also sumbmitted photographs illustrating the “ swelling tests ” of the 42 samples of coal referred to in the Reports and pointed out that, in general, non-swelling coals were the best for steam raising. He also stated that the Investigator had found with regard to coals used for steam raising in the Sheffield district that there were, in general, two attitudes of mind of the users, the one being that, provided the coal was cheap, its character did not matter, and the other, that the prevention of smoke being of prime importance it might be necessary to pay a high price for ‘ ‘ non-smoking ’ ’ coals. In this connection the Investigator had been able to give advice to the users as to suitable fuels to use, in some cases proving that a cheap fuel was not really economical, and in others that, in a desire to reduce smoke, an unnecessarily expensive fuel was being used. Parts 1 and 2 of the Programme have been completed and the full scale trials at hand fired boilers in part 3 are about to be carried out. There was some difficulty in obtaining a suitable boiler plant, but this has been solved by the utilising of a boiler house at one of the City Hospitals. The cost of Research work for the year ending 1st September, 1937, is estimated at £326, such amount being guaranteed by the Sheffield, Rotherham and District Smoke Abatement Committee, but it is anticipated that the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, through the British Iron and Steel Federation, and the Local Manufacturers7 Committee, will each contribute towards such expenditure. Metallurgical Processes.—The year under review has shown increased activity in both the coal and steel industries and most of the collieries and works are now on maximum output. This increase in trade tends toward greater atmospheric pollution, but with few excep¬ tions it can be stated that the amount of smoke emitted is not greatly in excess of normal working. The heavier trades are showing remarkable examples of steel manufacture with a minimum of smoke. The more extensive use of gas and electricity is having the desired effect; in fact, at present, the supplies of gas are being utilised to their limit and the daily consumption is estimated at over thirty million cubic feet. In addition to this a number of the works are using producer gas which they manufacture on the premises. The use of pulverised fuel is being extended and though reports of its use for process work are satisfactory it would appear to be premature to make any definite statements with regard to the possibility of its development on a more extensive scale. One colliery company is pulverising the fuel at the pithead and delivering to the works by road in