REFLECTOR: Fuel Consumption Performance

Brian Michalk michalk at awpi.com
Wed Aug 5 10:52:06 CDT 2009


Thanks for mentioning this, Scott.  The OP raised that concern, and I 
had not yet time enough to counter with the danger.

Scott Derrick wrote:
> Terry,
>
> running the first cylinder LOP can put some of the richer cylinders
> right in the BAD zone. Thats well... bad!  Thats why you always lean to
> the last cylinder when running LOP.  Thats also why you lean to the
> first cylinder when running ROP, so all the other cylinders are rich of
> that point.
>
> you said
>
> "I was afraid my coolest cyl could be 150 LOP before the last cly peaked and that I could burn that exhaust valve."
>
>
> Thats exactly backwards. Once a cylinder reaches peak EGT and goes on
> the LOP side it will run cooler and cooler the leaner you run it. The
> absoluter worst mixture is about 25-50 degrees ROP in terms of
> detonation and the timing of peak power pulses.  If your coolest
> cylinder was running at 150 degrees leaner than the last cylinder to
> reach 75 LOP it would probably not be firing due to the too lean mixture.
>  
> How to operate your engine is a complex topic.  Here is a great set of
> articles by John Deacon, I consider a must for any recip operator,
> whether you run LOP or ROP.
>
> part 1
> http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182179-1.html
> part 2
> http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182176-1.html
> part 3
> http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/182583-1.html
> part 4
> http://www.avweb.com/news/pelican/183094-1.html
>
>
> Here's GAMI's lean test,  a great thing for anybody to do, to see how
> balanced their injectors are.
>
> http://www.gami.com/gamijectors/leantest.php
>
> Scott
>
>
>
> Terry Miles wrote:
>   
>> Scott,
>> No I didn't know that.  Thanks.  Remember I am the rookie with no recip
>> time.  I was afraid my coolest cyl could be 150 LOP before the last cly
>> peaked and that I could burn that exhaust valve.  As it is, some cyl never
>> get to peak.  That's why the fast TAS probably, and I could get the FF below
>> 11 when I was up over 10,000 and only loose a few knots.  
>> Thanks
>> Terry
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On
>> Behalf Of Scott Derrick
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 08:05
>> To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
>> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Fuel Consumption Performance
>>
>> Terry,
>>
>> You probably already know this.
>>
>> at that altitude you could run any mixture without fear of detonation,
>> however that is not how LOP operation is usually done.
>>
>> For LOP you always lean to the last cylinder, not the first as you do for
>> ROP.
>>
>> GAMI, recommends 75 LOP as the richest mixture now. Especially in a full
>> power climb.
>>
>> nice numbers...
>>
>> Scott
>>
>> Terry Miles wrote:
>>   
>>     
>>> Tom,
>>> I've got an XLRG-5 IO-540K 300 HP with a 3-blade constant speed ACI prop.
>>> These numbers are about 2 weeks old.  Same day taken only an hour or so
>>> apart on the xc from PA to IN.    
>>>
>>> Altitude  10000       12000
>>> OAT C	    +16		+12
>>> TAS       193		195
>>> IAS       160		157
>>> FF        11.5		11.5
>>> RPM       2330		2390
>>> % pwr      64  		62           wide open throttle
>>> Oil T      192
>>> Oil P       66
>>> Cyl ave    300          25 hotter
>>> EGT        1230         same
>>>
>>> I lean until my first cyl is 50 lop and quit there.  I can likely go 
>>> to 11 gal.
>>> I was about 2600 gross wgt at the time.    
>>>
>>> Terry Miles
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] 
>>> On Behalf Of Tom Tolton
>>> Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 19:39
>>> To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list'
>>> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Fuel Consumption Performance
>>>
>>> Thanks Brian.  I'll start looking for BSFC numbers. After posting my 
>>> last message I found an article where a LANCAIR with a 550N was tested 
>>> to determine the Vbc or velocity for best CAFÉ or best Comparative 
>>> Aircraft Flight Efficiency.  At 12.5 K density altitude 2300 rpm and 
>>> 248.3 smph they were able to reduce fuel consumption to 10.4 gph LOP.  
>>> Do you know if Velocity has entered the CAFÉ competition?
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] 
>>> On Behalf Of Brian Michalk
>>> Sent: Monday, August 03, 2009 8:16 PM
>>> To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
>>> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Fuel Consumption Performance
>>>
>>> You want the BSFC number.  Brake Specific Fuel Consumption.  The 
>>> smaller the number, the better.
>>>
>>> Typically, the following lower the BSFC:
>>> large displacement
>>> high compression ratio
>>> low RPM
>>>
>>> Tom Tolton wrote:
>>>   
>>>     
>>>       
>>>> I recently traveled to Oshkosh with a friend who owns a Velocity 173 
>>>> with fixed gear and a 200 HP fuel injected Lycoming.  He was able to 
>>>> reduce gas consumption to 6.2 gallons per hour at 10500 feet and 
>>>> maintain a speed of about 125 nm/hr using LOP techniques.
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>> I am building a XLFG -5 with constant speed propeller.  I am looking 
>>>> for what one might expect in minimum gas consumption using LOP 
>>>> techniques at a density altitude of 10000  feet.  I am considering 
>>>> the Lycoming IO540 260 and 300 HP, as well as, the 310 HP Continental 
>>>> 550N.  It has been suggested that if I buy one of the more powerful 
>>>> 300 HP engines  I will just be able to run with less throttle and 
>>>> bring the fuel consumption to a reasonable level.
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>> I would appreciate any comments / experience of the builders and owners
>>>> with a similar XLFG configuration.    
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>> Tom Tolton
>>>>
>>>> 989-835-5828 (Home)
>>>>
>>>> 989-750-8567 (Cell)
>>>>
>>>>  
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>> -
>>>> --
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> To change your email address, visit
>>>> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>>>>
>>>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose 
>>>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail Check old archives:
>>>> http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
>>>>     
>>>>       
>>>>         
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> To change your email address, visit
>>> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>>>
>>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose 
>>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail Check old archives: 
>>> http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> To change your email address, visit 
>>> http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>>>
>>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose 
>>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail Check old archives: 
>>> http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
>>>
>>>   
>>>     
>>>       
>> _______________________________________________
>> To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>>
>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
>> user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>> Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
>>
>>   
>>     
>
>   
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>
> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
> user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
> Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html



More information about the Reflector mailing list