Internal Combustion Motors

Abstract

AS the results of recent researches on internal combustion motors are usually only to be found in the proceedings of our technical societies and institutions, we greet the present volume with pleasure. The gas engine in its present form has attained a lasting success, and this is due principally to the labours of Messrs. Crossley Bros., of Manchester, a history of that firm being really a record of the advance of the gas engine from its early stages to its present high state of development. The manifold advantages of a gas engine over a steam engine are evident, particularly when the power is required intermittently; moreover, for electric lighting, this type of motor is invaluable for small powers, being started at a few minutes’ notice. For larger powers where town gas would be expensive, the addition of a Dawson gas plant renders it far more economical in fuel consumption than any steam engine, and with proper supervision the cost of repairs can be maintained at a low figure. Once started, a gas engine can be allowed to run for several hours unattended, thus reducing the cost of skilled attention to a minimum.

A Text-Book on Gas, Oil, and Air Engines.

By Bryan Donkin (London: Charles Griffin and Co., Ltd., 1894.)