XUD9 vs DW8 discussion

[white exec]

Military specs include multi-fuel field/combat vehicles, including helicopters. No expert on these, I have to say.

[van ordinaire]

Red Diesel and TVO are very different things Van... Remember TVO (Tractor Vaporising Oil) was used in Spark Ignition engines after they'd been initially started on petrol... TVO was more akin to paraffin than diesel...

Red Diesel can only be utilised in Compression Ignition engines...

TVO, like DERV, is a distant childhood memory but I do recall always being puzzled by the name: just couldn't grasp the idea of oil vapourising! I suppose, having intoduced petrol tractors into the debate, & knowing a little more about mechanics now, perhaps I should've worked it out.

Still curious about what we now know as diesel was called before the oil companies adopted "Derv" AND why the term was dropped in favour of "diesel". I may have found the answer, in part, in my research of "bunkering service" which, I recall, appeared on huge signs on garage forecourts. Seems it's a marine term simply for supplying fuel, so maybe not so many garages carried diesel in those far off days, so the few that did needed to proclaim the fact.

[van ordinaire]

Back in my student days a neighbour - a UKAEA scientific officer - ran a cream Bond Equipe. This retained its regular petrol engine, but was run on a mix of paraffin and petrol. The chief mod appeared to be a length of 10mm copper pipework, wrapped close to the exhaust downpipe, which pre-heated the fuel on its way to the carburettor. Starting could be a bit haphazard, and a tad aromatic, but it ran well and reliably.

With petrol then at £1 for 3 gallons (c 14 litres), I didn't take too much notice, but got on with enjoying my 1960 Rover 3-litre, and its 22mpg.

Friend of mine ran a Wosley 1500 on the odd top-up of paraffin (of course it was cheaper than petrol then) with no modifications - but he did rediscover the joys of regular decokes!

Impressed you got 22mpg out of a 3 litre Rover

[ekjdm14]

That's right but many will say it's diesel oil for road vehicles. The e clearly standing for oil for. Apparently it's a ww2 army acronym and they meant diesel engined...

I suppose the fact that it was during WW2 could have had some bearing on "us" not wishing to refer to engines powered by heavy oil as being powered by Diesel, seeing as how he was a "dirty Jerry" and all that, whereas Derv sounds appropriately murky

[van ordinaire]

The only ex-military stuff you see for sale, described as multi-fuel are Russian & Czech which makes sense, if you're operating something that does, say, 6 mpg, 100's of miles from base, being able to run it on anything you can lay your hands on would be useful.

As for running a chopper on diesel - don't think I'd like to be the one who had to see if it'd work (but then I don't know about such things either).

I thought diesel was a good price in France - 'til i got to Belgium (&, indeed, Germany) where you shouldn't need to pay more than €1.06, 1.08.

Yes, I know I should've been able to consolidate all these responses - but I ain't that computerate!!!

[centurus2400]

DERV...
Diesel Engined Road Vehicle

TVO...
Tractor Vapourising Oil

Very popular after the war, as petrol was in such short supply it was thieved left right and centre from farms, construction sites and so on.

TVO was also normally dyed green to distinguish it from paraffin or kerosene. ISTR it had an octane rating of about 50.

[van ordinaire]

But I still want to know why.

[elma]

Diesel can be substituted for heating fuel in central heating systems however, as proved by many of the farmers round here

And vice-versa no doubt. Although given the price of diesel in France this is probably a UK speciality.

Yep works the other way round, very smokey though.
Not sure if the whole countryside was affected but in N Wales there were regular spates of peoples heating oil being pinched for car fuel.

[van ordinaire]

Now I always thought that one of the practical differences between a true multi-fuel engine & a diesel was that while the former WOULD run on CHO, a diesel wouldn't, because it was too heavy. I should add that I still know precious little about diesels - & understand even less whereas my exposure to MFE's is limited to my occasional sorties into the world of ex-Eastern Bloc miltaria, when contemplating something in which to disappear over the horizon when I retire.