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).
Octane fuel forecasts, diesel engine development, and cabin supercharging projects in the U.S.
Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27\3\ Scan224 | |
Date | 15th May 1939 guessed | |
18. 500,000 U.S. gallons 65 Octane fuel 3,500,000 " " 87 " " 8,000,000 " " 100 " " The requirements forecast for 1939 are 38,000,000 gallons of 100 Octane fuel. A great deal of full scale research on detonation and fuel rating is being carried out, notably by Wrights and Pratt & Whitney. Wrights are working in close collaboration with the S.A.E. but Pratt & Whitney appear to be keeping their findings more to themselves. Diesel Engines The incidence of the 100 Octane Safety fuel has tended to put the diesel engine out of peoples' minds for aircraft use, but it is talked of a great deal by railway and automotive engineers, and there is no doubt that tremendous strides are being made in this development. Wrights say that no-one has any interest in Diesel engines. Mr Hobbs of Pratt & Whitney said that the only advantage he could see was the elimination of ignition, as very low fuel consumption could be obtained with petrol engines. On the other hand, Pesco have a secret project of 500,000 dollars for the Army to build a 2-cycle Diesel engine of 3000 HP. which weighs less than 1.1lb per HP and gives 110 lbs/sq.in. B.M.E.P. for take-off. The parent company of Pesco (Marquet Engineering Corporation) has made a great number of diesel engines for submarines under licence or sub-contract for the Witton Engineering Company. I heard that researches by General Motors and the N.A.C.A. had gone a long way towards curing black smoke and overcoming the objectionable smell. Cabin Supercharging Eclipse and Pesco are both developing cabin supercharging for the Army, but as the units are still on the secret list no information can be released. Eclipse, however, gave us a few leading particulars. The minimum requirement of air is | ||