Evening star., 1926-03-07
BETTER AUTO FUEL AWAITS
DEMAND BY CAR OWNERS
Satisfaction With Present Inefficient
Engin Must Go Before Higher
Compression Type Comes.

zol it is relatively absent. The latter
can be derived from coal, and, in
smaller quantities, from crude oil too.
There is. therefore. a relationship be-
tween the petroleum fuels and those
derived from coal. and it Is this re.
lationship that has helped materially
in the newer refining process known
as cracking"
In cracking" straight.run gasoline,
the resulting product is rich in what
ever qualities predominated In the
crude. Gasoline is merely a compli-
Gated mixture of a variety of sub
stances composed of carbon and hy-
drogen. This is true of the gasoline
substitutes as well. And it has been
discoved that the less hydrogen there
Is in the fuel the less detonation
there will be when it is burned in an
automobile engine.
If the crude from which straight
run gasoline is taken happens to he
rich in hydrogen 1t will be poor motor
fuel and impossible for use In the
higher compression engine. This eX-
plains why different brands of gaso
line of exactly the same test will
knock more than others. II depends
upon where the crude comes from,
some sections of the country even
yielding a natural. mild, no-knock
variety of fuel.
If the crude is subjected to the
cracking process however, the 'hy
drogen element can he lessened. In
the original crude there are the par
afflns. naphthenes and the benzenes,
and the latter are most desired be
cause they cause less knocking. 1t
is not necessary. however, that the
crude be rich in the benzeneS to get
-1-..
This process is so highly developed al
present that refiners can take crude
filed with the worst of all detonators.
the parafins. and crack" out enough
hydrogens to get a good antiknock
gas
This is viewed as fortunate because
it renders it possible for the petro
leum refiners to match the work of the
companies that are deriving methanol
and benzol from coal. While it is
freely predicted that the artificial H.
Illuminating gas companies throughout
the country will some day be con-
spicuous as automobile fuel producers,
there is no thought of abandoning the
oil fields. though IL is a consolation to
know that if the oil supply gives out
the automobile can go its way on
gasoline substitutes.
With the present type of carburetors
and manifolds, metharol and straight
benzol cannot be used successfully.
Many motorists are getting around
this by doping straight-run gasoline
with small quantities of benZol and
other antiknock compounds sold in
trade marked cans. II is evident. too,
that If the cracking process proves
incapable of meeting the demands Of
the higher compression engine a sat
I L = =
with benzol or other anti-knocks, gas
olines that are rich in benzol or naph-
theme. and without radical changes in
carburetors.
New Fuels May Scour.
One thing is important to note and
| that is. the higher compression en-
| Gines of the near future will have
| their own knock or detonation II the
engines fill up with carbon. A newer
type of fuel will then he demanded
although there is the hope that way
will he found to prevent the forma-
ton of carbon in these power plants.
Burning less fuel per mile will be a
great help in this connection, and 1t
is true that some Of the newer fuels
have a securing action which en-
courages the speedy removal of any
carbon that chances TO deposit on the
piston tops or the cylinder head.
But. knock or no knock, the higher
compression engine. when as clean as
! the clean engine of today. will give
far greater gasoline mileage. Motor
dom will he nearing the day of the
! 5O-mile- -to.the- gallon car. And il will
| have a hiGh-powered engine capable
/ Of impartinS high speed to its car.
Is the motoring public ready to de
mand more mileage? That is the
| question.
Upon it's answer hinges the answer
as to what Is the future fuel and
when is it to become general.
lCopvright. l226l