Practical Hand Book of Gas, Oil and Steam Engines / Stationary, Marine, Traction; Gas Burners, Oil Burners, Etc.; Farm, Traction, Automobile, Locomotive; A simple, practical and comprehensive book on the construction, operation and repair of all kinds of engines. Dealing with the various parts in detail and the various types of engines and also the use of different kinds of fuel.

by John B. Rathbun

(119) Castor Oil for Aero Engines.

Castor oil is used almost exclusively in the Gnome and other rotary engines of the same type, but has not been particularly successful on stationary cylinders.

Chemically, castor oil differs from all other vegetable or animal oils in containing neither palmitin or olein. It is soluble in absolute alcohol, but practically insoluble in gasoline. On the other hand, the castor oil is capable of dissolving small quantities of mineral oil, the more fluid they are the less it absorbs of them. But the insolubility of castor oil in mineral oil disappears completely when it is mixed with even a very small quantity of another vegetable or animal oil, such as colza or lard oil. An adulteration may thus result in a serious reversal of the oil’s best qualities; in fact, in serious seizures, Castor oil does not attack rubber, but it contains 1 to 2 per cent of acid fats; sometimes more.

“In my opinion says a writer in ‘Autocar’ castor oil can only be used in fixed cylinders with impunity for short distances and then with repeated cleanings between runs, but on rotary engines of the Gnome type cleaning is almost unnecessary. The reason is that one cannot consistently use castor oil over and over again, for the fact is indisputable that it has a far greater tendency than mineral oils to absorb oxygen, and so gradually to increase in body and finally to gum. When once it commences to gum the carbonization becomes more rapid, because the thickened and pitch-like oil acts as an insulating covering on the top of the pistons and of the cylinder, and cannot get away with sufficient rapidity to avoid decomposition and baking to a coke. Therefore if castor oil is to be used on the ordinary stationary cylinder type of engine, it is necessary to wash out the crank chamber and to replace with fresh oil at frequent intervals. On a rotary engine such as the Gnome this cleaning is unnecessary, because there is a continuous stream of fresh castor oil brought into the crank chamber and then thrown by centrifugal force past the pistons and through the cylinder into the exhaust. Thus the stream of oil never has sufficient time to oxidize fully, gum or decompose. This action of centrifugal force accounts for the large consumption of oil on the rotary engine, and also for the fact that the pistons and cylinders keep comparatively clean.

“In thus criticizing the use of castor oil I do not wish it to be inferred that it is not an excellent lubricant. What I wish to suggest is that in the case of an internal combustion engine it must be made with discretion. A point in favor of castor oil is the fact that it maintains its viscosity in a remarkable manner at high temperatures, and that at those high temperatures it has a peculiar creeping or capillary action which enables it to spread uniformly over the whole of the metallic surfaces, whereas under the same conditions a similarly bodied mineral oil would be unevenly distributed in patches. Another point is that the specific heat of castor oil is considerably higher than that of a pure mineral oil. This is in its favor, insomuch that it shows castor oil to be a better heat remover than a mineral oil.

“Motorists and aviators have from time to time informed me that they are using castor oil, but have apparently been under some misapprehension. I find that they have been using a brand of prepared oil under the impression that it is a specially refined castor oil, or that it is a blend of castor oil.”

Producer Gas Engine Plant at Göttingen, Germany, Consisting of Four 3,500 Horse-Power Units.

A simple method for testing the purity of castor oil is at the disposal of all. It is known as the Finkener test. Ten cubic centimeters of castor oil is placed in a graduate. Five times as much alcohol, 90 per cent, is added and stirred in. The solution should remain clear and brilliant at 15 to 20 degrees C. An admixture of foreign oils, even if only 5 per cent, riles the solution at this temperature, though not above it.