Using AVgas in your small engines
Curious as to others experience using Aviation gas 100LL which is a low lead 100 octane fuel. I have been using in all my small engines; lawn equipment and generators, for some time with excellent res...
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Having operated an Alkylation plant at Shell Oil Co Martinez refinery (LOP) I can tell you the engineers worship the characteristics of "alkylate" a main component of avgas.
Made from Isobutane, alkylate is a liquid. Has ZERO sulfur or heavy ends in it. By itself has near 100 R/M / 2 octane. Stores for a long long time with zero decomposition. Can be used STRAIGHT and PURE in a gasoline engine and the engine loves it - school of hard knocks with a 12.5 to 1 compression ratio engine.
AVgas is an exotic blend I never had anything to do refining the various grades. But TEL handling is scary. Tetra-ethyl lead is a liquid. Dark. We had to dress in HazMat-like suits. 100% coverage. Filters to breathe. We were scolded without mercy. "One single solitary drop of TEL on your skin and you are dead! No first aid, no treatment, and it cannot be washed off fast enough!"
Scared the hell out of one 20-year old student working in LOP for the summer!
But please be careful around 100LL. It's only called Low Lead because other grades of avfuel contained insanely high amounts of TEL. 100LL contains more TEL than car gasolines Chevron Custom Supreme, or Sunoco 260, ever did.
100 LL on the skin and TEL is absorbed. I would not touch the stuff myself without using gloves. Tetra Ethyl Lead poisoning is bad Juju.
Made from Isobutane, alkylate is a liquid. Has ZERO sulfur or heavy ends in it. By itself has near 100 R/M / 2 octane. Stores for a long long time with zero decomposition. Can be used STRAIGHT and PURE in a gasoline engine and the engine loves it - school of hard knocks with a 12.5 to 1 compression ratio engine.
AVgas is an exotic blend I never had anything to do refining the various grades. But TEL handling is scary. Tetra-ethyl lead is a liquid. Dark. We had to dress in HazMat-like suits. 100% coverage. Filters to breathe. We were scolded without mercy. "One single solitary drop of TEL on your skin and you are dead! No first aid, no treatment, and it cannot be washed off fast enough!"
Scared the hell out of one 20-year old student working in LOP for the summer!
But please be careful around 100LL. It's only called Low Lead because other grades of avfuel contained insanely high amounts of TEL. 100LL contains more TEL than car gasolines Chevron Custom Supreme, or Sunoco 260, ever did.
100 LL on the skin and TEL is absorbed. I would not touch the stuff myself without using gloves. Tetra Ethyl Lead poisoning is bad Juju.
