Abstract: A method for producing synthetic gas with which a virtually soot-free synthetic gas having a good composition can be efficiently obtained by a simple device using a liquid biofuel as the starting material, and it is thereby possible to produce a high-quality liquid fuel such as methanol, gasoline or kerosene. Steam and a liquid biofuel produced by pyrolysis of a biomass are fed to the gasification space inside a reactor tube that is not loaded with a catalyst inside the reactor tube and heated to 800 to 1,200° C. from the outside via the reactor tube walls to induce an endothermic reaction and thereby a steam reforming chemical reaction between the steam and the liquid biofuel. By setting the molar ratio of the fed steam and carbon in the liquid biofuel ([H2O]/[C]) at 0.3 or higher, a synthetic gas having a good composition that is virtually free of tar and soot and is primarily H2 and CO is obtained.

Abstract: A glow plug for rotary piston engines adapted to be mounted in an engine plug hole so as not to project from the plug hole and to be traversed by a flow of fuel-air mixture temporarily trapped in the plug hole. The plug includes an elongated protective tube providing a straight root portion by which it is supported from a plug housing adapted to be inserted in a plug hole. The tube terminates in a closed end hook-shaped free tip portion spaced from the root portion and plug housing and lying in the same plane as the root portion. A helical heater coil is disposed in the protective tube with the pitch of the coil being smaller at the free tip portion than at the root portion so that greater heat is generated in the free tip portion than in the root portion.

Abstract: A linear oil seal means principally intended to obtain an oil scraping effect in a rotary piston engine, comprising a linear oil seal element mounted in a linear groove formed as cut at the side wall portion of the rotor along a line extending from an outer peripheral portion of the conventional annular oil seal means provided at the side wall of the rotor to a vicinity of the conventional corner seal of the rotor and adapted to exert a radially inwardly oriented force component to the oil to be scraped during the rotation of the rotor.