Cheers,
I attended the EAA/RAA chapter locally last Friday to hear the
pricipal speaker, a qualified fuel expert who acts as Quality Control for a
large petroleum firm in Canada. His topic was future fuels. Fuel and its
derivatives when operated in Canada is a provincial affair, since trade and
commerce come under provincial jurisdiction unless exported.
Our speaker pointed out that theProvinciual Premier had called
for and is acting on a proposal to increase the ethanol content of motor car
fuels to an average of 5% over the next few years to a present-day maximum
of 10% anywhere. This is somewhat nebulous in intent, since the plan is to
reduce noxious exhausts, especially in the greater Toronto area (GTA). The
fuel has become known as E10. Whether it means 5% everywhere or that Toronto
(being the greatest offender) will have 10 while outlying districts will
carry much less - is still up in the air. There is feeling that this trend
will increase in popularity across the land.
Naturally this is of interest to those such as myself who were
planning on the use of MoGas as is advertised in Rotaz and Europa materials.
Slightly less than half the attendees owned Rotax or similar, using MoGas.
The bulk of his topic was the destructive qualities tested in
labs to date. The conclusion is that E10 will wreak havoc on aluminum fuel
lines and most rubber-type tubing, including many of the epoxy and like
materials. So there I am - fuel lines aluminum alloy where difficult to get
at (in order to avoid the difficulties of changing same at periodic times) -
I had taken great care to avoid vibration threats - AND the Europa standard
fuel tank of the 1997 vintage (already changed once after leaks detected in
original tank, and fuel filler tube also changed).
In view of the popularity of the Premier's edict (TO. is swiftly
becoming a choking zone at rush hour) without incurring the rural wrath,
there seems no point in objecting. This of course accounts for the Subject
title and my preliminary dread. At the moment it looks like I have built an
aircraft with a sword over its head (to say nothing of dwindling resources).
So my purpose in writing is to clang the bell on coming trends
for those as yet unaware, and to beg some good news that E10 will not eat
through my embedded fuel cell. I find the idea of changing fuel lines (we
were told that stainless is not free of threat) abhorrent enough without
worse news.
Tell me it ain't so!
Ferg Monowheel Classic 914 - sanding sanding sanding
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