Nexus - 0212 - New Times Magazine-pages

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NEWSCIENCENEWSCIENCEN my friend's vehicle, something he vapour which the engine runs on. remembered from a 1950s article in Remember to install some kind of anti- Popular Mechanics. He wasamachin- flash device (like those used on acety- ist, and built a block with the inlet ‘hole' —_ lene tanks) or a check-valve, to prevent to go under the carburettor. Nothing a backfire in the carburettor flashing up more than the old water vapour vacuum _into this tank. principle. The friend I referred to would travel NB: Anti-smog systems have a 3 miles to a post office and back home pump that circulates oil vapours to the daily. His miles per gallon (MPG) was carburettor, tap into that line, just in the range of 30-40, using a big old before it enters the carburettor, at that Ford Lid. This type of device doesn't location it is a vacuum (from the engine __ start ‘working’ until the carburettor float via the carburettor). chamber is emptied, which takes at As the engine tums, it creates a vacu- least 2 to 3 miles. When it is empty, um at the carburettor. If you can install the engine then is running on pure a tapped opening (to accept a threaded petrol vapour, which is the secret of connector) the vacuum on the ‘hole’ those 100 to 200 miles per gallon car- will be proportional to the throttle but- burettors you hear about. My friend terfly. An explosion proof tank is made was probably travelling only 1/2 the to hold about a gallon of petrol. Aline tip on the efficiency of vapour; what connects from the bottom of the carbu- Must have been his mileage if he took it rettor to the top of this tank. The tank on a long trip? When installing this is partly filled with petrol. An ‘air type of device, some kind of valve stone’, the type used in a pet fish aquar- needs to be installed to shut off the fuel ium, (several small or one large), is fit- line to the carburettor. On the newer ted with a line that draws air from out- _ Vehicles, there is an overflow from the side the top of this tank. The engine is fuel pump back to the main tank; if not, started 'normally'. Once running, the some kind of by-pass needs to be regular fuel line is shut off (no fuel _ installed so the pump isn't ruined with going to the carburettor). The engine OVer-pressure (pumping on a dead-end vacuum draws on the tank which sucks _ line). As with anything, a large dose of air into the tank through the air-stone. | common sense needs to be applied. The ultra-fine bubbles breaking the sur- In general, all people experimenting face of the petrol in the tank, create with fuel extension devices report that the larger the engine, the easier it is to improve efficiency. Most buy an old ineffi- cient vehicle and experiment on it. I estimate that the last device I described should get at least 50 miles per gallon, and highly prob- able get double that. There is always the argu- ment of the engine running too lean, which will burn out valves and rings. Iam highly dubi- ous about that. I sent off for a design to burn hydro- gen in an engine. Verifying Paul Brown's ‘story’, a 17 year old boy developed a simple device that uses tap water, 12 volt DC and some stainless steel. He went to one of the major TV stations in Los Angeles challenging them to feature his car on TV rather than those exotic, expensive, compli- cated hydrogen cars of the future. Three months later he was in jail (1979?) and was still there the last I knew. Friends tried to sell the plans. In a follow-up letter (after buying the plans), they stated that you didn’t have to install stainless steel valves to make the engine hold up. If you ran the engine for a minute or two on regular petrol before turning it off, the cylin- ders and valves were lubricated enough, not to require the installation of special alloy valves. A little bit of deductive logic and a dose of common sense says that it is very highly proba- ble that burning petrol vapour will not damage the engine by running too lean. I'd make the educated guess that on local trips, simply running the engine "normally" would take care of the lubrication. If used on long trips, fill- ing the carburettor bowl once every 100 or 200 miles would suffice. That would necessitate some kind of a reach- rod to turn a valve with, or a solenoid actuated valve. my friend's vehicle, something he remembered from a 1950s article in Popular Mechanics, He was a machin- ist, and built a block with the inlet ‘hole’ to go under the carburettor. Nothing more than the old water vapour vacuum principle. NB: Anti-smog systems have a pump that circulates oil vapours to the carburettor, tap into that line, just before it enters the carburettor, at that location it is a vacuum (from the engine via the carburettor). As the engine turns, it creates a vacu- um at the carburettor. If you can install a tapped opening (to accept a threaded connector) the vacuum on the ‘hole’ will be proportional to the throttle but- terfly. An explosion proof tank is made to hold about a gallon of petrol. A line connects from the bottom of the carbu- rettor to the top of this tank. The tank is partly filled with petrol. An ‘air stone’, the type used in a pet fish aquar- ium, (several small or one large), is fit- ted with a line that draws air from out- side the top of this tank, The engine is started ‘normally’. Once running, the regular fuel line is shut off (no fuel going to the carburettor). The engine vacuum draws on the tank which sucks air into the tank through the air-stone. The ultra-fine bubbles breaking the sur- face of the petrol in the tank, create T've found that it is best to keep the system crude and simple, until it is working. If it does work on the first try, it always need improvements. When everything is up to snuff, then add the bells and frills. In other words, start with simple, cheap gate-valves, Often times it is simpler to open the bonnet and open the valve or close a valve, than it is to run wiring all over the place and be overdesigned to start with. Once you have ‘something’ work- ing, you'll get all kinds of suggestions to improve in ways you never thought of. Respectfully, Philip N. Ledoux c/- RFD #1 Box 245, Claremont, NH USA 03743 48*NEXUS FEBRUARY-MARCH '93