town gas
Definition
Noun: A flammable gaseous fuel, historically manufactured primarily from coal, supplied through a pipeline system for use in homes, businesses, and industries for heating, cooking, and lighting.
Usage
"Town gas" refers specifically to the manufactured gas distributed via a municipal network. It is a historical term, as most regions have transitioned to natural gas. - The old street lamps were originally designed to burn town gas. - Before the discovery of the North Sea fields, the United Kingdom relied heavily on town gas.
Advanced Usage
- Historical Context: The production of town gas (a process called "coal gasification") was a major industry and created coal tar as a byproduct, which led to developments in the chemical industry.
- Safety Note: Unlike modern natural gas (methane), town gas contained significant amounts of carbon monoxide, making it highly toxic and a cause of accidental poisonings.
Variants and Related Words
- Coal gas: Often used synonymously with "town gas," though strictly speaking, coal gas is the product of gasification, while town gas is the distributed utility product which may have been a blend.
- Manufactured gas: A broader technical term encompassing all gases produced from solid or liquid feedstocks, including town gas.
- Natural gas: The methane-rich gas that has largely replaced town gas in most pipelines.
Synonyms
- Manufactured gas
- Coal gas (in common usage)
- Utility gas (historical context)
Antonyms
- Natural gas
Noun
-
coal gas manufactured for domestic and industrial use
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