Demos pushing Greenhouse bill

[dawg80]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091105/...s_climate_bill

Did you know that ICEs in vehicles produce 33% of those nasty greenhouse gasses? That's a sizable portion. Did you also know that some people tamper with their exhaust systems (mufflers, etc), especially red neck pick-up truckers, and are in violation of the law, now?

So, what's the use of a new law, when old ones are not enforced?

I was told yesterday that State Inspections are supposed to catch those that have altered their exhaust systems, and tag the vehicle, as they do when you have a cracked windshield or have lights out. You are then given 30 days to fix it, return to that same inspector, and then be passed. Seems to me that our State Inspectors have dropped the ball on the exhaust system law.

Call your Congressmen and state legislators, insist that the law be enforced!

I thank you, and the Earth thanks you too.

[Guisslapp]

Did you know that ICEs in vehicles produce 33% of those nasty greenhouse gasses? That's a sizable portion. Did you also know that some people tamper with their exhaust systems (mufflers, etc), especially red neck pick-up truckers, and are in violation of the law, now?

Changing your catback or muffler does not affect your emissions. Removing the catalytic converter and replacing it with a test pipe will, but it also may improve your fuel economy if your car is properly tuned to run the test pipe.

[Guisslapp]

I should add.... if you remove your catalytic converter, you actually REDUCE greenhouse gas emissions, because (1) you don't have to run a rich A/F ratio like you do when you have a cat, and (2) the cat actually PRODUCES CO2 from CO and HCs in the exhaust. It also produces N2O (a greenhouse gas) from NO.

[saltydawg]

What's your opinion about the EGR valve?

[Guisslapp]

What's your opinion about the EGR valve?

Don't like it. Reduced power and reduced efficiency due to the displacement of combustion air volume (assuming you drive like a man, i.e., at high load or WOT). If you drive like a granny, it may actually increase efficiency slightly by reducing firing temperature of the engine and, therefore, heat loss. I suspect, in the long run it is bad for the longevity of your car because (1) the tune gets out of wack and you get more misfires, (2) too much unnecessary intake manifold pressure, and (3) more blowback to gum up the TB.


Also, less NOx, but more CO2 to upset the AGW blowhards.

[mikedog]

Don't like it. Reduced power and reduced efficiency due to the displacement of combustion air volume (assuming you drive like a man, i.e., at high load or WOT). If you drive like a granny, it may actually increase efficiency slightly by reducing firing temperature of the engine and, therefore, heat loss. I suspect, in the long run it is bad for the longevity of your car because (1) the tune gets out of wack and you get more misfires, (2) too much unnecessary intake manifold pressure, and (3) more blowback to gum up the TB.


Also, less NOx, but more CO2 to upset the AGW blowhards.

How do you know all of this?

[Guisslapp]

How do you know all of this?

Just kind of obvious, I guess. ICEs are "heat engines" and efficiency is controlled by how effectively you use that heat to make useful work. The biggest limitation in making power in the modern ICE is combustion air.

The more air you can cram into the engine the more heat it can produce. You can accomplish this by increasing the size of the combustion chamber or by forcing air into the combustion chamber (or both). However much air you can cram in there, you can match it with stoich amount of fuel via correct fuel injector/pump sizing and electronic control. At some point, too much air (either by forced induction or aggressive compression ratio) = too much pressure = pre-ignition = broken engine. To some extent, you can control this by adjusting the tune of the car to advance or retard spark plug firing relative to when the piston approaches TDC on the compression stroke.

With catalytic converters, you actually have to run non-stoich A/F ratios - you have to run the engine fuel rich - so the cat doesn't burn up. This causes you to make less power and consume more fuel.

Anyway...if an EGR is employed, recirculated post-combustion gas is injected into the intake manifold with combustion air. The post-combustion gas takes up volume which otherwise would have been combustion air. This obviously decreases efficiency because you cannot produce as much heat - it is kind of like reducing the size of your engine. Of course, in ICEs, not all the heat is converted to work. Efficiency is lost because heat that passes out the exhaust and heat that is absorbed and radiated from the engine is no longer producing power. Because, you are making less heat with each combustion event, less heat is loss. That is the real point of a EGR. Sure it recircs some stuff that was not fully combusted, but it keeps the firing temperature down to reduce the production of NOx. As you probably know NOx is the result of combustion energy breaking up the N2 that is in the air.

[dawg80]

Of interest:
http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...iest-vehicles/

[techman05]

How do you know all of this?

because Guiss is a certified genius. I have yet to see a subject discussed on this board where Guiss isn't well spoken and informed. Thanks for backing up the performance alterations on a vehicle. I did that to cut emissions and improve performance. Sometimes I have doubts that it was worth it.

[FishingBack]

Word of mouth I heard is that Jindal supports cap and trade because it will give the LA gov lots of money. Anybody else hear that?

[duckbillplatty]

Word of mouth I heard is that Jindal supports cap and trade because it will give the LA gov lots of money. Anybody else hear that?

Moon Griffon's doings. He talked about it on multiple shows without bothering to get any facts on the matter.

Jindal's response to all of this was:
"Governor Jindal has made it clear he believes that the House passed cap and trade bill punishes the American energy industry and that's the last thing we need to do when we are trying to become more energy independent. The legislation will make it harder to create new manufacturing jobs in the US, and the Governor opposes it." - Kyle Plotkin, Press Secretary, Office of Governor Jindal (via DeadPelican)

So where did this come from? A member of the Jindal administration said some things in a Lafayette newspaper that were misunderstood. If Cap and Trade were to be passed, then Louisiana should get carbon credits for all of the money it spends towards wetland restoration. If those credits were awarded to the Lousiana government, the government could turn around and award them to state businesses or sell them to fund government activities (possibly related to that same restoration or funding tax cuts).

I don't understand how that was a statement of support for cap and trade. It was merely speculation about how Louisiana was naturally positioned to limit the negative effects the legislation would have on the state's economy.

[FishingBack]

Thanks, that sounds like something Moon would say. What is his problem with Jindal?