From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Letter from an oil company proposing a collaborative test of an alcohol blend fuel in an aero engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\4\ Scan233 | |
| Date | 19th September 1933 | |
| COPY OF LETTER RECEIVED FROM THE CITIES SERVICE OIL COMPANY LIMITED. LONDON. W.C.1. ARO/E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Messrs. Rolls-Royce, Ltd. DERBY. 19th. September 1933. Your Ref: ROY{Sir Henry Royce}/GEA.1/FS.{F. Steele} Dear Sirs, We beg to refer to our letter of the 10th. ultimo in connection with the carrying out of a type test on an aero engine utilising our Koolmotor Alcohol Blend motor fuel, which you acknowledged by your letter of the 12th August. The position is that one or two civil aerodromes with which we are in touch are interested in our Koolmotor blend in view of its exceptionally high anti-knock value, but we understand that we should not be in order in supplying this fuel for use in aircraft until approval has been obtained from the Air Ministry, which is subject to a type test being carried out at a recognised aero engine builder's works. We ourselves feel quite confident that Koolmotor would pass the type test requirements without any difficulty, but on the other hand in view of the rather limited extent of the business which we should be likely to do with aerodromes, we should not feel justified at the present time in incurring any heavy expenditure in the carrying out of a type test. It occurs to us that you, your-selves, might have a mutual interest in the carrying out of such a test, for there are likely to be considerable developments in the future in the use of alcohol fuels in high compression ratio engines. We should, therefore, appreciate your considering this matter and advising us whether it would be possible for you to undertake the test referred to, and what would be the minimum cost, approximately, to ourselves. (continued :- | ||