100% correct, so far…..engine type?

From a V12 so

DB601/605 or Jumo 213

I’ll go

Jumo 213

As with the last flight, from the shear volume of recent outbursts from the resident doomster anti Vulcan brigade, I’d say that another flight must be iminent?

GO Vulcan dudes go!!!

🙂

Pen Pusher,

That ‘bit on the supercharger’ is the charge cooler, normally called the intercooler. It can be found on 60, 70 and 80 series Merlins as well as 100 series (if memory serves me correctly).

Following two stages of supercharging, the charge (or fuel/air mixture) has been compressed to such an extent that its temperature has increased to a level where detonation would happen in the combustion chamber. The solution was to install a heat exchanger between the supercharger outlet and the engine inlet ports. This heat exchanger is liquid cooled, and the pipework feeds to a radiator fitted in one of the underwing cowls. An engine driven pump circulates this charge coolant and forms a totally seperate system from the engine coolant system.

Although this system sounds similar to what you find on vehicles, including Land Rovers, most road vehicles are fitted with an intercooler, not a charge cooler.

The difference?

An intercooler cools air compressed (normally) by the turbocharger before it enters the inlet manifolds. Fuel is then added at the inlet port (fuel injected petrol engine) or in the combustion chamber (direct or indirect injection diesel).

A charge cooler cools the fuel/air mixture or charge prior to entering the inlet manifold.

Why did the Merlin / Griffon engines have a charge cooler?

The genius’s at Rolls Royce utilised the benifit of adiabatic cooling of the charge.

What???

If you mix the fuel and air prior to compressing it in a supercharger, the charge has the property of evaporative cooling (put simply) lowering the charge temperature on the Merlins and Griffons by approximately 25 Degrees C, lowering the tendency to detonate. Think of it as free intercooling.

camlobe

Thanks camlobe, also not to forget the increase in charge density and hence power output which is another free gain from compressing and cooling the charge. Something which the DB 6xx fuel injected series didn’t benefit from.

Sorry VX just realised I never answered this! 😮

It was always the plan to bring her back to the UK right upto the day when the decision was made to leave her stateside. Unfortunately though without the spar replacement it was never really on.

Why were the spars deemed by BAe to require replacing after being used for just over ten years? Was there corrosion issues or was there some incredible utilisation during the operational period since they were replaced?

The resparing programme was for the AEW aircraft circa early 1970’s

Just read the latest Flypast where it mentioned that Mr McHenry was re-sparred in 1980?

Is that correct?

Great News!

However, still the only museum piece in the world which isn’t obsolete! …. very strange indeed.

Nice one NU LAbour……:rolleyes:

Excuse my ignorance but regards Fred Dibnah – I remember the various programmes of him demolishing various towers etc . What other achievements did he do? Is he of a similar stature to the likes of Brunel – Churchill ?

David,

His steeplejack era on TV was what brought him to the attention of the masses in the seventies (“That’s Life” IIRC).

In his later exposure on TV, his enthusiasm for all things heavy engineering, (British) was inspirational and infectious (IMHO), which we can only hope will similarly enthuse a younger generation to aspire to a useful career in engineering as opposed to a nation of deadhead drug abusing wannabe celebrity popstar twats.

I’m sure IKB would have enjoyed many a pint with the man had they been of the same era.

He was a Great Britain indeed.