British report on wartime German synthetic aviation fuel/combustion developments
- Thread starter J.A.W.
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The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was used for the production of fuel and as far, as I can see, the report
just deals with the qualities of those types of fuel, so it's not directly related to the topic, is it ?
just deals with the qualities of those types of fuel, so it's not directly related to the topic, is it ?
& the 'power to fly' is derived from?
The German approach to piston engine development was, naturally ( or, synthetically - in this case), determined
by their ability to produce competitive engines with power outputs best able to utilize available fuel.
The BMW radials largely ran on their higher value C3 type, their V12s could cope with lesser B4, (even if
they did make more performance on C3) & make do with an add on - such as MW 50 &/or GM 1.
The German approach to piston engine development was, naturally ( or, synthetically - in this case), determined
by their ability to produce competitive engines with power outputs best able to utilize available fuel.
The BMW radials largely ran on their higher value C3 type, their V12s could cope with lesser B4, (even if
they did make more performance on C3) & make do with an add on - such as MW 50 &/or GM 1.
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In defence of fuel discussions... the available fuels do drive piston engine technology... so in the right context it is worth dipping into the tanks to see how it influenced developments of technology... Lovesey wrote of technology drivers for the Merlin:
Central to the success of the Merlin was the supercharger. A.C. Lovesey, an engineer who was a key figure in the design of the Merlin, delivered a lecture on the development of the Merlin in 1946; in this extract he explained the importance of the supercharger:
"Coming now to specific development items we can ... divide them into three general classes:
1. Improvement of the supercharger.
2. Improved fuels.
3. Development of mechanical features to take care of the improvements afforded by (1) and (2).
Dealing with (1) it can be said that the supercharger determines the capacity, or ... the output, of the engine. The impression still prevails that the static capacity known as the swept volume is the basis of comparison of the possible power output for different types of engine, but this is not the case because the output of the engine depends solely on the mass of air it can be made to consume efficiently, and in this respect the supercharger plays the most important role ... the engine has to be capable of dealing with the greater mass flows with respect to cooling, freedom from detonation and capable of withstanding high gas and inertia loads ... During the course of research and development on superchargers it became apparent to us that any further increase in the altitude performance of the Merlin engine necessitated the employment of a two-stage supercharger."
Full paper here
Central to the success of the Merlin was the supercharger. A.C. Lovesey, an engineer who was a key figure in the design of the Merlin, delivered a lecture on the development of the Merlin in 1946; in this extract he explained the importance of the supercharger:
"Coming now to specific development items we can ... divide them into three general classes:
1. Improvement of the supercharger.
2. Improved fuels.
3. Development of mechanical features to take care of the improvements afforded by (1) and (2).
Dealing with (1) it can be said that the supercharger determines the capacity, or ... the output, of the engine. The impression still prevails that the static capacity known as the swept volume is the basis of comparison of the possible power output for different types of engine, but this is not the case because the output of the engine depends solely on the mass of air it can be made to consume efficiently, and in this respect the supercharger plays the most important role ... the engine has to be capable of dealing with the greater mass flows with respect to cooling, freedom from detonation and capable of withstanding high gas and inertia loads ... During the course of research and development on superchargers it became apparent to us that any further increase in the altitude performance of the Merlin engine necessitated the employment of a two-stage supercharger."
Full paper here
Indeed T, & here are a couple of links to documents showing..
A, Boost settings clearance for aero-engines in British service - when 150 grade fuel was introduced;
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/150grade/engines-cleared-for-150.jpg
B, Clearance approval for running the new Merlin 130 series - in the Hornet - on +25lbs/150 grade fuel;
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/Hornet/Merlin_130_131-150-oct-card.jpg
A, Boost settings clearance for aero-engines in British service - when 150 grade fuel was introduced;
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/150grade/engines-cleared-for-150.jpg
B, Clearance approval for running the new Merlin 130 series - in the Hornet - on +25lbs/150 grade fuel;
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/Hornet/Merlin_130_131-150-oct-card.jpg