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 discussing engine loading issues caused by vaporiser inlet pipes and the solution of fitting return pipes.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 50\3\ Scan267 | |
| Date | 22th May 1923 | |
| COPY. Cy2-W-5.22.23. May 22nd.1923. Mr. E. {Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} Platford, Rolls-Royce Limited, DERBY, ENGLAND. Dear Platford, Vaporiser Inlet Pipes. "Replying to your EP {G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} 3/H20.4.23, I am enclosing prints A1414 Arrangements of Pipe, A-1330 details of end fitting, and A-1393/4 Arrangement of boilers, also copy of a report from Caswell on this subject. We do not aim to put any restriction in the return of the gas from the boilers to the intake pipe. This would create a back-pressure in the boilers which would force the liquid fuel back up the downtake pipes into the manifold. This was what happened before we fitted the 5/16 return pipes from the boilers to the manifold and this caused loading on hills because the liquid feul running down the downtakes met the rush of vapor rising from the boilers which had suddenly been heated to a greater temperature by the full-throttle running. Fitting return pipes on the same manifold on the same car, without other change, stopped the loading entirely. We have not had a car which could be made to load by any means we could devise and with water temperature above, say, 160oF, for at least six months. Previous to that time, we had a few throttles with fins in them and induction bends which had been pushed in by the cramps (castings weak on backs) and there were occasional cases where it was possible (though not easy) to load the cars for these reasons. At the time when the boilers were first under trial in August, 1921, we fitted glass bottles instead of the boilers, and we found that while a great deal of clear gasoline was collected in starting and cold running, there was a continuous collection at a slow rate of dirty black "heavy ends" all the time the engine was running. This collection was greatest in 3 and 4, though this varied a little with temperature, throttle opening and speed, 2 and 5 occasionally collecting a little for short periods. We have not used glass bottles with the hot throttle but intend to do so shortly. Hives' tests of August and September 1921, go to show, however, that with the amount of heavy ends we get in the gasoline nowadays and unless the throttle can be | ||