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Fuel Temperature x Power

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massa10

Petroleum
Jun 7, 2003
1
Racing teams are cooling the gasoline in order to increase the engine power. Does anybody know the theoretical reasons for that?
 
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They can fit more fuel in the tank, and maybe get a lap or two more between stops.

some people will claim improved VE due to the temp drop, but the temp drop of the final mixture will be minimal, but probably measurable

Regards
pat
 
Pat, some of the racing orgs are using mechanical means/temp strips to check mandated fuel temp range but most of the small circuits simply require that all the fuel used in the event come from the same source. Usually an 'in house' fuel depot or some other subsidised source. Fuel checks, post event, are normal even in SCCA these days.

"Cool Cans" and other "'60's" innovations worked for drag racing but are of no use in other, longer race events. Once the fuel warms up, things lean out. Not usually a big deal as the CC's were not all that efficient in the first place. Jag and other street cars have used the onboard AC's to cool the fuel at the fuel rail. I assume this practice may still exist but to what purpose?

Massa10---The use of chilled fuel was to improve speed and et performance in drag racing and later to get a more dense fuel into fuel cells/tanks in racecars that have fuel quantity limitations, eg. NASCAR, Indy, CART etc. Dense=more, more=fewer pit stops, fewer pit stops---Well, you get the idea.

Rod
 
It's the compression that causes the heat, not the heat that causes the compression, If you compress a gas a given amount, you will get a given temperature change, not a given final temperature

Regards
pat
 
Cooling your fuel resists vapourization, which in turn leads to wildly variable fuel delivery. Keep it cool.
 
It seems like you'd have to get the fuel pretty dern hot to vaporize in-line on modern hi-pressure efi systems used on the race cars massa10 is talking about. And, once you've injected, quick vaporization is a good thing. I've actually considering testing the effects of heating my fuel rail. I believe Smokey looked into much of this 30+ years ago with his "hot" engine.
 
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