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Improved Utilization of Nitromethane as an Internal Combustion Engine Fuel
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English
Abstract
Single-cylinder engine tests, with computerized data aquisition, of several nitroparaffin and methanol fuel blends were conducted to identify engine operating conditions or fuel compositions which reduced combustion knock with no penalty to engine power. The effect of variation in equivalence ratio, nitromethane percentage in selected co-solvents, ignition timing and compression ratio was investigated at fixed engine speed and steady-state temperatures. Electronic filters were used to isolate the portion of the cylinder pressure signal containing combustion knock and a Fast Fourier Transform computer subroutine was used to characterize combustion severity in the frequency domain.
The results verified the empirical racing engine practice that for a nitromethane/methanol mixture operating fuel-rich from stoichiometric, power is increased and knock is decreased. The study also shoved the significant result that as nitromethane concentration is increased in both nitroethane and nitropropane as co-solvents, as replacements for methanol in traditional racing fuel blends, power is increased while knock severity decreases.
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Citation
Bush, K., Germane, G., and Hess, G., "Improved Utilization of Nitromethane as an Internal Combustion Engine Fuel," SAE Technical Paper 852130, 1985, https://doi.org/10.4271/852130.Also In
References
- Germane, G. J. “A Technical Review of Automotive Racing Fuels,” SAE for publication
- Starkman, E. S. “The Nitroparaffins as Piston Engine Fuels” Reprint: Nitroparaffin Symposium Commercial Solvents Corporation 1956
- Starkman, E. S. “Power Augmentation with Nitromethane,” Automotive Industries April 15 1956
- Bush, K. C. “Improved Nitromethane Utilization in Spark-Ignition Engines,” Mechanical Engineering Department, Brigham Young University March 1985
- Chigier, Norman Energy, Combustion, and Environment McGraw-Hill 1981 10 11
- Hoffman, R. “A New Technique for Determining the Knock of Fuels,” SAE paper 285C 1961
- Kempinski, B. Rife, J.M. “Knock in Spark Ignition Engines,” SAE paper 810147 1981
- Barton, R. K. Lestz, S. S. Duke, L. C. “Knock Intesity as a Function of Engine Rate of Pressure Change,” SAE Paper 700061 1961
- Gething, J. A. Lestz, S. S. “Knocking and Performance Characteristics of Low Octane Primary Reference Fuels Blended with Methanol,” SAE Paper 780079 1979