ALCOHOL ENGINES. 
Alcohol Engines. 
STARTING FROM COLD: THE PROBLEM SOLVED.. 
By W. N. KERNOT. 
One of the first matters to which attention was given by the Special’ 
Committee on Alcohol Fuel and Engines was a thorough examination 
of all available literature and reports on previous investigations and! 
tests which had been carried out in Europe and the United States of” 
America on the use of alcohol as a fuel. These reports showed that: 
one of the greatest difficulties which had prevented the more general 
adoption of alcohol as a liquid fuel was that internal combustion engines: 
could not be started from cold on alcohol, that is to say, some preheating 
device was necessary, or else the engine had first to be started and 
warmed up with some other fuel, and then switched on to alcohol. 
In the early stages of its work the Committee was inclined to the 
view that the engine problem was the most important question to be 
solved before alcohol could be utilized in Australia extensively as a 
liquid fuel. It appeared that if an engine could be devised to start and 
tun efficiently on alcohol, the other problems, 2.e., the production of the 
alcohol and its denaturation, would be readily solved. The experiments 
which have been carried out show, however, that the engine problem 
is a small one compared with the questions of the production of alcohol 
on a large scale and of its denaturation.* Not only has it beem 
thoroughly demonstrated that alcohol can be used successfully im 
internal combustion engines, but it has also been proved beyond doubt 
that the difficulty of starting from cold has been overcome in a simple 
and effective manner, ‘ 
According to the information given in the reports of the experi- 
ments in other countries, all previous investigations in connexion with 
the utilization of alcohol as a power-fuel in internal combustion engines 
were carried out in engines having initial cylinder compressions of from 
60 to 200 Ibs. per square inch. The available data and records of the 
experiments failed to show that any field, either above or below that 
range of pressures, had ever been explored. Tests were made with 
various types of engines at Melbourne University and at Messrs. H. V. 
McKay’s works at Sunshine. Mr. Ralph McKay found that, though 
the engines could not be started from cold on alcohol, the unexploded 
charge issuing from the exhaust could be ignited with a hot bar of iron 
or the flame of a candle. This.fact, taken in conjunction with the fact, 
that the reports on previous investigations in other countries indicated 
that no research had been done with pressures below 60 Ibs., provided 
the incentive for prosecuting investigations below that pressure. 
For the purpose of the investigations, a single-cylinder engine, 
having a bore of 3 inches and 84-in. stroke, was selected. The connect- 
ing rod was adjustably arranged to provide a means of shortening or 
extending, in order to obtain any desired degree of compression, the 
* See Bulletin No. 6—‘‘ Power-Alcohol: Proposals for its Production and Utilization in Australia.’” 
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