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 to the Air Ministry concerning the introduction of higher octane fuels for aircraft engines.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 27a\4\ Scan163 | |
| Date | 17th July 1933 | |
| COPY. Sgl/JL17733. 17th July, 1933. Air Marshal Sir Hugh C. T. Dowding, K.C.B., C.M.G., Air Ministry, Adastral House, Kingsway, W.C.2. Dear Sir Hugh Dowding, Re: IMPROVED FUELS. As you are aware we, ourselves, together with other engine makers, have for several years been pressing for the introduction as Air Ministry standard of a fuel having a higher octane value than that admitted by D.T.D. Specification 134. It has for a long time been felt that the absence of an improved fuel imposes a very severe handicap on British aircraft engines in competition with American engines which are designed for, and tested on, fuels having very much better anti-detonation properties than D.T.D. 134. I now understand that the Air Ministry have under consideration two interim specifications, which for convenience I will refer to as "A" and "B". "A" fuel is now being admitted for type tests on new designs of engines; fuel type "B" is to be available as soon as we have produced engines capable of using it. I am informed that supplies sufficient for test on these fuels can now be furnished by the petrol companies. Fuel "A" does not, I understand, contain T.E.L., and has a knock rating as determined by the C.F.R. system of 76 to 78 measured at an inlet temperature of 260° F.{Mr Friese} Fuel "B" will contain T.E.L. and have a C.F.R. octane rating of 84 to 87. You will appreciate that the introduction of either of these fuels has a very important bearing both on present and future engine policy, and I am therefore writing firstly to obtain confirmation from you that the information we have received, which is given above, is correct, and secondly to ascertain how soon we may count on fuels "A" and "B" being universally available for Air Force service. Yours sincerely, A.F.SIDGREAVES. Managing Director, ROLLS-ROYCE, LIMITED. | ||