(Diesel) Propane injection!!

[r.c.brown@ieee.org (Roger Brown)]

>if he injects it far enough from the engine, it will turn to gas 
>'en-route', as
>it chills the heck out of the intake charge (more density = more air to 
>combust
>= good thing). i dont think the propane itself is adding the HP (propane
>actually produces less power than pump gas), its the cooling/air density
>increase thats would be doing it.

Actually propane "fumigation" is an excelelnt way to build extra torque in a diesel engien, turbo or not.  The idea is a diesel
engine runs lean all the time, maybe 100:1 air:fuel at idle and 20:1 air:fuel at WOT.  Why, because diesel is harder to burn
completely and if you drop the air fuel ratio to the stoich. limit, you get smoke and soot and quickly clog up the inards of the
engine.  However, by injecting a clean burning fuel like propane, you can use that excess air to make power.  Plus on the turbo
the cold propane helps to cool the intake charge.

Here's a good paper on the subject:
	http://www.leeric.lsu.edu/bgbb/7/ecep/diesel/i/i.htm

On a gasoline engine, propane does make less power, unless you re-work the engine.  Propane has an octane value of around 104,
so you could run very high compression ratios on the stuff.  It also burns very clean and fast since it is in gaseous form.