Air Pollution

[tcraft]

A point to ponder

How many BBLs of oil do we need to burn to equal the Iceland Volcano pollution? Will the answer be in years of burning?

Is the EPA going to fine Iceland for using up their carbon credits and the rest of the worlds?

Good thing "Cap and Trade" didn't get passed, Some one would be Broke

Will Al Gore sue? (;f

[RobertP]

Re: Air Pollution

Hi Tribe,

What is the opinion in respect of flying the T/Craft in the current state of Volcanic Debris? I know it is more of a problem in the UK & Europe but the situation could change for you guys if the upper winds change. I am thinking more of long term engine wear from particles entering the bores etc. I know we have filters but carb heat gives a direct input to the cylinders? are any of the engine range more susceptible than others? Large areas of the UK have been reporting ash like deposits and sulpur smelling air! There have been some reports of the entry of grit and ash entering GA ( General Aviation smaller aircraft which have continued to fly legally ) through air vents etc. The debris seems to extend down to our Flying altitudes in certain areas.

There is also some concerns over the sulphur deposits excellerating corrosion in out of the way places especially if mixed with water or condensation?

Personally I have made a decision not to fly as the situation concerning our type of aircraft seems so confused with regard to long term damage but would be interested in the views of others especially as this situation with the volcano could go on for some time with repeats if the upper winds change. Any engineers with opinions as they seem to have been keeping a low profile in the UK debates leaving it to the Sunday Pilots to pontificate!

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Air Pollution

Maybe some of the guys in the Great Northwest will chime in. Mt Saint Helens out in Washington St. did the same thing to us about 25-30 years ago. Larry

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Air Pollution

By the time the ash gets to the west coast I can't imagine that the National Weather service won't be posting the size and concentration of the material in the air. Hopefully it will be done like the current pollen counts are done for each local area. The good thing is the silicates (the stuff that really tears up engines mechanically) should have pretty much fallen out of the atmosphere by the time it gets here.
As the Sulfur mixes with atmospheric moisture you are going to get H2S and H2SO4 (Hydrogen Sulfide and Sulfuric Acid). These are bad, but are the same stuff you get from coal fired power plants (although the clouds from the volcano aren't NEARLY as well scrubbed as a power-plant, they are a LOT further away.
The cloud will also have a lot of free crystalline silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) made up of quartz, cristobalite, or tridymite minerals. These minerals are considered health hazards, but again, they are a LOT heavier than air and should have fallen out before they get to the U.S.
Remember, I am an ENGINEER, not an atmospheric scientist. What I know I get from hanging out with the REAL atmosphere experts while we are setting up to launch their toys. If you think Rocket Scientists are Nerds, you should hang with the SCIENCE scientists! Got to learn a whole new language.
Hank

Bottom line, don't sweat it till it gets here. By then, we will have a good idea of the effects from the folks who got it a lot worse than we will.

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Air Pollution

The cloud will also have a lot of free crystalline silica (silicon dioxide, SiO2) made up of quartz, cristobalite, or tridymite minerals. .

Not to mention trilobites, stalactites, and jebusites...(;f

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Air Pollution

Mark! You work with science nerds too? How did they ever find extinct marine arthropods in a speleothem rich cave with calcium rich, fast flowing water in pre-Israelite Palestine?
There has to be a great story there!
Hank

For nerds who want to know. (;f

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Air Pollution

To clarify, I was replying to RobertP's post. He is a bit closer to the action (UK) and has what I consider appropriate concerns. Larry

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Air Pollution

If I lived in England I would be VERY concerned, not just about my plane, but the air I was breathing, the water I was drinking and the food I was eating. Contamination of the drinking water supply could become a major problem in Europe. The particulate stuff falls into the water reservoirs and jams up the filters. If the filters bypass, you are drinking any contaminants that don't float or sink in the treatment tanks. The chemicals need to be removed too, and the process to remove those aren't normally required (when there isn't a belching volcano up wind). How do they remove the dissolved chemicals, especially in suddenly huge quantities?
We are VERY lucky to be so far down wind. I worry about Robert, for a lot more than his plane.
Hank

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Air Pollution

DO NAKED WOMEN CAUSE VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS OR
IS IT GLOBAL WARMING?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 12:21:53 PM
Carolina Pagli, a geophysicist at the University of Leeds in England, said climate change could also trigger volcanic eruptions or earthquakes in places such as Mount Erebus in Antarctica, the Aleutian islands of Alaska or Patagonia in South America.


________________________________________

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Air Pollution

I was shown a naked picture of Rosie O'Donnell once and it resulted in an immediate volcanic eruption.
Hank

Thanks for reminding me of that. URP!

[Hank Jarrett]

Re: Air Pollution

YOU be the judge!
Hank

Just be happy I didn't post the nekid one!

[Larry Lyons]

Re: Air Pollution

ah Ha.......I always suspected she had a hairy chest!

[guns68]

Re: Air Pollution

I grew up about 150 miles due East of Mt. St. Helens. I was a senior in high school when it erupted. What a mess. I would not fly for quite awhile after the ash settles. I know it's rock (I'm neither a scientist nor engineer. I'm just a knuckle dragging pilot), but it very fine and kicks up with the slightest breeze. Also, if your plane, or car for that matter, is outside DO NOT BRUSH the ash off! It's very abbrasive. Wash it off with copious amounts of water under low pressure. I'm afraid to see what it will do to plexi glass. Normal air filters will not keep the ash out of your engine, the stuff is much to fine. It will eat your engine in no time flat. In my opinion, I would hunker down and not fly (or even drive if the wind is blowing much) for about two weeks.
but the again that's just me

[guns68]

Re: Air Pollution

YOU be the judge!
Hank

Just be happy I didn't post the nekid one!

And just when I thought I was done with therepy, thanks guys

[NY86]

Re: Air Pollution

OK, I hope i got this right. Heard on TWC this morning:

Volcanic eruptions under glaciers are more violent, create finer particles and contribute more to warming due to the containing effect of the glacier and the steam generated as the magma interacts with the ice. Thick glaciers actually (according to some expert) contain the magma and prevent the eruptions . So, the inescapable conclusion is that eruptions cause global warming and global warming causes eruptions... How do you like that hockey stick?