'/S6. rae/ii-S , ~~&& per crni of all gas sold in the United ie that is, the manufactured gas sold is only about one-fourth of the total. NATURAL GAS IS BECOMING SCARCER. The demands for natural gas are now greater than the available supply. Food and trees can be grown. Water supplies are con- stantly replenished by nature, but there is no regeneration in natural gas: and when the gas is once used it is gone forever. While no one knows exactly how natural gas is formed, yet enough facts are known about it to indicate that nature's process was a very slow one. It has taken millions of years to make the present concentrated sup- plies, and even though gas should now be formed in some parts of the earth's crust, the rate of formation will be so slow as to make such new gas pools of no interest or economic value for centuries. The use of natural gas is not an inalienable right, but a privilege enjoyed by about 10 per cent of our entire population in the United States, used in a most extravagant and wasteful manner, with no regard for the future and not appreciated until it is gone. EXTENT OF WASTE. The history of the natural-gas industry is an appalling record of almost unbelievable waste. The common methods of production, transmission, and use have resulted in wasting more gas than has ever been utilized. At the present time a survey of the out ire natu- ral-gas industry indicates clearly that the amount of waste even to-day is greater than the amount of gas actually utilized. At the present time we are wasting over 800 billion cubic feet of gas per annum. On the basis of what it would now cost to replace this ideal fuel, the money value of this waste amounts to $1,200,000,000 a year, or more than $3,000,000 per day. There are many distributing plants that waste one-third of the gas by various forms of leakage in the town; that is, they deliver to the ultimate consumers not to exceed two-thirds of the gas received at the town limits. Some of the consumer's wastes are enumerated on page 7. WHAT IT WILL COST TO REPLACE NATURAL GAS. Natural gas is purer and has about twice the heating value of any manufactured gas that could be made. Man with all his skill has never been able to manufacture gas that is equal in quality to the natural gas which is now so generally wasted. To replace the 800 billion cubic feet of gas now annually used would cost about $1,200,000,000 annually. In tests made in the Department of Home Economics of the Ohio State University to determine the relative costs of various fuels for cooking the following startling relationships were found : Natural gas at $1.12 per M. is equivalent to coal at $6.50 per ton. Natural gas at $2 per M. is equivalent to gasoline at 27 cents per gallon. Natural gas at $2.20 per M. is equivalent to electricity at 3 cents per kilowatt, Natural gas at $2.40 per M. is equivalent to coal oil at 15 cents per gallon. USES OF NATURAL GAS. At the present time one-third of all the natural gas produced is used for domestic service and two-thirds is used for industrial work. VARIATION IN DOMESTIC NATURAL-GAS CONSUMPTION. The following show* the monthly variation of a typical domestic consumer : July 1 August 2 Sfptfinber 4 November 7 December __ 14 January 28 I Vhninry #> M.-uvh i" April r> Mny 2 June__ 1 The domestic load variation is such that although the entire plant capacity is necessary for the peak demands during the wintertime, the a vi rage domestic load is only about one-third of the maximum. WHY INDUSTRIAL GAS HAS BEEN SOLD. In the preceding section it was shown that the average load on a natural-gas plant was only about one-third of the total capacity necessary to meet the winter demand. This emphasizes the many opportunities for rendering service which the dome tic consumer can not utilize. In order to sell gas cheaper to the domestic con- sumer and use the plant for a larger number of hours, the companies began selling gas to industrial users during the summer montlis, when the domestic consumption was very low. Since in most fields there is unrestricted competition between various companies, this had the immediate effect to make it impossible for any one company to con- serve the gas for future use without cooperation with its competitors. The public has frowned upon any arrangements for cooperation on the theory that competition was desirable. This has resulted in a wild race between the various companies, each trying to get the gas out of the field, with the result that the supplies were drained \vry heavily and are, therefore, not available for further use. CONSUMER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PROPER USE OF GAS. The great importance of the proper position of cooking vr iisciissed elsewhere in this pamphlet. Kven with high pressure and long (lames, if a strong draft should deflect the tlame the cook- ing service will be unsatisfactory. Better results can be obtained with pressures in the neighborhood of 1 ounce than at 4 ounces or higher, if the ves^-el is properly placed over the shorter flames re- sulting from the lower pressure. A burner with a large number of short flames will give better results than with long flames. This is such an important feature that practically twice as much gas will be required to cook with 4 ounces of pressure as would be required for pressures of from 1 to 2 ounces. When mantle burners are opened so as to admit more gas than is necessary the familiar "hissing" or blowing sound is produced. This has, first, a tendency to break the mantle and chimney; second, waste the gas; and, third, lower the candlepower of the lamp. The majority of natural-gas consumers do not appreciate that gas burners need care and attention, and that periodic cleaning is absolutely es- sential if satisfactory results are to be obtained. On account of the low gas prices that have prevailed, gas-appliance manufacturers have not been stimulated to the development of efficient gas-using equipment. There have been few improvements resulting in increased efficiency in the last 15 years. In testing house- heating furnaces it has been found that (a) The use of natural gas in the fire pot, of a coal furnace utilizes only about 25 per cent of the heat energy in the gas and wa.stes 75 per cent. (b) The use of natural gas in the ordinary gas furnace utilizes about 35 per cent of the heat energ} r in the gas and wastes G5 per cent. (c) The use of natural gas in a correctly designed and built gas furnace where the construction conditions permit the fullest utiliza- tion of the heat in the gas will utilize about 75 per cent of the heat energy in the gas, wasting about 25 per cent. There are a number of furnaces on the market especially constructed for the fullest utili- zation of natural gas. In tests made by the Bureau of Standards it was found that the ordinary incandescent mantle lamp, where used with natural gas, wasted nearly half of the possible heat that .could be used if such lamps were designed for as efficient operation on the high-heating value of natural gas as they give on the low-heating value of manu- factured gas. HOW THE CONSUMER CAN SAVE GAS. Don't burn lamps in daytime or use lamps that are improperly ad- justed. Each incandescent mantle burner has an adjusting device at the base for regulating the air and gas. Both must be so adjusted as to secure the maximum illumination without any hissing or roar- ing sound. Don't use more gas under hot-water tn.nk than is necessary. Don't burn gas without proper air mixture. If the mixture is not correct a wasteful flame will be produced. A pale blue flame will give the most efficient results. Don't turn gas on for cooking until the vessel is ready for use. Turn it off immediately when the cooking operation is completed. Don't use gas at high pressure with long flames. Short flames, if properly directed, consume less gas for the same cooking operation. GaaTOl Gas Well Drilling R Gas Measuring Station in. Field Gas Compressing Station Gas Sand 8. Fc 8 and 9 Gas Cooling Basin Medium Pressure Res r .1 Gas Measuring Station, at Gates of Town tOO LBS. 1 I a 8 o How the Consumer Gets the Gas V4 a o> J 10 Don't turn the gas high after the rooking vessel boils. You <-:m lint make tli-- I',)- d :iny hotter. It will Hnii|y l../d and no n, After the < n to 1-oi! th' -:>ine le'npcrature can I.e 111:1111- :>d with a smaller g-\s < onsumptiop. Don't keep : ; (is . Don't keep windows < for other than vent ilating purposes; lowor the temperature <>! room by turning down the g Don't burn pis in a furnace without automatic thermos' it .-<>ntrol. Such an automatic devi- on the job, ready i<> pivvent tlie overheating of rocms, and therefore wa-le of gas. in addition to keeping the room at a uniform temperature. The cost of such an automatic device is not large and it will soon pay for itself in the saving of gas. Don't burn gas 5n an ordinary coal furnace. It is wasteful and its use requires much more gas for the same heat delivered into the room than is required with specially builr natural-gns furnaces. Don't permit gas leaks on the premises. But ncrcr hunt for a leak with a match or light. The easiest way is to put soapsuds over the pipe or connection suspected. If gas is escaping the. soapsuds will bubble. In many houses where t-sts have been made it h :..-. ! found that about one-sixth of the total gas that passed through the meter was wasted by leaking pipe and fixtures. WHAT IS USABLE NATURAL-GAS PRESSURE FOR COOKING SERVICE? This was determined in te.-rts which duplicated household opera- tions rather than fancy laboratory conditions. In these tests it was found that leso gas was required at low pressures than at high pres- sures, and at two-tenths of an ounce pressure the natural-gas range used about 37 per cent of the heat energy of the gas, wasting G3 per cent; and that at 4 ounces pressure the natural-gas range utilized only 13 per cent of the heating energy of the gas, wasting 87 per cent. IMPORTANCE OF VESSEL POSITION. For cookir.g operations it is only the tip of the flame that can be used for effective service. If the llame is short and the vessel is so far away that the hot point of the flame does not come close to the ve-sel. satisfactory results can not be obtained. If the flame is very long in order to reach the. high vossel the stove will be wasteful in the- use of gas. 1 The data on th< followlnjj pnjrcs r.tv from tc^ts mnde in the Popartmont of Home I>rv.::i:;- . o'.'i-i S'r.to rnivcrsily, Columbus, Oblo, and published in the Ohio State Bulletin, No. 2R, M.iy, 1918. 11 FIG. 1. Drilled burner with nail or wire insertH to support cookinj pressure natural gas service. vessel for low In order to bring the vessel to the best operating position for short flames all that is necessary is some device that will hold the vessel the correct distance from the burner. With the drilled type of burner this can be easily accomplished by removing the stove top and inserting three nails or pieces of wire, as shown in figure 1, and then placing the vessel on the top of these. With the slotted type of burner, remove the stove top and simply insert three pieces of sheet iron or heavy tin, as shown in figure 2, and then place the vessel on the top of these. This is the only change necessary in order to secure satisfactory cooking results with the ordinary stove with low pres- sures and the resulting short-flame lengths. FIG. 2. Slotted burner with three pieces of sheet iron for supporting cookiuy fcr lov.' pressure natural gas service. vessel 12 ACCURACY OF METER REGISTRATION AT LOW AND VARIOUS GAS PRESSURES. Tho popular belief i- that motors run faster when the pressure is low than when the pressure is higii. This is contrary to the facts. Variation in pre lire inak.^; no appreciable dilTerence in tl;> tration of the meter, tho meter merely registering, within a reason- able luiiit of tolerance, the amount of gas that pi neither increased nor decreased by changes in pre.^ure. COMBUSTION OP NATURAL GAS. Tho combustible constituents of natural gr\s are made up of com- binations of tho elements carbon and hydrogen. When natural is burned so as to secure perfect combustion only carbon dioxide and water vapor are formed; that is, the carbon of the gas unites with the oxygen of tho air, forming carbon dioxide, and the hydrogen of the gas unites with the oxygen of the air, forming water vapor. The water vapor, of course, will condense when cooled. This water va- por does not come from the gas, but is created and formed by the chemical action of the hydrogen in the gas and the oxygon in the air. Each cubic foot of natural gas burned requires approximately !VV cubic feet of air, forming 10J cubic feet of combustion products, which are made up of 2 cubic feet of steam, 1 cubic foot of carbon dioxido, and 7 cubic feet of nitrogen, all thoroughly diffused through each other. The combustion of 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas will form 2.000 cubic feet of water vapor or steam, and this when condensed will make approximately 10 gallons of water. This is not peculiar to natural gas, but is true of all gases containing hydrocarbon compounds. One thousand cubic feet of manufactured gas will form about one- half the water vapor produced by the combustion of 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas. It is this water vapor that causes the bakers and broilers of stoves to rust, and where gas is used in open fires without flues, or for lighting, makes tho walls and windows sweat and glued furniture open up. If the combustion is not perfect, then carbon monoxide, which is a deadly poison, may be formed. The toxic action of this is so marked that one-tenth of 1 per cent is enough to produce fatal results. This is especially likely to be formed when a flame is suddenly imping 1 on a cold surface, as for instance, the first few seconds 1 operation of an instantaneous hot-water heater. ACTION OF GAS MIXER. As stated in the preceding section, about 9 cubic feet of air must bo mixed with each cubic foot of natural gas in order to secure per- fect combustion. In order to accomplish this tho gas at a pressure above atmospheric air is forced through a small orifice by the gang* 13 FIG. 3. Showing construction of ordinary gas mixer. pressure in the gas pipe, and thus acquires a relatively high velocity in passing through the small opening, as shown in figures 3 and 4. In this way an aspirating action is produced around the orifice and this draws atmospheric air from the room in so that it Avill mingle with the gas. A. gas mixer is, therefore, in effect merely a small air injector. The mixer shown in figure 3 is the one most generally used, and has no adjustment for the gas. The mixer shown in figure 4 has a stationary cone and by turning the spud, with a wrench on ihe hexagonal head of the spud, the effective area of the orifice may be made larger or smaller, thus changing the velocity of the gas, and, therefore, its aspirating action. FIG. 4. Showing construction of gas mixer with adjustable spud. COOKING AND HEATING DISTINGUISHED. In a heating operation it is merely necessary to secure perfect com- bustion in the heating device, because in so doing all of the available heat in the gas can be utilized. In cooking it is not only desirable to secure perfect combustion, but absolutely necessary to direct the heat to a particular place and sometimes at a particular time. It is for this reason that gas-cooking operations are more susceptible to changed pressure conditions than heating operations. It may not be amiss to emphasizs that the time element in many cooking operatians is of much more importance than intensity. 14 CONCLUSIONS. 1. Satisfactory rooking operations in frying pnl : po- tatoes, frying !; . and pan-broiling k fan be earn. .1 i with O.-J ounce natural gas pressure. 2. The changes in v< SM 1 po-iti'>n necessary to perm; 1 at ion at pressures ns lov. ounce : i 10 make and re- quire no special changes in existing st< J. I'read i an be .-at isfactorily baked with 0.5 ounce natural gas pressure. 4. Natural gas stoves arc not properly constructed to use natural gas efficiently at high pressures nor satisfactorily at low p"e<- np-s. 5. At high pressure natural gas stoves are inefficient and therefore eful in their use of gas. C. The burners on natural gns stoves are too low. 7. The holes in the spuds of natural gas stoves are too small. 8. Long flames for cooking operations are wasteful. H. Tho maximum results are obtained with many short flames rather than a few long flames. 10. A strong draft of air may deflect the flame away from cooking vessel so as to seriously interfere with and in many cases stop cooking. 11. Where two flames strike each other, due to the fact that open- ings are too close in burner, poor combustion will result. This will produce a luminous flame, which will in turn result in a smoking burner. Neither air nor gas adjustment can overcome this. 12. Drilled burners are better than slotted burners, because there is less likelihood of two adjacent flames striking against each other, therefore producing imperfect combustion conditions, 13. Natural gas cook stoves should not be furnished with solid stove tops, since this suggests the carrying on of cooking operations on top of the stove rather than with the vessel in the proper position. 14. At low pressures no perceptible change can be made in the combustion conditions by adjusting the air shutter. The best con- ditions obtained were with the shutter wide open. 1."). Too much heat is used in most cooking operations. Correct application is more important than mere intensity. 16. The natural-gas pressures carried in most natural-gas dis- tributing plants arc too high for efficient operation. 17. Meter registration is approximately correct, rogardlrs- a, to variation in pressure. That is, meters do not run faster when the pressure is low. 18. Lowering the temperature of natural gas im ; fca heating value per cubic foot. Natural gas has a temperature a: