It is no secret that the post-war years for the auto industry in the USSR passed with an acute shortage of gasoline. And in order not to “reinvent the wheel”, something was required that could, without any special alterations, make ordinary internal combustion engines work … without gasoline. And the Soviet inventors solved it, elegantly and purely in Russian.
Diagram of the ZIS-21 gas generator: 1 - gas generator; 2 - cooler; 3 - cleaner; 4 - fan; 5 - mixer-carburetor.
Gas generator set: gas generator with centrifugal blower, purifier (cooler in the first samples), filters, ignition fan, mixer. A preheater was added later. The gas generator was installed on the right of the machine, the rest of the installation on the left. Because of this, access to the cockpit was usually only accessible through the passenger door. But the installation did what was needed - it processed firewood into combustible gas, on which the car was traveling.
FIAT 15 Ter.
In 1928, the Italian FIAT 15 Ter with the installation of a design by V. Naumov became the first domestic gas-generating car. Further (1936-39) there was a series of experimental ZIS-13 with gas generators designed by A. Peltzer. Even taking into account the low efficiency, and the reduced engine power (no more than 45 hp), they were able to carry up to 2.5 tons of cargo about 90 km at speeds up to 45 km / h before refueling.
And then the time came for the first mass car with such a power plant - the ZIS-21. These cars received a new type of generator NATI G-14, an asymmetric cabin (the right door was half the size of the left), and reinforced springs on the right side. Also, to speed up the launch of the car, the ZIS-21 was equipped with a 7.5 liter fuel tank.
ZIS-13.
Promotional video:
ZIS-21.
ZIS-21.
ZIS-21.
"Refueling" the gas generator required dry wood. Rot was not allowed. Oak, ash, birch and beech chocks with sides five to six cm wide were considered optimal for work. However, the truck did not disdain the compressed briquettes of straw, sawdust, bark or cones. In the "boiler", with a limited amount of air, not completely burning, the "fuel" formed a gas mixture (carbon monoxide + hydrogen).
ZIS-21A.
In 1949, the truck was updated to a modification of the ZIS-21A, receiving a new charcoal system - TsNIIME-16. And without any problems made a march Moscow-Minsk and back. This system did not last long, it was replaced by the improved G-78A, which was able to process absolutely any fuel, including raw and rotten wood. But this installation was already installed on the UralZiSu-352L.
The end of the era of gas-fired vehicles fell on 1955, although for another ten to fifteen years such cars faithfully served people - gasoline was not available everywhere, and we always had enough firewood and cones in Russia. But to say that this is “purely Russian”, which has taken root “only in our country” is impossible - gas-generating trucks helped themselves quite well in Germany or Sweden.
