water injection

[Barry E. King]

Well, there are numerous examples to the contrary, but to each their own.
Check the patent registration system.  A number of companies are working on
water injection for consumer and many other  applications.  Hybrid direct
injection injectors and other methods or premixing water and fuel prior to
combustion are on the books for gasoline, diesel and gas turbine
applications.

Water injection is GREAT for being able to tweak more power from an engine,
reducing certain nasty emissions (NOx by products) and getting better fuel
economy all at the same time.  How is that not good?

Water injection blows away any general purpose I/C in terms of efficiency.
Using water-air charge coolers isn't any better unless you can keep ice in
the coolant jacket.  Not practical.  The best you can hope for is usually
ambient.  The turbocharged Indy cars used to run nothing but water
injection.  No intercooler other than that.  Furthermore water injection
isn't subject to heat soak.

It is hardly a "step back".  It is the application of a viable and _proven_
technology.  Sometimes the "right advance" and "sensible boost" are not the
point and more importantly don't even come close to extracting the power
output potential of an engine.  In my particular case 15-17 psi is it for
readily available (legal) pump fuel.  Yet I can run 21 psi all day on this
engine WITH the right fuel which (according to calculations) is 116 octane.
Bursts of up to 25 psi or more are tolerated without destroying the engine.
Legal (ie, unleaded, cat-friendly) 116 is not only rare but very expensive.
Injecting water not only gets the effective octane rating closer to what is
required, but offers the additional practical benefit of supplementing the
existing air charge cooler adding even more power power potential.  I
certainly don't see any of this as a "waste of time".  I suppose it is a
matter of perspective.  You either want to get more from what you've got or
you don't.

F1 cars are not limited to the same pump fuel as the consumer not to mention
numerous other things that make the analogy dubious.  Lot's of great ideas
don't show up or last long on F1 or Indy cars due to arbitrary rules.  We're
talking about a registered street legal daily driven vehicle.  One of the
major benefits of a turbo charged powerplant as I see it in this situation
is the variable power output.  I can choose to putt about with very tame,
streetable and easy to live with vehicle 90% of the time.  When so inclined
I can unleash nearly 600 HP simply by dropping the hammer.  I want to do
that safely and reasonably economically where practical.  Water/alcohol
injection is an excellent choice for such an application.


Barry

> -----Original Message-----
>
> Running a water injection system is a waste of time I must say. The only
> thing it does is cool the combustion chamber and thus prevent detonation.
> With proper intercooling, the right advance and sensable boost, (use
> calculations), there is no need for water injection. Water injection is
> about 20 steps back, do you know of any F1 cars that use water injection?