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Re: Re: Re: Re: lead free gasoline
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Posted by Dan on April 28, 1999 at 20:35:27:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: lead free gasoline posted by Bill {Antique Acres} on April 28, 1999 at 19:45:27:
Tetra-ethyl lead (TEL) simply raises the octane number of gasoline. Gasoline with a higher octane number delivers a smoother power stroke. Gasoline with a lower octane number detonates or "knocks" during combustion. This knocking is very hard on the valve train. TEL was introduced into gasoline (in 1923) to raise the octane number of gasoline and eliminate or reduce detonation (knocking), thereby delivering a smoother power stroke. The oft-cited "cushioning" effect is a direct result of the higher octane number. TEL does not, by direct action, cushion, cool, or lubricate anything at all. Tetra-ethyl lead mixes thoroughly with gasoline and vaporizes completely. Toxic halogenated scavengers prevent the tetra-ethyl lead from forming lead oxide deposits on spark plugs and on valve seats and stems. The halogenated scavengers, (ethylene dibromide and ethylene dichloride), function by providing halogen atoms that react with the lead to form volatile lead halide salts that can escape out the exhaust. The use of tetra-ethyl lead as a gasoline additive was phased out of use in non-aviation gasoline in 1995. That same year, another metal with potentially damaging health effects, methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT), was cleared for addition to gasoline. MMT is an organic manganese compound designed to enhance octane levels in gasoline, thus serving the same function as the previous additive, tetra-ethyl lead (TEL).
The information above is widely available on the Internet. I compiled this information in about ten minutes using information gathered off the Internet. Anyone with a computer and Internet access can do the same thing. Bottom line, in simple, one-syllable words; use "lead" if you want to, but you do not need to. Dan
NAA60512
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