Abstract
SCIENCE SERVICE, of Washington, D.C., reports that, in future, U.S. Army aeroplanes will be delivering approximately 70 per cent more power per pound of gasoline than was the case seven years ago. In 1928 an increase of 33 per cent in power output was obtained by alteration of engine design to utilise 92 instead of 50 octane gasoline; and now a further increase is envisaged by the substitution of special lead blended iso-octane for the 92 octane gasoline. Petroleum will still be used as a raw material in the production of this fuel, but the molecules will be ‘torn down’ and ‘rebuilt’ into new fuels. The composition of such fuels will be half iso -octane, which is now being manufactured in substantial quantities by several refineries, and half good quality ordinary aviation spirit with the addition of ‘ethyl’. The cost per gallon of the final product will be higher than that of present aviation fuels, but since its power per pound is greater it ought in the long run to prove more economical. The practical result of its utilisation will be to enable aeroplanes to fly farther and faster without increasing the weight of fuel carried.
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Increase of Power Output in Aeroplanes. Nature 135, 837 (1935). https://doi.org/10.1038/135837a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/135837a0