'I have noticed that most internal combustion engines  seem to run more
smoothly in very wet weather, assuming there are no wiring concerns and that
the engine is fully warmed up, but this could be another issue altogether.'

So have I, particularly in absolute downpours where the rain hitting the
gound litterly sucks the temperature down by evaporation and the ater is not
necessarly held as vapour but as fine droplets. Just at this point they seem
to have the ability to radically alter the combustion process, as I have a
job believing that the whole effect is solely due to reduced inlet temps and
the consequent higher charge mass. Shall we synthesise our 'intuitive'
experiences here? Simply injecting water into the inlet without thinking a
lot about exactly simulating the actual parameters that produce this effect
might be too simple.

Clive
'88 Syncro Transporter

----- Original Message -----
From: "Various" <AllStuff@HANS-WILLY.MYIP.ORG>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2002 7:58 PM
Subject: Re: Running on Tap Water

> Please let me preface my remarks by saying that I am skeptical to the
point
> of disbelief whenever someone claims to have invented a perpetual motion
> machine or broken the laws of thermo dynamics...
>
> A few tens of years ago I remember reading (in NEWSWEEK or TIME?) about
> someone working on a concept about injecting a small amount of water
(finely
> atomized) into the hot combustion chamber, just after ignition.  The
theory,
> as explained, was that the thermal expansion rate of the finely atomized
> water was greater than the expansion rate of the combustion gases, mostly
> due to the transition from liquid water to gaseous water, and therfore
gave
> an extra kick to the piston for "free". Exeptional gas milage was the
quest,
> the headline giving hope of a 100 mpg future.
>
> The story continued about the Oil companies' concerns and wanting to buy
him
> out... The concept seemed to me somewhat possible, but I never heard about

> the concept since (maybe the conspiracy really does exist ;~)  ).
>
> I say that this seems possible, not knowing much about the thermal
expansion
> curves of water (steam) and gasoline combustion gases.
>
> I have noticed that most internal combustion engines  seem to run more
> smoothly in very wet weather, assuming there are no wiring concerns and
that
> the engine is fully warmed up, but this could be another issue altogether.
>
> So let's see where this one goes.
>
> Alias Fred aka Bleu Schtroumpf
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Brodbeck [mailto:gull@CYBERSPACE.ORG]
> Sent: 17 juillet, 2002 10:04
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Running on Tap Water
>
>
> On Wed, 17 Jul 2002, Timothy Crooks wrote:
>
> > I am no chemist, nor physicist, nor do I claim to be, but it has been
> > demonstrated to, when I was about 14, by a chemist, that water can be
used
> > to make a fire burn hotter.  He pointed out that there must be a fuel
> > present, but when water as in the form of a steam, a true dry steam, the
> > caloric output is increased.
>
> Is it increased by more than the caloric input needed to make the steam?
>
>              _ _
>   __ _ _   _| | |  | David M. Brodbeck (N8SRE)              Ypsilanti, MI
>  / _` | | | | | |  +-----------------------------------------------------
> | (_| | |_| | | | @ cyberspace.org
>  \__, |\__,_|_|_| "Geekdom is fantastic at being AGAINST something, and
>  |___/             it's hopeless at being FOR something."
>                                       -- Andrew Orlowski in The Register.
>