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).
Configuration of mechanical and electrical petrol pumps for the Wraith engine.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 149\4\ scan0245 | |
| Date | 20th April 1937 | |
| 1263 Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Gry.{Shadwell Grylls} c. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Dixon. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design}1/HP.20.4.37. Petrol Pumps. Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} yesterday instructed us to fit a mechanical pump to the first Wraith engine. This we are now doing. The intention is still to fit an electrical pump, but either it or the mechanical one is to be a standby, to be called into operation if the other one fails. The questions are, which pump is best left standing idle, and will either of them suffer deterioration by so doing. Sg{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} and Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} wished Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Dixon to carry out immediately tests on the electrical pump to see how it likes being left submerged in petrol, but not actually working. If it can be relied on it would be used for priming as well as a standby. Another system would be for both pumps to be fully connected up, the more powerful mechanical one immediately putting the electrical one out of action. If it is decided to use the mechanical pump as a standby, we should arrange a device to hold the operating plunger away from the eccentric, Sg.{Arthur F. Sidgreaves - MD} saying that he would be satisfied if the owner had no more difficulty in starting it up than he had with the magneto when that was used as a standby on 20/25. Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} | ||