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).
Promotional leaflet explaining the benefits of the fuel additive 'Katalite' for engine performance.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 74\3\ scan0354 | |
| Date | 30th December 1922 guessed | |
| KATALITE AND COMPRESSION Katalite gives you all the advantages of high compression. In order to give the greatest amount of power the explosion should take place when the upward stroke of the piston reaches its limit and compression is at its highest point. If the combustion is not complete by the time the piston starts on its downward stroke much of the power is lost. With Katalite the fuel is all burned when compression is at its highest point Without Katalite the fuel burns more slowly and a large part of the fuel is burned at a lower degree of compression, therefore losing the advantage of maximum compression. Slowly burning Fuel Mixtures waste part of the power developed. Ignition has been perfected to the point that the spark can ignite the fuel when compression is at its highest. But nothing has been done to insure complete combustion—at that moment—except KATALITE. Various grades of fuel burn with different velocities. Today most of the gasoline sold is of low test. This vaporizes and burns slowly and the final stages of combustion take place while the piston is moving away from the combustion chamber. This means loss of power. With a slowly burning mixture one loses the advantage of compression. The presence of KATALITE in the combustion chamber accelerates the combustion to the extent that complete combustion takes place instantly and the full force of the explosion is transmitted to the piston at the time when compression is at its highest point. This is one reason why a Katalized motor gives more power even with a leaner mixture than one which has not been treated. Katalite pays for itself in a very short time. 4 KATALITE AND QUICK COMBUSTION Quick combustion means more power and greater economy. Why is high test gasoline preferable to low test gasoline? BECAUSE IT BURNS FASTER. Why do motorists use ether to facilitate easy starting on cold mornings? BECAUSE IT BURNS FASTER. Why did the old time racing drivers put picric acid in their gasoline? BECAUSE IT BURNS FASTER. Why the “hot spot” the “fuelizer” the water-jacketed carburetor and all the mechanical devices for pre-heating the gasoline mixture before it enters the cylinders? TO MAKE IT BURN FASTER. Why does KATALITE produce more power, higher gasoline and oil mileage, greater flexibility and less carbon than any motor can obtain without it? BECAUSE IT MAKES GASOLINE BURN FASTER THAN ANYTHING EVER DISCOVERED. Your motor may be the best designed motor built, but its design will not change the velocity with which the fuel burns. CATALYSIS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES Any chemist will confirm the theory of Katalite. Our patrons confirm the results obtained. One familiar form of a catalyst is found in the Welsbach lamp, in which the luminous mantle contains a catalytic agent. The reason Germany was able to make enormous quantities of explosives long after their supply of Chile nitrate was exhausted and every frontier blockaded, was due to the use of a catalyst, which enabled them to unite hydrogen and the free nitrogen of the air and from it make ammonia and then nitric acid—the basis of most explosives. Henry Ford’s plan at Muscle Shoals is to “fix” nitrogen in the same way, though in his case it will be used for commercial fertilizer. In the human blood a catalytic agent—oxy-haemoglobin—accelerates the reaction between the oxygen of the air and the tissues of the body. Without this catalyst we could not live. By the use of a catalyst it is possible to produce sulfuric acid cheaply. Without this the cost would be prohibitive and every industry would suffer. KATALITE is the catalyst accelerating the combustion of fuel in gasoline engines. The Katalite coating is not abrasive and is practically indestructible. 5 | ||