2455.     NEWMAN, L. L., SCHMIDT, L. D., AND BATCHELDER, H. R.  Manufacture of Fuel and Synthesis Gas in the United States.  Trans. World Power Conf., 4th Conf., London, Sec. D-1, Paper 5, 1950, 12 pp.; Chem. Abs., vol. 44, 1950, p. 7039.

        Use of gas in the United States is increasing steadily, but most of it is natural gas, owing to the increasing cost of materials for gas manufacture.  Production of chemicals consumes large amounts of gas and the production of synthetic liquid fuels is on the verge of realization.  Increasing quantities of gas will have to come from coal.  New technical developments in commercial gas manufacture include conversion of water-gas generators to oil-gas operation, and reforming processes for liquefied petroleum gases and other hydrocarbons.  O₂ is being applied commercially for synthesis-gas production from coke, and investigations are under way relative to the use of O₂ for the pressure gasification of lump coal and for the gasification of granular or pulverized coal.