Show salt lakes smoke and smokeless fuel problem by L C karrick if mr 3 r li C karrick Is a former engineer of the IT S bureau 0 of f mines having hating been a refinery engineer and oil shale tech technologist from the beginning in 1919 of the studies conducted to prove the future possibilities of the oil cannel coals and bituminous coals of eastern utah as future sources 30 0 of f oil it was at the local station while the bureau of mines a and nd the city of salt lake were conducting smoke abatement studies that mr karrick proved the utah coals to be far superior to the oil of the west as future sources of oil and that an ideal solid smokeless fuel and rich gas could be simultaneously produced as an a smoke abatement measure by applying the conditions and process used in the commercial scottish oil shale industry to the utah coals editor what plan do you endorse for com batting our smoke nuisance 1 I continuation of the present measures for smoke abatement M ent 11 II A half cure which will be the ultimate result from introduction tro of natural gas III complete immediate and permanent removal of all smoke by the introduction of a central low tempera ture coal treating plant 1 the fact that mankind consumes four times as many pounds of air per day as he consumes of food emphasizes the importance of progressive people insisting that laws be passed and enforced to prevent po solution lution of this life sus element As shown from investigations by the US public health department pittsburgh pennsylvania has the highest pneumonia death rate of any city in the world and further that the death rate from this cause is higher in the districts of greatest smoke density it is probable also that the smoke has a tremendous influence on other acute lung diseases whether it can be traced to the principal smoke ingredients namely insoluble tars carbon particles and CIO u s grit or to poisonous and irritating vapors and gases the direct injury to health must be considerable in salt lake from the thick smoke and noxious vapors issuing from household chimneys the worst offenders from the large and small heating plants and from factories but its extent cannot be told until such time as we can compare the health conducive effects of a pure atmosphere throughout the year with conditions as they now exist the burning of raw coal is a dirty wasteful and unscientific custom and on the grounds of economy as well as of public health it should be prevented as quickly as substitute fuels are proved available for satisfactory and economical use in all present types of heating appliances the damage caused by smoke in salt lake to buildings t household effects painting decorating clothing merchandise vegetation ege tation etc by way of dirt contamination injury to fabrics increased lighting cost due to shutting out the sunlight by smoke and fogs must amount to millions of dollars per year to the city if the loss caused by imperfect combustion of coal accompanying the production of smoke is added 16 the above expense the cost will approach closely the residence coal bill bellof of per year or 20 to 30 per capita were this condition removed there is no doubt that the influx of home seekers to salt lake would increase mark edly and with it much better business conditions will pre vail and increased property values will result the work of the cites smoke abatement engineers un der mr dark clark should be commended highly for the su success obtained in reducing the smoke produced in the bus business iness sec 1 tion lion in 1924 25 to only 5 per cent of its original density which was at the start 60 per cent of the total produced in the city in 1924 25 the supervision reduced the smoke from the large plants to barely 15 per cent of the total smoke produced the balance 85 per cent coming from residence chimneys in many cases the cost of alterations or installs tion of new heating plants was more than returned by re in coal bills due to more efficient and smokeless combustion with increased funds and facilities there could be considerable reduction made in the smoke evolved from the residence chimneys by education in proper methods of firing use of gas coke or byproduct by product coke in suitable aepli ances or the installation of gas or oil burning furnace equip ment there is no question in the minds of progressive an citi 1 zens that the smoke abatement department s should hould be sus tamed and given added financial and authoritative power to instruct people in methods of combustion to pass on the de sign and operation of all heating plants and to forcibly as sert serf the law through their r police power when offenders dis regard the menace of a smoky atmosphere to health wealth and happiness throughout the eaf entire ire city we have always 1 r been a coal burning community and as we are situated at ar the door of immense deposits of excellent coals which are aber most certain before long to become the principal source 0 of fa heat steam electric power and gas for all communities in in utah and west to the pacific coast we must conclude t that a t r IT utah tah coal will always be our source of heat whether it be e burned burned in solid or in a modified or gaseous form utah coals are unusual in their type and properties and different from most eastern coals but these odd pro properties pertie are advantages and assure a future for this state resource as a basic raw material in a new field of extreme usefulness for the manufacture of commodities needed in the natural development of better living conditions utah may become one of the greatest oil producing states in the union from conversion of the coal to petroleum like oils rich gas and a form of solid smokeless household fuel much superior to raw coal economic laws alone will prevent the successful or beneficial displacement of this coal and its products from permanent widespread use in the city and from detailed studies into the requirements of the community and the potentialities of utah coals it is evident that a solid smokeless fuel and gas from coal should always be used here it is f from rom this direction that the ne needs eds of the city will be served to bo better advantage from the cost and convenience standpoints than from any other fuels such as oil or natural gas which are recommended by some interests to be the panacea for our smoke trouble our problem is then to decide decider if the use of raw coal is to continue in salt lake granting that it its s use will have adequate supervision will it accomplish the kind of results that should be expected in this scientific and progressive age let us consider other cures that are open to us II 11 natural gas as a convenient form of smokeless fuel has received considerable endorsement by salt lake people and hopes are expressed that an adequate supply will soon be available A cheap natural gas is practically ideal when used in proper equipment so as to give high efficiency in combustion and freedom from poison gases in in the atmosphere of the home it is the logical objective of individuals and concerns throughout the country to purchase heat wherever practicable instead of fuel central heating plants serve this need in the business and apartment house sections of many cities steam being piped to the various consumers where it gives up its latent heat to the buildings by means of radiators transmission costs are high and therefore central heating is possible only in the densely inhabited areas of cities domestic gas made from coal or natural gas however provides a near approach to this ideal type of heating service and is well suited to all residence use automatic regulators attached to the radiators using purchased steam and on the gas furnaces used in residences obviate the need for personal ai attention or hand operation in regular use that gas made from coal will ultimately be the form in which heat is is purchased for residence use is quite obvious when it is realized that gas will give over 50 per cent higher heating efficiency than the same quantity of heat in the form of coal that its cost cost will closely approach that of heating with coal when the volume of gas manufactured and sold in the community is large that its convenience and cleanliness in use not only raises the standard of living but there is an economic advantage gained in its use in that the furnace rooms which were formerly unsightly by unavoidable accumulations of coal coal dust ashe sand smoky walls are rendered immediately available as clean living rooms on the installation of a gas furnace furthermore it will not be long until it is generally recognized as an economic crime to burn raw coal since coal has clearly been proved a valuable basic raw material for manufacturing necessary commodities of a higher standard than are now in use considering the many advantages of gas over coal for household use there is little doubt but that many home own ers would b be ready to install gas furnaces when natural gas or any other cheap gas is assured at low rates on the other hand the natural gas enterprise to be successfully undertaken must have a good assurance of profit as measured by the potential market for gas in competition with coal A few approximate figures will serve to show the problem that confronts the gas line promoters on the one hand and mr salt laker on the other assume the gas line to cost eight million dollars and that it must show an annual income of 12 per cent to cover interest depreciation taxes and insurance or per year in order that the gas 1000 b t u per cubic foot can compete with slack coal which is approximately 50 per cent of the coal used in the vicinity of salt lake the gas must b be e delivered for not not over 15 cents per thousand cubic feet which means that eighteen million cubic feet per day or ten times aimes the present gas sales must be marketed in the community this amount of gas is equivalent to 1000 tons of coal per day which would be displaced from the market in an and d around sa salt lt lake or approximately all of the slack coal this rough approximation shows the natural gas enterprise would not lose money provided all the slack coal market were obtained if now we assume the profit must come from gas gas used in the city for residence heating etc it would be necessary to turn over to the local gas company the same volume of gas at 15 cents per thousand for the gas line to show a profit of 12 per cent no charge being made for operating cost or cost of gas at the field it is hardly possible however that more than twelve million c cubic bic feet of gas could be sold in salt la lale e per day for resi residence dente heating and other uses but with ogden evanston ind and other smaller towns assisting the market the enterprise could show a fair profit the actual profit on the above basis will be reduced considerably due to the smaller income while building up a profitable market from the cites standpoint there are serious disadvantages to be met granting that the natural gas enterprise should prove profitable assume that a total of 1500 tons ton s of coal per day or tons per year are displaced from the market in the vicinity of salt lake the annual loss of money from circulation would be miners wa wages per ton x frei freight 6 ht per ton x retail handling per ton x total in addition there guold be money leaving the city for purchase of gas from outside the state and other fixed charges of not less than per year the number of new gas appliances furnaces gas stoves radiant heaters etc required to burn the twelve million cubic feet of gas 6 per da day y will represent a sum of at least 3 altogether the money required to cover the most apparent investment items is about twelve million dollars which includes enlargement and extension of the principal gas mains in the city the result of bringing natural gas to salt lake will fillipe be to introduce a low price gas in many of the homes while alti ulti the higher priced coal is forced off the market until be g a cheap form of screened slack or nut coal will cannot used in the homes of men of very modest means who canno afford to equip and buy gas this means then that 3 all tor for irately one third of the houses will be burning coal who time and unfortunately those individuals are cheones the ones now produce the greatest quantity of smoke in the when end en a vv half cure will result from a large outlay of capital a this condition arrives there would be no opportunity coal treating plant to operate successfully sf ully A coal it plant mus must have large capacity for cheap operation it broad have a market for its products byproducts by gas ani and d oil and fuel a market for its various grades of solid smokeless keles s tw the which conditions will then exist consequently baitt ural gas movement cannot hope to cure th the esmoke smoke evil e is in turn it will produce a condition for which there ther gas natural practical cure at least until such time as the le de enterprise has paid out or has been abandoned 1 period dine cline of the gas supply toward the end of this ams V it gas there will likely be a period of increased prices for bior perr nit jt which time the use of coal will increase thus again attempts ting a return of the present dense smoke pall favo rable abl i might then be made in desperation clespe ratio n under the less rich V and conditions to produce solid smokeless fuels an a this 5 from our coals so as to completely eliminate the sm smoke years five n J will be late in coming by fifteen or perhaps twenty drol III the perfect solution of the cites smoke I 1 v te alid would be attained by a combination of an adelua sm okell permanent source of rich gas a suitable solid fuel and a furnace oil at prices within reach of the poor man the sources should be within the state and by their development production and supply to the consumer all tate and city industries in any wise affected should be bene fitted there should be no need for added ii investment vestment to the homeowner home owner for new equipment in order that that the smokeless fuels will be used exclusively exclusively y in the city the above requirements are all within reich reach at a cost of only 15 per cent of the cost of a pipeline pipe line for bringing neutral gas from the wyoming fields the attainment of this goal requires that a central low temperature coal treat ing plant be installed in salt lake through which all coals will passin pass in transit from producer to the retailer and to the consumers the plant should operate as an adjunct to the gas works of the city and to a large steam power plant and any other arrangement must ultimately be relegated to the scrap heap as insufficiently economical to hold its place in competition with developments promised for the future by the gas and electric public service companies As stated above utah coals have peculiar properties as compared with most eastern coals and are throughout the different deposits of the state sufficiently similar in chemical and physical properties so that the following figures obtained from my studies represent yield and quality of products obtained from all utah coals from the mesa verde formation occurring in carbon and emery counties the gas formed as a byproduct by product can be varied in amount and quality from 1000 cubic feet of 1100 B t u british thermal units gas per ton toh of cooil coal to cubic feet fee t of B t u gas depending on the requirements of the market as to volume of sales and on the suitability of the different grades of gas for use in present types of gas appliances and on the limitations of burner adjustment the tar oils are quite unstable and may vary in yield bc between thirty and forty gallons per ton of coal the tar oils produced under proper thermo chemical conditions can be refined into products marketable in this vicinity the yield of solid smokeless fuel or semi coke will vary in |