Evening star., 1947-12-25
Dua|-Fue|SystemUsed
In Experimental Car 10
Conserve Petroleum

PAULsBoRo, N. j., Dec. Is.
| (NANA). - Research engineers Of
the Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. recently
demonstrated an automobile equip
ped with a dual-fuel system-allow.
ing it to operate on both high-and-
low-test gasoline-which they be.
lieve may become an important fac
tor in the conservation of this Ma
tons diminishing oil supplies.
Confronted by warnings Of volun-
tary curbs on pleasure driving, the
rationing of gasoline in a number OF
Midwestern States and other indi-
cations of a possible oil shortage,
research men at the company's 300
acre refinery here set out to find q
way to conserve oil stocks while at
the same time saving customers
money.
They hit upon the dual-fuel sys-
tenn. A 1947 Cadillac was rigged
with q system Of wires, carburetors
and fuel pumps which permitted the
engine to burn low-octane fuel for
cruising and high octane for starting
quickly and acceleration.
Uses 40-Octane Gas.
The carburetor may be adjusted
so that it will automatically select
the fuel suited for the particular
task the motor is called upon to do.
Road tests have shown, according
to E. A. Martin, director of automo-
tive research at the company's lab
oratories, that under average driving
conditions an 8-cylinder automobile
requires high-test gasoline about 20
per cent of the time and runs
smoothly on low test 80 per cent of
the time.
The low-test gasoline used In the
experiement is 40 octane, consider.
ably lower than the regular" OBJ
tanned at service stations. It Is used
only for experimental purposes.
Waste Factors 5 Per Cent.
Behind the experiments on the
dual-fuel system here Is the serious
concern that present trends in en-
gine design seem headed toward the
consumption Of gasoline Of higher
and higher octane rating, the pro-
duction of which is wasteful Of crude
petroleum. At least one major auto
mobile company is said to be com.
mitted to engines of higher com.
preston ratio. A compression ratio
of twelve -to-one, while reducing en-
gine speed, would require fuel OF
about 100-octane rating.
In the production of 97-octane
gas" according to Mr.. Martin, each
barrel of crude oil yields SIS per cent
gasoline and 40 per cent fuel oil.
Under existing manufacturing proc
esses, that is all the gasoline Of that
octane rating that can be obtained
from one barrel. Thus there Is 5
per cent waste factor.
There is an increased demand In
the country today for fuel oil go
per cent higher than before the
war; and production Of high-octans
gasoline lowers the yield of this by
product. The problem is to get the
most economical return from bar.
rel of crude oil.
Car Has Two Gas Tanks.
In addition, research men at the
Paulsboro plant point out, large
scale production Of high octane
might run into millions Of dollars
in new refining equipments cost
which would have to be passed along
to the motorist.
Presumably the dual-fuel system
could be applied to high-compres-
sion engines. The Socony expert
mental car has two tanks one Of
which holds high octane, antiknock
gasoline, while the other contains
low test. The gas is fed to the
engine by two fuel pumps. Each
type Of fuel passes through a sep
arate carburetor.
Manifold pressure automatically
selects the fuel the engine requires
at any stage Of operation and, in
the experimental car, actuates
mechanism which shuts off one car
buretor, while opening the one
which vaporizes the type of fuel
needed.
Mr.. Martin explained that the first
dual-fuel system was necessarily
complex. Two carburetors are not
necessary, he said, and the COM
pany has ordered handmade car
buretor, slightly larger than the
normal type, which will handle both
types of fuel.