BETTERING THE EFFICIENCY OF EXISTING ENGINES 200005
First reviewing the history of the progressive insufficiency of the supply of highly volatile internal-combustion engine fuels and the early efforts made to overcome this by applying heat to produce rapid vaporization, the author gives an outline of the methods already found valuable in offsetting the rising boiling points of engine fuels and states the resulting three-fold problem now confronting the automotive industry.
The tendency to subordinate efficient vaporization to the attainment of maximum volumetric efficiency is criticised at some length and the volatility of fuel is discussed in detail, with reference to characteristic distillation, time of evaporation and distillation-temperature curves which are analyzed.
Heating devices are then divided into four classes and described, consideration then being given to fuel losses outside the engine. The use of some pressure-indicating apparatus such as a manograph, for determining pressure conditions within the cylinder, is believed necessary.
Summarizing, ten definite recommendations are made for bettering engine efficiency.
