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).
Poor quality of American gasoline and potential engine adaptations to use kerosene.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 77\2\ scan0133 | |
| Date | 19th August 1921 guessed | |
| Oy4 - G 15821 Sheet #4. The effect of the change of fuel on the engine is most marked, as found by Mr. Hives. We have had Mr. Hives' findings confirmed by two owners of R-R cars who have brought them over to this country and complained bitterly of their poor running qualities on American gasoline, even in summertime. Further, Professor Anderson, of Kentucky University, who has recently bought a car, has been disappointed with the results obtained - power, acceleration, etc. He recently obtained some aviation spirit and tells us that it made such an astonishing change in the performance "that he could scarcely believe it was the same car". Aviation spirit cannot be obtained commercially. We are sending these particulars to show Mr. Royce and Mr. Hives that the American gasoline is so bad that nothing but a very drastic treatment of the mixture fed to the cylinders can hope to give satisfactory results. Mr. Royce recently wrote that the next step in induction pipe development would be a scheme for using Kerosene. This is exactly what the designers in the United States are striving for, and it is generally admitted that a thoroughly good induction scheme when it is developed will be able to use Kerosene. Mr. Royce will notice that Dorris, in his article on Induction Pipes in the S.A.E. Journal for July, claims to have run a 4000 lb. car 17 miles to the gallon on kerosene. If the 300°F.{Mr Friese} point is taken as the start of kerosene, it will be evident from the distillation curves that American summer-grade commercial gasoline is nearly 50° kerosene. It is pointed out in a recent paper by Mr. Mock, chief research engineer of the Stromberg Carburetter Co., that any increase in the heavy ends in gasoline will mean a proportional decrease in mileage per gallon in all old type cars having a plain induction manifold and simple hot air muff on the exhaust pipe, as the only methods of obtaining vaporization. Without some additional means of evaporating the fuel there will therefore be no conservation of gasoline resulting from further deterioration in quality. Since gasoline is continuing to deteriorate, and with the existing consumption must continue to do so, all makers are doing their utmost to apply heat in an effective way to use efficiently the fuel that is supplied. Yours truly, ROLLS-ROYCE OF AMERICA, Inc. per M.{Mr Moon / Mr Moore} Olley MO/G | ||