Interchanging Diesel & Jet Fuel

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Originally Posted by Bushmiller

Malb

Sorry to have tell you this, but early Internationals did exactly that. I have a 1950 TD18. It has spark plugs. The theory is that you start on a petrol cycle and once the engine is warmed you switch over to diesel by means of a large lever that closes a valve somewhere in the head and switches to diesel fuel. The valve raises the compression ratio (not that high. From memory it might be 18:1) and allows it to run conventionally as a diesel. Trouble with this is that the carby is primitive and it works well if you have a spare hour to fiddle with it. When I was last using the machine (it broke a track many years ago and I have not repaired it) I used to give it a healthy spray of a proprietary volatile start mix (aerostart, startyoubarstard etc.) and it fired up first time every time direct on diesel.

6cyls, 11litres, 100bhp and two unsilenced exhaust pipes rising vertically from the bonnet in front of you fair gets the adrenaline flowing!

Regards
Paul

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Somewhat later than Paul's post correcting me, but Jpaydirt on Youtube has posted a video explaining the system that International used with their petrol start diesels, including demonstrating things on a working unit and illustrating passages etc. with a redundant head off another machine. He also explained their steering systems, which are somewhat different to the Cat systems. Worth viewing if you are interested in that sort of stuff.

malb

Thanks for posting that link. The machine, being a TD-24 is quite a bit later than mine with a larger engine and probably hydraulics too: My machine has a cable blade courtesy of a double drum winch. The TD-24 is also a bit "woosey" having a mufflers! The TD-18 did not have a silenced exhaust from new.

Regards
Paul

In general terms Jet fuel is cleaner with less Sulfur and other deisel additives. It also has less lubricious.
Having said that, there are a handful of smaller aircraft turbine turbo prop engines that can use diesel fuel.

The Abrams M1A1 tank uses a turbine and happily runs on pretty much any foul concoction you can feed it

Probably even good grappa in a pinch :oo::2tsup::roll:

Puts out an almighty belch of fog when oil is quirted in. :B

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bushmiller

malb

Thanks for posting that link. The machine, being a TD-24 is quite a bit later than mine with a larger engine and probably hydraulics too: My machine has a cable blade courtesy of a double drum winch. The TD-24 is also a bit "woosey" having a mufflers! The TD-18 did not have a silenced exhaust from new.

Regards
Paul

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There was no indication of exactly what operates the blade on the unit shown running, but the handle for blade control operates a long pushrod heading toward the front, and whatever does lift the blade works from the heavy duty frame around where you would expect the radiator shell to be on a Cat. Towards the end he parked the unit beside another TD24 a little older without the blade attached, and that had a front winch system that he claimed was a better proposition than rear winches for blade control as it was permanently connected to the front of the motor and had power available whenever the motor was running, i.e totally independent of clutch and transmission operation. The front winch unit had the cable winch exit high up at the front as well.

For what its worth in Canada we would sometimes use clean Arctic diesel fuel in our turboprop engines (an approved use, in fact). And we then poor junior pilots would use drain slops Jet B in our first generation VW diesel Rabbits.

I would happily run Jet A, A-1 or B in a diesel, but not military JP-4 which is wider cut.