Motor Road Transport For Commercial Purposes
(Liquid Fuel, Steam, Electricity)

172 MOTOR ROAD TRANSPORT adapted for use with air-cooled engines, and this faet alone is sufficient to claim attention. (7) The explosive range of aleohol and air is very mueh wider than that of petrol and air, and a more uniform effort is exerted on the crankshaft o wing to the slower rate of flame propagation. Disadvantages. The most obvious disadvantage of the use of Indus- trial Aleohol in this country to-day is the price. This is a matter which lies entirely with the Government, connected as it is with various regulations and re- strictions. It may be added that the difficulty of rendering the spirit non-potable can be overcome as it has been in other countries. Other drawbacks are largely connected with present day design of the intemal combustion engine, and here is the point on which stress should be laid. Engine Design Alterations Required. The ordinary type of motor vehicle engine will run on Power Aleohol, but in order to obtain anything approaching efficient results radical alteration in design is needed, as may be judged from the following facts—• (1) Aleohol being a less volatile and ignitible spirit than. petrol, easy starting of an engine is not obtained. This fault, in common with most fuels except petrol, is serious, but is surmountable without mueh difficulty. (2) Since combustion takes place at a lower rate with aleohol than with petrol, it is necessary to employ lower piston speeds, otherwise the exhaust gases will not be pure, and deposits, detrimental to tlie engine metals, will remain. (3) To obtain power output from an aleohol engine equivalent to that derived from one run on petrol,