Invention to save petrol needing trial

Press, 28 August 1984, Page 13

Invention to save petrol needing trial

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One of the most exciting prospects for conserving petrol in motor vehicles is a simple invention by a Christchurch mechanic, Graeme Walker. It could give motorists a 20 per cent saving, he predicts. First introduced on test cars being run on alcohol fuel in a twoyear trial for the Liquid Fuels Trust Board, the device is also being tried on several petrol vehicles, including two taxis in Christchurch.

Termed a “heat swirl chamber,” the attachment, fitted in an engine, between carbeurettor and manifold, prepares the mixture for the most efficient combustion. Because the chamber proved

KEN COATES

effective in the engines cf 'the 30 local authority cars being used in the alcohol fuel test, Graeme Walker decided to try it on several petrol engines. After eight months, one taxi showed a 31 per cent fuel saving, and after six months, the other taxi, a 26 per cent reduction. A 25 per cent saving was achieved after three months trial of the device fitted in a “land cruiser" vehicle. “We have kept very quiet about these results. There have been so many claims for so many fuelsaving devices that have come on the market, the public is suspicious. We want a Governmentbacked trial to assure everyone of its effectiveness.” He is confident that the Liquid Fuels Trust Board will back a properly organised trial of his device later this year involving eight to 10 vehicles, and possibly including the two taxis already fitted. Graeme Walker’s present estimate of the cost of fitting the device to a car is between ?500 and 5600, but he says mass production could mean a sizeable reduction in cost. He is confident that the device, which makes more efficient use of petrol by distributing the mixture evenly to all cylinders, can achieve a 20 per cent fuel saving. “It will be most effective in commercial vehicles which are stopping and starting constantly—they will receive most benefit,” he says. He does not expect a long trial of the heat swirl chamber will be necessary, unlike the two-year test involving its use with alcohol fuel. This includes studying the longterm effect of this type of fuel on the metal of engines.