[Rhodes22-list] Engines...again.

[Roger Pihlaja]

Rummy,

Please reread the FAQ I sent you.  Please note that the 2006 EPA emission
standard requires a 75% reduction and the 2008 CARB emission standard
requires a 90% reduction from unregulated levels.  However, the "unregulated
engine" that both standards use as reference point is a 2-cycle with a
carburetor induction system.  The standards acknowledge the current market
dominance of this reference marine engine by designating it a "Conventional
Marine Engine" (CME).  As noted in the FAQ, the 4-cycle engines from several
manufacturers are already meeting the 2008 CARB standard without a catalytic
converter.  Catalytic converters are not very efficient at reducing the
concentration of the large hydrocarbon molecules (octane, benzene, MTBE,
etc.), soot, & smoke particles present in CME exhaust.  So, a catalytic
converter is technically not a very good option for a CME.  As noted in the
FAQ, the CME emits up to 40% of the fuel charge directly out the exhaust.
Although all of this exhaust is initially discharged underwater, a portion
of these materials evaporates into the air.  The exact proportion of
evaporation depends upon such factors as water & air temperature (Hotter =
More Into The Air), local mixing in the water due to wave action, currents,
& boat traffic (More Mixing = Less Into The Air), wind speed (More Wind
Speed = More Into The Air), water solubility of the components in the
gasoline (More Soluble = Less Into The Air).  The material that stays in the
water can cause toxic effects upon the marine organisms & degrade water
quality.  The material that evaporates into the air tends to react with
sunlight to cause ozone or photochemical smog.

Take the 2008 CARB standard literally.  A 90% reduction means that compliant
marine engines literally emit no more than 1/10 as much as a CME.

I have no problem with 2-cycle direct fuel injection (2-cycle DFI) engines,
as they also meet the 2008 CARB standard.  They may very well take over &
dominate the market in the mid range to large engine sizes.  But, for
reasons discussed in the FAQ, we will probably not see a 2-cycle DFI
outboard in the small sizes appropriate for our R-22's in the near future.

The CME is an intrinsically polluting, fuel wasting technology.  It's going
away in new engines by 2006.  It's a done deal, get used to it.

Roger Pihlaja
S/V Dynamic Equilibrium

----- Original Message -----
From: "John Tonjes" <johntonjes at earthlink.net>
To: "Rhodes org. owners list" <rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org>
Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2003 12:40 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Engines...again.


> Roger,
> OK, so we now know that the four stroke engines do not have a catalytic
converter, which makes them already not very environmentally friendly.
Catalytic converters were put on vehicles to reduce the effects of acid rain
which is a chemical reaction involving the exhausted gases, moisture and
sunlight and returns the moisture as acid rain and is also the major cause
of smog.
> If my college chemistry isn't failing me, the unburned hydrocarbons
emitted from 2 stroke engines, although entering the water supply, are
simply evaporated by the sunlight in a matter of days. Kind of what happens
with an oil slick from a oil tanker that has run aground and broke open.
However, I understand that the government mandated additives in the gasoline
stay behind. Seems to me you eliminate the additives from the gasoline and
it's a toss up as to which engine pollutes more.
>
> Rummy
>
>
> John Tonjes
> johntonjes at earthlink.net
> Why Wait? Move to EarthLink.
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>