GAS-FUELLED CAR Record Attempt Soon

Press, Issue 32345, 10 July 1970, Page 17

GAS-FUELLED CAR Record Attempt Soon

The Blue Flame, a speed record car designed to run on liquefied natural gas, is expected to make its attempt on the world landspeed record at the Bonneville salt flats later this year.

The attempt will be sponsored by the American Gas Association, and the car will be driven by G. Gabelich, a former racing driver and test astronaut, the “New Zealand Shell” bulletin says. The car is 37ft long and is propelled by rocket engines. It will have to attain an average speed of more than 606 m.p.h. to break the existing record by the required .1 per cent, but tests have indicated that the top speed of the car is likely to be about 920 m.p.h. An unknown factor is the sound barrier—what is likely to happen to a car breaking it is largely a matter of conjecture.

The world land speed record, first set in 1899 by Camille Jenatzy at 41.4 m.p.h., has not been broken since 1965, when it was established by the American, Craig Breedlove. His car, the Spirit of America, was powered by a jet fighter engine, it achieved a speed of 600.601 m.p.h. over the measured mile at Utah. It seems possible that when sufficient volumes are available in industrialised countries, liquefied natural gas could come into more

general use as a motor fuel. The prospect has been under investigation for many years and its technical feasibility was indicated by experimental vehicles far back in the 1940 s in Britain. At that time the necessity to liquefy methane from coal gas made it uneconomic. More recent work undertaken in the United States has encouraged the American gas industry to promote the use of the fuel in the Blue Flame. As an automotive fuel, liquefied natural gas has certain disadvantages. It needs to be stored at a very low temperature—minus 260 deg. F. It has a relatively low specific gravity of .42 compared with gasoline’s .73. This means that if a vehicle using it is to have the performance range as on petrol, its fuel tank will need to be much larger.

Liquefied natural gas also has advantages. It is a leadfree fuel with a high-anti-1 knock rating. Vehicles designed to use this fuel, taking advantage of its excellent knock resistance, would have a lower thermal specific consumption than the average petrol engine. This could mean lower fuel bills i for the motorist The use of liquefied natural gas can virtually eliminate carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons in the exhaust and gives a significant reduction in the production of nitrogen oxide—important factors in the fight against pollution.