Paul Hunt wrote:
>
> I also read many years ago that jet engines had distilled
> water sprayed into the intakes at take-off to increase power, and one
> crashed because the water was contaminated with oil (I KNEW flying was
> marginal, but not THAT marginal).
Paul:
Jet engines use water injection to cool the air as it comes out of the
inlet compressors. The thing that limits a jet engines power is the
temperature of the exhaust gas as it enters the turbine. Using water
injection to cool the air entering the combustion chambers allows for
more fuel and hence higher power. Having water contaminated with oil
would mess up the cooling effect and result in damage to the turbines.
Race cars have been know to use this same technique to cool the output
of a supercharger. It increases the air density allowing you to burn
more fuel.
--
THANX, John
77 MGB
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