Evening star., 1940-06-16
French Defeat Near and Will Vitay Affect S. Eliot Believes

studies of the recovery of waste heat
from the exhaust of aircraft en-
gines.
THE heat energy that is being
lost through the exhaust is a very
large proportion of the heat energy
that is in the fuel" DR.. Lewis
explained. I'VE are absorbing some
Of 1t now in the exhaust-type super
charger, but we are going to study
the possibility of also doing it
either by a gas turbine, by jet
propulsion methods, or by other
methods"
The power plant wind tunnel
would be unique. Nothing like it
exists in the world tooay. 1t would
be a wind tunnel with a throat
diameter Of Is feet and an air speed
at sea level of 300 miles per hour.
In it research can be conducted
on engines of up to 5000 horse
power. The tunnel can be evac-
uated by pumps to provide an air
density corresponding to an alti-
LuQe OF 5U,OUO feet.
This tunnel" DR.. Lewis said,
will permit the study of the COM
plete full-scale power plant under
flight conditions, with the propeller
operating. and using supercharging,
up to 10000 feet. We can investi-
gate the engine. supercharger, and
propeller in this wind tunnel up
to 10000 feet and get answers to
our questions, rather than taking
months in fight tests to obtain the
most efficient combination of engine,
supercharger, propeller and nacelle
installation"
Finest Equipment Planned.
AS in actual practice, speed of
air flow will increase with simulated
altitude gains in the tunnel and at
the equivalent of 10000 feet, air.
HoW through the new tunnel would
attain the tremendous speed of
4s0 miles per hour, it is estimated
That kind of research equipment
does not exist anywhere in the
world, DR.. Lewis said. That tun-
mel Is going to take little longer
TO build than the other units of
the engine research laboratory. Re-
search on the improving of the
power output of engines to be used
Tor the present procurement pro-
gram Is under way at Langley and
Will be transferred to the new
station.
In the last 10 years the horse
power Of engines has been doubled
without increasing the size of the
engine. Military airplanes must
now fly at speeds of 400 to 500
miles per hour. To obtain these
speeds the engine power must be
further increased without increasing
the overall size of the engine"
Size of Engine Is Problem.
This problem of increasing engine
power without increasing size will
be a primary research goal of the
third unit of the laboratory-the
fuels and lubricants laboratory. The
trend in recent years has been to
increase what is known as the
"octane number of fuels to pre-
vent engines burning up at high
power output. The laboratory will
study safety fuels, which proba bly,
Will have to be used through a fuel
injection system. Facilities will be
provided for study of new and better
fuels and new and better lubricants
for high-power output. The labora
tory also will work on the problems
OF overcoming Deficiencies of the
carburetor and using fuel injection
instead. An instrument section will
be provided to construct and develor
instruments required in connection
with measurement of fuel-air ratios
and engine operating conditions tc
ind out in flight the actual opera.
ting conditions for maximum efici-
ency and safety.
The engine torque stand will per-
NIT investigation of complete engine:
and propellers up to the largest sizes
under precise laboratory conditions
The stand at the new laboratory will
be equipped to test engines up tc
1000 horsepower. 1t will be provided
with horizontal air intake and q