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).
Fuel tests on Shell Eastern Spirit, comparing it with benzol and petrol mixtures to prevent engine detonations and pre-ignitions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 1\2\ B001_X 53-page10 | |
| Date | 2nd April 1919 | |
| To R.{Sir Henry Royce} from EH. c. to CJ. c. to E.{Mr Elliott - Chief Engineer} c. to BY.{R.W. Bailey - Chief Engineer} c. to Da.{Bernard Day - Chassis Design} c. to EP.{G. Eric Platford - Chief Quality Engineer} X.53. EH4/LG2.4.19. RE FUELS X.53, X.2538, X.1282. We have carried out further tests with the Shell Eastern Spirit and compared it with benzol and benzol mixtures as regards detonations and pre-ignitions. We find that on a 40/50 Chassis where the detonations with ordinary petrol are very bad that they are completely cured if we run on Eastern Spirit. We also find that 50% Eastern Spirit and 50% ordinary petrol is excellent as regards absence of detonations. We estimate that a mixture of 50% Eastern Spirit and 50% ordinary petrol is as good as 25% benzol and 75% ordinary petrol as regards preventing detonations. The Shell people have raised the point whether with Eastern Spirit it is necessary to add any percentage of benzol. They claim that this spirit contains all the aromatics of a mixture of 20% benzol and ordinary petrol in a homogeneous form. The aromatics in question consist of toluol and benzol fractions and is sulphur free. We have carried out tests and from a pre-ignition point of view, we find that Shell Eastern Spirit without any benzol added is better than a mixture of ordinary petrol and 20% benzol but we have also found that if we add Benzol to Eastern spirit, it is still further improved. We wish to point out that the best fuel we know of for absence of pre-ignition is 100% Contd. | ||