Werner333
06-01-2002, 21:10
During the 2001 Formula One season a total of 40 Shell specialists worked directly with the blending and despatch of Ferrari’s F1 fuels and lubricants.
Ferrari received a total of 220,000 litres of blended fuel (49 blends) from Shell, and took delivery of a total of 40,000 kilograms of blended oil (33 blends) for its Formula One and road car projects. These figures are impressive enough without having to contemplate the logistical minefield of delivering race fuel to 20 different circuits in 15 different countries, a feat that Shell masters with 6 support vehicles.
Minute attention to detail when testing a fuel
Different blends of fuels create different properties, the right combination of which is important for the Ferrari team's race strategy. A powerful fuel can be blended but it might exhibit high fuel consumption qualities as a trade-off. Equally, an economical fuel may not deliver the power to achieve a pole position time. The final formulation has to be a compromise.
The required balance of fuel consumption vs. performance is dictated by track configuration and team strategy. Shell's Formula One fuel is a blend of as many as 25 streams. These ingredients could come from different refineries and therefore from different crude oils. The fuel also has to conform to the very strict guidelines laid down by FIA . These guidelines restrict the maximum amounts of each type of compound that may appear in the fuel.
When formulating a new fuel Shell will computer-blend a range of fuels around the required specification. The computer simulates how the fuel will burn - giving the engineers a good idea of what performance capabilities to expect from the fuel before it has been made. Normally a selection of fuels (around 4) are produced to explore the boundaries of any new fuel formulation concept.
Performance analysis on a new fuel
The fuel is then tested for the first time in a racing engine. Each formulation of fuel is dispatched to Ferrari which runs the fuel in a series of bench tests on an engine dynamometer. Each fuel is generally tested for the equivalent of 400 km in rev conditions similar to those in a race. The most promising fuel or fuels are then track tested, to confirm the performance advantage and to ensure that there are no durability concerns. If the fuel gives the required improvement in performance and there are no durability concerns, a production batch is blended at the research facility at Thornton and sent to the team. At the same time the fuel will be submitted to the FIA for approval.
In 2001, the Ferrari pit-crew refuelled the two F2001 cars 57 times during races – delivering over 5,000 litres of Shell fuel through the refuelling rigs at a rate of 12 litres per second. All 5,000 litres of race fuel could be pumped through the specially designed rig in less than seven minutes.
Three men operate the refuelling rig. One mechanic, standing by the machine, operates the “Dead Man’s handle”, a valve which, should there be a problem, instantly cuts off the fuel supply to the car. In front of him and alongside the car, two mechanics are charged with the hose and the nozzle. The hose itself is very heavy and requires one mechanic to support its weight while the other holds the nozzle and waits for the car.
As the driver activates the speed limiter, the fuel flap automatically opens just behind the drivers’ head. Immediately the car is stationary, the refueler aligns the nozzle to the valve and pushes a bar down, making a seal between the car and hose. This also activates the flow of the fuel. In an 8 second stop, the car can be filled with over 90 litres of fuel. When the pre-programmed amount of fuel has been delivered into the car, a series of lights on the top of the handle illuminate and he pulls back on the bar, breaking the seal and pulling the nozzle away from the car.
In the Shell analysis truck, the engineers spent the season constantly monitoring the condition of the fuel and the lubricants in the rigs and cars themselves. Throughout the 2001 season, Shell engineers ran over 600 lubricant analysis checks to assess the level of wear in the Ferrari engine, while the fuel itself was verified by Shell experts over 500 times to ensure it was the correct blend.
Bron: http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk
Ferrari received a total of 220,000 litres of blended fuel (49 blends) from Shell, and took delivery of a total of 40,000 kilograms of blended oil (33 blends) for its Formula One and road car projects. These figures are impressive enough without having to contemplate the logistical minefield of delivering race fuel to 20 different circuits in 15 different countries, a feat that Shell masters with 6 support vehicles.
Minute attention to detail when testing a fuel
Different blends of fuels create different properties, the right combination of which is important for the Ferrari team's race strategy. A powerful fuel can be blended but it might exhibit high fuel consumption qualities as a trade-off. Equally, an economical fuel may not deliver the power to achieve a pole position time. The final formulation has to be a compromise.
The required balance of fuel consumption vs. performance is dictated by track configuration and team strategy. Shell's Formula One fuel is a blend of as many as 25 streams. These ingredients could come from different refineries and therefore from different crude oils. The fuel also has to conform to the very strict guidelines laid down by FIA . These guidelines restrict the maximum amounts of each type of compound that may appear in the fuel.
When formulating a new fuel Shell will computer-blend a range of fuels around the required specification. The computer simulates how the fuel will burn - giving the engineers a good idea of what performance capabilities to expect from the fuel before it has been made. Normally a selection of fuels (around 4) are produced to explore the boundaries of any new fuel formulation concept.
Performance analysis on a new fuel
The fuel is then tested for the first time in a racing engine. Each formulation of fuel is dispatched to Ferrari which runs the fuel in a series of bench tests on an engine dynamometer. Each fuel is generally tested for the equivalent of 400 km in rev conditions similar to those in a race. The most promising fuel or fuels are then track tested, to confirm the performance advantage and to ensure that there are no durability concerns. If the fuel gives the required improvement in performance and there are no durability concerns, a production batch is blended at the research facility at Thornton and sent to the team. At the same time the fuel will be submitted to the FIA for approval.
In 2001, the Ferrari pit-crew refuelled the two F2001 cars 57 times during races – delivering over 5,000 litres of Shell fuel through the refuelling rigs at a rate of 12 litres per second. All 5,000 litres of race fuel could be pumped through the specially designed rig in less than seven minutes.
Three men operate the refuelling rig. One mechanic, standing by the machine, operates the “Dead Man’s handle”, a valve which, should there be a problem, instantly cuts off the fuel supply to the car. In front of him and alongside the car, two mechanics are charged with the hose and the nozzle. The hose itself is very heavy and requires one mechanic to support its weight while the other holds the nozzle and waits for the car.
As the driver activates the speed limiter, the fuel flap automatically opens just behind the drivers’ head. Immediately the car is stationary, the refueler aligns the nozzle to the valve and pushes a bar down, making a seal between the car and hose. This also activates the flow of the fuel. In an 8 second stop, the car can be filled with over 90 litres of fuel. When the pre-programmed amount of fuel has been delivered into the car, a series of lights on the top of the handle illuminate and he pulls back on the bar, breaking the seal and pulling the nozzle away from the car.
In the Shell analysis truck, the engineers spent the season constantly monitoring the condition of the fuel and the lubricants in the rigs and cars themselves. Throughout the 2001 season, Shell engineers ran over 600 lubricant analysis checks to assess the level of wear in the Ferrari engine, while the fuel itself was verified by Shell experts over 500 times to ensure it was the correct blend.
Bron: http://www.ferrariownersclub.co.uk