§ Mr. Skeetasked the Minister of Power if he will make a statement on the contribution of research and development to the improvement of the technology of town gas manufacture.
§ Mr. PeytonThe Gas Council's research laboratories have devised two processes for producing gas at low cost from oil products which are becoming increasingly available. These processes are gas recycle hydrogenation and the catalytic rich gas process. They are being applied commercially at nine plants now in course of construction in Great Britain seven using gas recycle hydrogenation in conjunction with a light distillate reforming process, developed by Imperial Chemical Industries Ltd., to produce town gas; the other two plants will employ the catalytic rich gas process. Orders have been placed with British contractors for the supply of three gas recycle hydrogenation plants overseas. The Council is also devoting major research effort to the gasification of coal under pressure with the aim of making a significant advance beyond the Lurgi process.