Coal gas

Coal gas is a combustible mixture made by heating coal without enough oxygen for complete combustion. It was widely distributed for lighting and cooking before natural gas networks expanded.

Coal gasification: The conversion of coal into combustible gases through chemical reactions at elevated temperatures. Coal gasification is the broader process family that includes producing fuel gas from heated coal.
Gas lighting: Illumination produced by burning a manufactured fuel gas in lamps or mantles. Coal gas first became famous as a fuel for illuminating streets, buildings, and homes.
William Murdoch: A Scottish engineer who developed practical coal-gas lighting and illuminated his home and factory in the late eighteenth century. Murdoch demonstrated that coal gas could provide reliable building illumination.
Gas explosion: A rapid combustion event caused by the ignition of accumulated flammable gas mixed with air. Leaks from coal-gas pipes and appliances could create explosive mixtures indoors or underground.
Destructive distillation: Heating a material in the absence of air to decompose it into gases, liquids, and solid residues. Heating coal without air released the gas while leaving coke and coal tar behind.
Gas stove: A cooking appliance that burns gaseous fuel to produce heat. Coal gas supplied household stoves before piped natural gas became widespread.
Frederick Winsor: A German-born promoter of gas lighting who helped establish the first public gas-lighting company in Britain. Winsor organized commercial support for distributing coal gas to streets and buildings.
Carbon monoxide poisoning: Illness or death caused by inhaling carbon monoxide, a colorless, odorless toxic gas. Coal gas contained carbon monoxide, making leaks and incomplete combustion potentially fatal.
Retort: A sealed vessel used to heat materials so volatile products can be collected separately. Coal was heated in retorts, whose outlets carried the raw gas toward purification.
Gasworks: An industrial plant that manufactures and purifies fuel gas and distributes it through a local network. Gasworks converted coal into usable gas and fed it into urban mains.

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