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).
Engine efficiency, fuel consumption, carburetters, and the benefits of higher compression.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 147\5\ scan0045 | |
| Date | 2nd September 1913 | |
| R9/P 2.9.13. Sheet.2 COPY consumption of the Dietrich is easily accounted for by either the use of a higher compression or a slower engine speed. Big engines are usually rated at slow engine speeds, and these slow engine speeds very often are advantageous to getting full cylinder of fuel, so that Mr Platford, Mr Haldenby and others, who are unsettled in their mind about petrol consumption at high speed, should not look to the carburetter, but to the engine for an explanation of the apparent want of efficiency. I hope this will make the matter clear, and the Claudel-Hobson, and no other carburetter can do much to help; it being rather a question of valves and free ingress of the air. You will remember that we achieved the remarkable consumption at the Isle of Man by having a very high top gear, which we could use in coasting, and when it was likely the engine would get too high speeds. Also, at these high speeds, I would like to point out, that I have no hesitation in saying that it has nothing to do with condensation in the inducting pipe. Some time ago, I suggested that for competitions we might use benzol to avoid detonations, and run with much higher compression. Although this higher compression may show no advantage at low engine speeds, it would considerably tend R.E.K. 282Y (120 H) (XX. 282Y 2.10.13) E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} | ||