andy couchman Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Was idly thinking... and wondering: ...when it comes to getting ultimate power from an engine, how hot should the fuel be? I'm confused on the physics: - hotter = less density for any given volume or more volume for higher temperatures - is mixing with air better if the fuel is hot? - does hotter fule get to its explosive temperatuire quicker and is that good or bad? Have no plans to install a heater into the fuel tank but thought someone would know the answer... I kknow that F1 teams often cool their fuel (or used to before current qualifying rules) but that's for reasons of creating a bit of extra capacity I guess. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian.v Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 cold air+cold fuel= more power Very noticeable that the dense , cold air before dawn has the best power giving capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy couchman Posted July 5, 2004 Author Share Posted July 5, 2004 Thanks Wooly. Ah, but isn't that because the air is cold and therfore denser so you are getting more air into the cylinder and as the stoichometric ratio remains the same that = more fuel too = more power? But what about the fuel temperature. Should we cool it (by making it run at a higher presure) or heat it up? Or does it make no differance? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe 90 Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Fuel should be cold, but as long as it doesn't evaporate where it shouldn't, the effect is minimal. The fuel cools the incoming air, but the effect is mostly due to the latent heat of evaporation. SEP field working, not spotted in 101,600 miles. Some photos on webshots, updated 10 June Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bare Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 Fuel temp does make a difference, if it gets warm enough to vapourise and cause Fuel Lock. I would suspect any methods that suggest 'warming' the fuel in any way... unless yer in Antarctica :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edmandsd Posted July 5, 2004 Share Posted July 5, 2004 This is one of the big advantages of alcohol fuels over conventional fuels allowing far higher compression ratios and much higher boost in turbo applications. Home of HTR700 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAG Posted July 6, 2004 Share Posted July 6, 2004 Thermodynamically engines are more efficient (not necessarily more powerful) when the fuel is heated. This is a concern when you are travelling long distances, like long haul aircraft. For a car there is more advantage in keeping the fuel cooler and denser to provide maximum power. Justin A closed mouth gathers no foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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