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Jalien

Skydiving and climate change - hypocrisy?

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>What's the combustion efficiency for a Cessna 208 engine these days?

Combustion efficiency? Generally close to 100%, provided you're not running rich for cooling.

Mechanical efficiency? Around 20%.

Fuel-to-thrust efficiency? About 15%.

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StreetScooby

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Cause it's complicated?



What's the combustion efficiency for a Cessna 208 engine these days?




According to Dr. Emmett Brown, you need to maintain a certain speed to reach max efficiency.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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>So, you're saying their is a 100% conversion of the carbon atoms in the fuel to CO2?

?? No. Some end up as CO (carbon monoxide.) When running rich some end up as soot or unburned fuel. However, in an engine running normally, the exhaust components are CO2 (from the carbon in the fuel plus atmospheric oxygen) plus water (the hydrogen in the fuel plus atmospheric oxygen) plus nitrogen (the N2 in the atmosphere.) The remainder (CO, HC, soot/particulate, NOx) are well below a few percent in a "bare" engine (no catalytic converter.)

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So....now you're saying you understood the chemistry and math all along and don't trust "green" math for some other reason?



quade, in my experience you've really never been worth the effort to engage in these kinds of conversations.

I think I've explained to you before that I have a MS in ChE, spent a decade as a professional in the industry writing large scale math models that were mated directly to plants in real-time. I did so for a living.

Yes, I took chemistry in high school, and for many years after.

Most greenies do not understand full thermo cycles, IMO.
We are all engines of karma

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StreetScooby

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...that you are responsible for burning one gallon per jump. Googling suggests that this is equivalent to ~20 pounds of CO2.



A gallon of gas is ~20 pounds of CO2? How much does a gallon of gas weight? Uhm, I've never been impressed with green math skills, and there is a reason for that.



Apparently so. I bounced a few numbers around in my head (Gas goes ~ 6lbs/gal. Carbon has atomic weight of 14, Oxygen is 6, Hydrogen is 2. Hydrocarbons are usually 2 H for each C) and kept coming up lower.

But I know better than to trust myself on that sort of stuff, so I found this:

http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/faqs/answer.cfm?id=3460

It says 19.4 lbs/gal. But they round up a bit here and a bit there.
And the link to the EPA site that is cited for the calculations is broken.

But I can do a lot of things (and I really mean a lot) that lower my carbon footprint to offset that small amount of gas. 200 gallons isn't really much for a year of jumping. Compare it to how much a boat or motorhome burns, it's miniscule.

Compare it to how much fuel is burned to deliver all the stuff that you buy at the store, it's even more insignificant.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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?? No. Some end up as CO (carbon monoxide.) When running rich some end up as soot or unburned fuel. However, in an engine running normally, the exhaust components are CO2 (from the carbon in the fuel plus atmospheric oxygen) plus water (the hydrogen in the fuel plus atmospheric oxygen) plus nitrogen (the N2 in the atmosphere.) The remainder (CO, HC, soot/particulate, NOx) are well below a few percent in a "bare" engine (no catalytic converter.)



I'm absolutely up for learning something here tonight. So, if we do an atom balance around a good engine, with sufficient O2, how much of the carbon ends up as CO2?
We are all engines of karma

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I think I've explained to you before that I have a MS in ChE, spent a decade as a professional in the industry writing large scale math models that were mated directly to plants in real-time. I did so for a living.


Then you should demonstrate rather than flagellate the expired equine.
quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

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ryoder

OK, I'm convinced.
I'm going to become a BASE jumper because it's greener.:ph34r:

I broke my left heel in five places on my last base jump and got a slight fracture of the.... where the...@%# connects to your inner knee.:|
Do your part for global warming: ban beans and hold all popcorn farts.

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lawrocket

[Reply]200 gallons isn't really much for a year of jumping.



3 million skydives per year times 20 pound is 60 million pounds per year in the US.



It sure sounds like a lot.

But think about how much fuel is used to haul bottled water from the bottling plant to the distribution warehouse and from there to the store (and from there to the end user). Its a whole lot more.
For an item that can be had at the turn of a valve in most places.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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billvon

>What's the combustion efficiency for a Cessna 208 engine these days?

Combustion efficiency? Generally close to 100%, provided you're not running rich for cooling.

Mechanical efficiency? Around 20%.

Fuel-to-thrust efficiency? About 15%.



I have yet to see a mixture control in a Caravan. Kinda hard to run a turbine rich when you cannot control the mixture.

Just sayin...

So in case you meant Cessna 206, here are some comparisons just for arguments sake.

I think what you are looking for is the Specific Fuel Consumption. That is the true measure of an engines efficiency.

On the PT6A-114A powered Cessna 208 Caravan, it is about .67 pounds of fuel per hour per horsepower.

Whereas the Continental IO-550 runs about .56 pounds per hour per horsepower, as best as I can tell from online performance diagrams...
Don't forget, 100LL weighs less per gallon versus Jet A1. So in the long run, the engine (fuel) efficiency is actually pretty close.

Once you take into account actual engine weight per horsepower versus specific fuel consumption, then it is a whole different ball game.

The dry weight of the IO-550 is about 430 pounds dry, and the PT6A-114A is 270 pounds.

300 HP vs 675. Twice the horsepower, half the weight.

Therefore the PT6's rule.

I think you will find the mechanical efficiency of the turbines to be FAR superior to that of the piston engines.


Long story short, if you are an environmentalist type, and a skydiver, you are a hypocrite, plain and simple. ;)
Airline Transport Pilot, Multi-Engine Land, DHC-8
Commercial Multi-Engine Sea, Single Engine Land
Private Glider

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Stumpy

I'm curious what "green math" is.

I suggest its "any science I don't want to agree with"



I always understood that "green math" is follow the greenbacks to those who can fund the studies to say what they want to say....
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

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> So, if we do an atom balance around a good engine, with sufficient O2, how much of
>the carbon ends up as CO2?

Immediately in a stochiometric engine? As far as I know, about 95% with the remainder being soot, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Eventually? About 97%, since the CO eventually reacts with atmospheric hydroxyls to create CO2 and hydrogen. (Which is a problem for climate change as well; hydroxyls also work to clear methane out of the atmosphere and CO sort of 'uses it up.')

In an engine with a three way (i.e. modern) catalytic converter it's very close to 100%, since the catalyst converts CO and HC to CO2 and H20.

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>I have yet to see a mixture control in a Caravan.

Good point; I read 206 instead of 208.

>I think you will find the mechanical efficiency of the turbines to be FAR superior to that
>of the piston engines.

Mechanical efficiency? Agreed; there are fewer losses in a turbine engine, mainly due to the lack of piston rings. Turbine engines have a loss that recips generally don't (reduction gearing) but that is small in comparison.

Thermodynamically? Good turbines require about 50% more fuel per kwhr than reciprocating engines, both operated at their most efficient point. However, turbines are so much better in other respects (size, weight, reliability, maintenance etc) for aviation applications that in usage they are about equivalent.

>Long story short, if you are an environmentalist type, and a skydiver, you are a
>hypocrite, plain and simple.

Sorta like being a skydiver (or skydiver pilot) who is into safety, eh? Hypocrites, all of them!

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> So, if we do an atom balance around a good engine, with sufficient O2, how much of
>the carbon ends up as CO2?

Immediately in a stochiometric engine? As far as I know, about 95% with the remainder being soot, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Eventually? About 97%, since the CO eventually reacts with atmospheric hydroxyls to create CO2 and hydrogen. (Which is a problem for climate change as well; hydroxyls also work to clear methane out of the atmosphere and CO sort of 'uses it up.')

In an engine with a three way (i.e. modern) catalytic converter it's very close to 100%, since the catalyst converts CO and HC to CO2 and H20.



That high? Wow. Where are you getting this from?
We are all engines of karma

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Iago

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> So, if we do an atom balance around a good engine, with sufficient O2, how much of
>the carbon ends up as CO2?

Immediately in a stochiometric engine? As far as I know, about 95% with the remainder being soot, unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Eventually? About 97%, since the CO eventually reacts with atmospheric hydroxyls to create CO2 and hydrogen. (Which is a problem for climate change as well; hydroxyls also work to clear methane out of the atmosphere and CO sort of 'uses it up.')

In an engine with a three way (i.e. modern) catalytic converter it's very close to 100%, since the catalyst converts CO and HC to CO2 and H20.



That high? Wow. Where are you getting this from?



ONLY on DIZZY DOT COM, can we turn a discussion on 'skydivings impact on climate change' into a detailed thermodynamic discussion of recipricol vs turbine airplane engines.


Man, this place can be REALLY COOL somtimes!


Plus BOOBIES! B|










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

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