Bob Howard wrote:
> According to an article in Invention & Technology on the guy who
> developed tetraethyl (sp?) lead for a motor fuel additive, octane
> improvement was the goal and the success. By improving octane with the
> lead additive, refineries could produce more gallons of gasolene (its
> spelling at the time) from a barrel of oil. At that time, there was worry
> in the automotive world that we were running out of petroleum and that
> the growth of the industry would be curtailed because of lack of fuel.
I remember that in one of the earliest books I read in second grade in 1940, the
statement was made that we would run out of oil in 1947. This was based on the
current usage and the proven oil reserves. Of course this neglected the fact
that oil reserves are based upon exploration investment and effectiveness and
extraction efficiency. Needless to say, we now have more proven reserves than
ever and the cost of gas (excluding taxes) is quite low compared, for instance,
to water. Bought any Evian lately?
>
> Ethyl was the brand name of the additive, and it was sold as a premium
> product. Pumps had painted on them a triangle inside a circle, with Ethyl
> written across the triangle. Once on the market, it was quickly learned
> that reduced valve wear was another benefit of the lead.
The reason lead has been banned as an octane booster is that it poisons the
platinum catalyst in the cat converter. So, if your car has been desmogged,
don't feel guilty about adding the occasional gallon of 100 low lead avgas to a
tankful. This will boost your octane and help your valves.
Elliott DeGraff
2 71Bs and a 72B
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