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Methanol Water tanks (MW50) around 100L, often could also be used as a reserve fuel tank for long range ferry flights! (Me109,Ki-43).
One source I read says F6F sometimes removed it cause its a PITA.
I think the point is wondering why they resorted to water-methanol/ethanol injection.
1. Japanese have had no high octane worth speaking about, they moved from 87 oct to just 92 oct. Higher compression ratio is a self-inflicted wound - reduce the compression ratio in order to maximize boost.Same results are got in a much more effective way having:
- An higher octane fuel, allowing higher compression ratios
- Technology (also intended as provision - by design, room, etc. - on a available engine) to put an inter/after-cooler.
A similar reasoning, can be applied to nitrous oxide versus turbo-supercharger.
Those devices, studied late in the war by Allied commissions already impressed by such technologies like Me 262 or Baka, may have appeared like advanced; actually, I think it was dictated mainly by desperation. Indeed, nowadays we've many supercharged cars: how many have a methanol-water injection?
I think the point is wondering why they resorted to water-methanol/ethanol injection.
The mixture at high specific heat (heat quantity to raise temperature by one unit for unit of reference; e.g.: 1°C for 1 cubic decimeter) injected into supercharger intake is a poor means to allow higher total compression ratio (I mean that of supercharger + that inside the cylinder; that's to say the density of charge) without detonation. Heat absorbed by evaporation of the mix partly converts adiabatic compression inside the supercharger toward an isentropic one, providing better efficiency (higher output pressures for a given power taken by supercharger).
Same results are got in a much more effective way having:
A similar reasoning, can be applied to nitrous oxide versus turbo-supercharger.
- An higher octane fuel, allowing higher compression ratios
- Technology (also intended as provision - by design, room, etc. - on a available engine) to put an inter/after-cooler.
Those devices, studied late in the war by Allied commissions already impressed by such technologies like Me 262 or Baka, may have appeared like advanced; actually, I think it was dictated mainly by desperation. Indeed, nowadays we've many supercharged cars: how many have a methanol-water injection?
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Me109 "extra" tank could take GM-1 nitrous/Methanol-Water/Fuel if plumbing was done, but i have no diagrams of it.
I think it was Janes F6F book (Anderton) that mentioned removing (or maybe not using) ADI equipment. It may have been as with 130 octane ADI was not needed with standard WEP boost setting? and F6F5 were hardly been in many desperate fights in 1945.
Ki-43-III Water methanol injector-------- 一式戦闘機「隼」研究所−栄(ハ25、ハ115)エンジン
There was equipment of water methanol injection device characterizing the latter set of fighter "Hayabusa". In the Zero fighter, only one machine was manufactured and it did not reach practical use, but 1,153 aircraft were equipped in the fighter "Hayabusa" Type III.
Originally it is good to spray only water, but if it rises to high altitude in other than hot areas, it will be below 0 degrees and water will freeze, so methanol (methyl alcohol) is added to lower the freezing point and make it antifreeze. The equipment injects water ethanol with gasoline at a boost pressure of + 200 mmHg or more with a supplemental injection metering device using bellows, introducing it with air-fuel mixture into the cylinder and igniting it,
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+200mm Hg is only +4psi, So it seems fuel quality was low also.
I ........ Heat absorbed by evaporation of the mix partly converts adiabatic compression inside the supercharger toward an isentropic one, ................ I think it was dictated mainly by desperation. Indeed, nowadays we've many supercharged cars: how many have a methanol-water injection?
Question: how large were the water/meth tanks? How does this compare to other Allied and Axis aircraft with M/W?
Also curious (and I realize this can vary wildly) about usage rate (litres per minute?) of M/W when employed.
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Also curious (and I realize this can vary wildly) about usage rate (litres per minute?) of M/W when employed.