[Gasification] SFC for De-rated EnginesWas:smallscalegasifiers for those that need them

[Peter Singfield]

At 09:40 PM 7/1/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>
>   Even small diesels do that.
>
>
>-- 
>Harmon Seaver

Dear Harmon;

I drove nothing but a series of 1981 Volks Rabbit diesels here in Belize
till my last one died in about 2002 -- 

Some of those engines were terribly "tired" -- they could be only push
started (in low gear -- then jump in -- hit the starter -- release the
clutch -- at the same time!!)

The blow back becomes so much that they will rev totally out of control on
crankcase fumes.

So -- I started collecting used oil for the crank -- I would start the
engine -- let it warm up -- then get on the highway and go -- hit the right
gear at say 50 mph -- and the motor would run -- steady -- with the fuel
pump switch turned off.

I did thousands of miles like that -- getting better than 150 mpg diesel --
and about 2 quarts of used oil in the crank every 60 miles of so.

Those Volks diesels are precombustion chamber models. And in a good engine
(less than 200,000 miles usually) -- you could motor along in over drive at
45 mph -- actually lugging the engine -- and get better than 75 mpg on flat
roads -- the engine being very happy about that to -- as your barely
touching the pedal!!

What wore those little suckers out was running them at 85 mph steady -- not
running them better than 50% "derated" in over drive at 50 mph!!

Come on guys -- "think" -- 

If your running at 50 mph in over drive going up a grade with the pedal to
metal -- sure -- your going to hurt that little diesel -- black smoke pours
out the back to!!

But at 50 mph flat smooth roads in overdrive?? No black smoke -- the pedal
barely depressed -- that diesel would run a million or more miles!!

Anyone that ever drove a Volk's Rabbit diesel in over drive knows all about
running precombustion chamber diesels in derated mode!!

And I'll bet I am not the only one on this list that has ever done that!!

And oh -- how do you stop a worn out Volk's rabbit diesel that has gone
"run-away"??

Well -- that only happens if you were foolish enough to rev in neutral --
or maybe miss a shift -- or not come to an almost complete stop before
shifting into neutral -- etc.

But all you could do then was depress the clutch as far as you could -- and
quickly -- very firmly -- grind the tranny into fourth -- then release the
clutch while holding brakes on - -to stall it.

You then had to get out and push start as described above.

And you might as well throw in a few more quarts of used oil in the crank
case while your stopped ---

Peter/Belize