Except for those deals made around the annual trade deadline, trades involving actual NHL players coming and going on both sides have become rare indeed in the NHL during the last five seasons. So it was somewhat surprising when the news came down today that Washington has dealt captain and right wing Chris Clark and defenseman Milan Jurcina to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for left wing Jason Chimera.
Chimera is a 30-year-old with good size (6-foot-2, 216 pounds) and good speed. He is a gritty checking-line winger who has eight goals and 17 points to go along with a minus-7 in 39 games with the Blue Jackets this season.
When the Caps clashed with Columbus at Verizon Center on Nov. 1, it was fracas with Chimera and the Blue Jackets’ Jared Boll that left Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin with an upper body injury. Ovechkin missed Washington’s next six games because of the ailment.
Chimera enjoyed his best NHL season with the Blue Jackets in 2006-07 when he totaled 15 goals and 36 points along with a plus-2 and 91 PIM while playing in all 82 games. Chimera recorded 17 goals for the Jackets in 2005-06, his single-season career best.
A native of Edmonton, Chimera was drafted by the hometown Oilers with the team’s fifth-round pick (121st overall) in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Edmonton traded Chimera to Phoenix at the 2004 draft, but he never suited up for the Coyotes. Chimera was dealt from Phoenix to Columbus days prior to the start of the 2005-06 season.
Chimera has 81 goals and 91 assists for 172 points and has 465 PIM in 461 career NHL contests.
(excerpt from Mike Vogel - WashingtonCaps.com Senior Writer)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Mixing Gasoline or Alcohol with Diesel Fuel
TDReprint
MIXING GASOLINE AND DIESEL
(Issue 26, pages 14 – 15)
My wise old mechanic who has worked on Mercedes for years told me that if I put one gallon regular gas to a diesel tankfull after about every four tanks that it would perform essentially the same job as a fuel injector cleaner at a fraction of the cost.
I would like to hear a technical opinion.
Bill Carson , e-mail
Bill, I’ll turn the answer to your request for a technical opinion over to Brian Kmetz. As a mechanical engineer, Brian’s daily task at work is to extract BTUs through oxidation from mass quantities of methane and fuel oils. Needless to say, he knows how the fuel “stuff” works. Brian writes:
We hear this one all the time. Another version is to add one gallon of gasoline to 20 gallons of diesel fuel as a cheap easy anti-gel for winter fuel. I’ll include alcohols in this discussion because a lot of guys add it instead of gasoline. Both fuels have the same detrimental effect on diesel fuel and are very close in weight and BTU content.
The mechanic meant well and probably never saw a fuel pump or injector failure due to improper blending of fuels. But that doesn’t mean one is not risking damage, even in small dosages.
Gasoline and alcohols hit diesel fuel right where it hurts the most. Those light thin fuels will lower the cetane number and lubricity. To explain how octane and cetane DO NOT work together, I’ll have to review more crude oil and fuel fundamentals.
The light distillates that gasolines are made from have a natural high-octane index. The middle distillates that diesel fuels come from have a high cetane index. The octane and cetane indexes are INVERSE scales. A fuel that has a high octane number has a low cetane number, and a high cetane fuel has a low octane number. Anything with a high octane rating will retard diesel fuel’s ability to ignite. That’s why each fuel has developed along with different types of engine designs and fuel delivery systems. Gasoline mixed in diesel fuel will inhibit combustion in a diesel engine and diesel fuel mixed in gasoline will ignite too soon in a gasoline engine.
A lot of old-time mechanics added some gasoline to diesel to supposedly clean the carbon deposits out of the cylinders. I have never read anything that said it worked. Gasoline will make the fuel burn hotter, and hotter burning fuels burn cleaner. That’s probably where the theory got started. In the older diesel engines that belched lots of black smoke even when properly tuned, the result of adding gasoline was probably more white smoke instead of black. This might lead one to believe the engine was running cleaner. Maybe so, probably not. Here’s what happens.
Gasoline will raise the combustion temperature. This might or might not reduce carbon deposits in the cylinder. This also might or might not overheat the injector nozzle enough to cause coking on the nozzle. That’s a clogged injector tip in layman’s terms. The fuel being injected is the only thing that cools the nozzle. Diesel fuel has a lower combustion temperature than gasoline. The fuel injectors depend on the fuel burning at the correct rate and temperature for a long life. If the combustion temperature is raised long enough, the gums and varnishes in gasoline will start to cook right in the fuel injector and turn into carbon. These microscopic carbon particles will abrade the nozzle. High combustion temperatures alone will shorten fuel injector life, gasoline makes the problem worse.
Gasoline and alcohols do have an anti-gel effect on diesel fuel, but these fuels are too thin and will hurt the lubricity. Alcohols work as a water dispersant in small amounts, but also attract water in large amounts. Diesel fuel is already hydrophilic (attracts water) so why add to the problem. The old timers got away with this because high sulfur diesel fuel had enough lubricity to take some thinning. Today’s low sulfur diesel fuels have adequate lubricity, but I wouldn’t put anything in the tank that would thin out the fuel, reduce lubricity, or attract water.
Opposites do not attract in this case. Use any of the diesel fuel additives available to clean out carbon deposits, not gasoline or alcohols.
While we’re on the subject of fuels, let’s discuss another common question. What is cetane?
Cetane is to diesel fuel what octane is to gasoline. It is a measure of the fuel’s ignition quality and performance. Cetane is actually a hydrocarbon chain, its real name is 1-hexadecane. It is written as C16H34, or a chain of 16 carbon atoms with 34 hydrogen atoms attached. All HC chains are also referred to as paraffins. Cetane is a hydrocarbon molecule that ignites very easily under compression, so it was assigned a rating of 100. All the hydrocarbons in diesel fuel are indexed to cetane as to how well they ignite under compression. There is very little actual cetane in diesel fuel.
All the hydrocarbons in diesel fuel have similar ignition characteristics as cetane. Cetane is abbreviated as CN. A very loose way to think about cetane is if the fuel has a CN of 45, then the fuel will ignite 45% as well as 100% cetane. Diesel engines run just fine with a CN between 45 to 50. There is no performance or emission advantage to keep raising the CN past 50. After that point the fuel’s performance hits a plateau.
Diesel at the pump can be found in two CN ranges: 40-46 for regular diesel, and 45-50 for premium. The minimum CN at the pump is supposed to be 45. The legal minimum cetane rating for #1 and #2 diesel is 40. Most diesel fuel leaves the refinery with a CN of around 42. The CN rating depends on the crude oil the fuel was refined from. It varies so much from tanker to tanker that a consistent CN rating is almost impossible. Distilling diesel is a crude process compared with making gasoline. Gasoline is more of a manufactured product with tighter standards so the octane rating is very consistent. But, the CN rating at the diesel pump can be anywhere from 42-46. That’s why there is almost never a sticker on a diesel fuel pump for CN.
Premium diesel has additives to improve CN and lubricity, detergents to clean the fuel injectors and minimize carbon deposits, water dispersant, and other additives depending on geographical and seasonal needs. More biocides added in the south in summer, more ant-gel added in the north in winter. Most retailers who sell premium diesel will have little brochures called POPs (Point of Purchase) at the counter explaining what’s in their fuel. Please don’t ask the poor clerk behind the counter any technical questions after reading this discussion. All they need to know how to do is sell you beer, milk, cigarettes, lottery tickets, and take your money.
Texaco and Amoco are two big names who sell premium diesel in limited markets. Amoco primarily sells its Premier to specialized industrial and agricultural markets. I cannot get either in my area. Most fuel retailers buy additives or buy treated fuel. In the Northern plains states, Koch is a well-known marketer of premium diesel. I buy it when I travel into Northern Wisconsin.
Because there are no legal standards for premium diesel yet, it is very hard to know if you are buying the good stuff. I have good news. An ASTM task force has drafted standards for premium diesel. When the new specifications are accepted, information will have to be posted on the fuel pump. Retailers will no longer be allowed to label cheap blended diesel as ‘premium.’ They will have separate pumps with clear labels on both informing the customer what is being sold. The marketing and labeling will be the same as with regular and premium gasoline. Retailers selling the real thing use this system now. Enforcement of all fuel standards is done at the state level in the USA.
Diesel fuel is an international commodity for industry. Therefore, you should be picky about where you fill up. Shop for price from a large volume retailer so you have the freshest fuel. That’s about the best advice I can give.
The 1994 legislation and reformulation of diesel fuel in North America is due to an international effort for lower emissions. Cleaner diesel emission laws are on the way. Diesel fuel is going to be reformulated into a cleaner fuel in general. Without getting too technical (this is over-simplified and very generalized), diesel fuel for the most part is made up of two different hydrocarbon families: paraffins and aromatics. The paraffins have a naturally high cetane index, burn clean, but cause the annoying gel problem in winter. The aromatics have a naturally high lubricity, low cetane index, and cause a lot of diesel emissions and soot. Reformulated diesel will have a higher paraffin content, higher cetane number, and a much lower aromatic and sulfur content. It will also be more prone to jelling and have a lower lubricity. Big oil is working on improved additives as I type this.
The reason nothing has happened yet is because of infighting in the EPA on its new Tier II Emissions standards for gasoline and diesel. Ultra-clean technology for gasoline and diesel engines is almost ready to go, but the refiners have to lower the sulfur level drastically in both fuels. The EPA should formally set something by year 2000.
Brian Kmetz
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Colorado Av's David Koci hits Cap's Mike Green with a "dirty hit"
By Tarik El-Bashir
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 17, 2009
VANCOUVER -- Mike Green was back on the ice with teammates Wednesday, less than 24 hours after being driven headfirst into the end boards during the Washington Capitals' blowout victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Although the 24-year-old defenseman escaped serious injury, the hit may stoke the debate about the growing problem of shots delivered to the head of players in vulnerable positions.
"It was a good example of what is wrong with the game," Washington General Manager George McPhee said from the stands at GM Place, where the Capitals were practicing ahead of Friday's game against the Vancouver Canucks. "It's a contact game, but there are just some hits, like that one, where you've got a guy who can hardly play who is smashing guys' heads against the glass because that's what he's supposed to do."
McPhee was outspoken on the subject when the league's general managers met in Toronto last month. The group decided to form a subcommittee to examine head shots and to revisit the issue in March. In the meantime, the league's hockey operations department is gathering statistics and video examples to be presented to the general managers at their next meeting.
"We're not sure how to attack it yet," McPhee said. "But we're going to discuss predatory hits, hits when players are vulnerable, and touch on players being more careful around the boards."
McPhee said he and his colleagues are not aiming to crack down on hitting and take the physical element out of the game. They simply want to eliminate the dangerous ones such as the one David Koci made on Green.
"We all love nice clean, solid hits when a guy is skating with the puck and he puts his head down and you catch him in open ice," McPhee said. "We love those. Rubbing players out along the boards. Wearing guys down with hits. That's fine. But targeting heads and hitting to hurt like that, to me, it's not unlike the progression of obstruction. It happens a little, little bit and it gets worse every day. It's just time to take a look at it and say has it gotten by us a little bit and are we excepting things, allowing things that 20 years ago we never would have allowed?"
The Capitals were ahead 5-0 when Koci lined up Green. The rugged winger, who averages 3 minutes 7 seconds of ice time per game as opposed to Green's 24:49, gathered speed, then delivered a shoulder in between the neck and shoulder blade area of Green's jersey. The defenseman, who had just played the puck behind the goal, did not see Koci coming and his visor smashed into the seamless glass at Pepsi Center.
Green, who had to be helped off the ice, was knocked woozy and left bleeding above his left eye. He did not return for the third period.
Koci was assessed five minutes for boarding, five minutes for fighting after being engaged by Green's teammate John Erskine, and a game misconduct. Because Koci was ejected, he was fined $200 and the play is subject to automatic review by the league. But as of Wednesday night, the league had yet to announce any disciplinary action against the Avalanche enforcer.
After the game, Coach Bruce Boudreau called Koci an "idiot." He did not soften his stance a day later.
"His shoulder hit Mike's head," Boudreau said. "It was a head shot in my mind all the way -- and from behind to boot. A similar incident happened in the [Ontario Hockey League] in October and the kid got banned for life. There's no way [Koci] would have been on the ice if the score wasn't 5-0 at the time."
Boudreau said Koci also injured Shaone Morrisonn when he attempted to deliver an elbow to the defenseman's head in the first period.
Morrisonn also missed the third period, but, like Green, was back on the ice Wednesday.
"That's the stuff we want to get rid of," Boudreau said.
Captain Chris Clark said he wants the general managers to add a penalty specifically for head shots.
"It wasn't to his lower back," Clark said. "It was upper back and a head shot. You could tell what he was trying to do. He was trying to stir something up. But you don't have to hurt somebody to do it. I think the GMs are going in the right direction by looking at it and talking about it."
It's unclear what action the general managers will take when they convene three months from now. But in the Capitals' dressing room, the prevailing sentiment is that something must be done.
"It was unnecessary," Green said. "When I see [jersey] numbers, I always slow down. It's about respect for the game."
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 17, 2009
VANCOUVER -- Mike Green was back on the ice with teammates Wednesday, less than 24 hours after being driven headfirst into the end boards during the Washington Capitals' blowout victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Although the 24-year-old defenseman escaped serious injury, the hit may stoke the debate about the growing problem of shots delivered to the head of players in vulnerable positions.
"It was a good example of what is wrong with the game," Washington General Manager George McPhee said from the stands at GM Place, where the Capitals were practicing ahead of Friday's game against the Vancouver Canucks. "It's a contact game, but there are just some hits, like that one, where you've got a guy who can hardly play who is smashing guys' heads against the glass because that's what he's supposed to do."
McPhee was outspoken on the subject when the league's general managers met in Toronto last month. The group decided to form a subcommittee to examine head shots and to revisit the issue in March. In the meantime, the league's hockey operations department is gathering statistics and video examples to be presented to the general managers at their next meeting.
"We're not sure how to attack it yet," McPhee said. "But we're going to discuss predatory hits, hits when players are vulnerable, and touch on players being more careful around the boards."
McPhee said he and his colleagues are not aiming to crack down on hitting and take the physical element out of the game. They simply want to eliminate the dangerous ones such as the one David Koci made on Green.
"We all love nice clean, solid hits when a guy is skating with the puck and he puts his head down and you catch him in open ice," McPhee said. "We love those. Rubbing players out along the boards. Wearing guys down with hits. That's fine. But targeting heads and hitting to hurt like that, to me, it's not unlike the progression of obstruction. It happens a little, little bit and it gets worse every day. It's just time to take a look at it and say has it gotten by us a little bit and are we excepting things, allowing things that 20 years ago we never would have allowed?"
The Capitals were ahead 5-0 when Koci lined up Green. The rugged winger, who averages 3 minutes 7 seconds of ice time per game as opposed to Green's 24:49, gathered speed, then delivered a shoulder in between the neck and shoulder blade area of Green's jersey. The defenseman, who had just played the puck behind the goal, did not see Koci coming and his visor smashed into the seamless glass at Pepsi Center.
Green, who had to be helped off the ice, was knocked woozy and left bleeding above his left eye. He did not return for the third period.
Koci was assessed five minutes for boarding, five minutes for fighting after being engaged by Green's teammate John Erskine, and a game misconduct. Because Koci was ejected, he was fined $200 and the play is subject to automatic review by the league. But as of Wednesday night, the league had yet to announce any disciplinary action against the Avalanche enforcer.
After the game, Coach Bruce Boudreau called Koci an "idiot." He did not soften his stance a day later.
"His shoulder hit Mike's head," Boudreau said. "It was a head shot in my mind all the way -- and from behind to boot. A similar incident happened in the [Ontario Hockey League] in October and the kid got banned for life. There's no way [Koci] would have been on the ice if the score wasn't 5-0 at the time."
Boudreau said Koci also injured Shaone Morrisonn when he attempted to deliver an elbow to the defenseman's head in the first period.
Morrisonn also missed the third period, but, like Green, was back on the ice Wednesday.
"That's the stuff we want to get rid of," Boudreau said.
Captain Chris Clark said he wants the general managers to add a penalty specifically for head shots.
"It wasn't to his lower back," Clark said. "It was upper back and a head shot. You could tell what he was trying to do. He was trying to stir something up. But you don't have to hurt somebody to do it. I think the GMs are going in the right direction by looking at it and talking about it."
It's unclear what action the general managers will take when they convene three months from now. But in the Capitals' dressing room, the prevailing sentiment is that something must be done.
"It was unnecessary," Green said. "When I see [jersey] numbers, I always slow down. It's about respect for the game."
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Ram 2500 - mods revisited
Well, it's been a month or so since installing a few mods on the Cummins Ram. I must say, everything is still good and dependable. My driving style is laid back, with minimal spirited jaunts, and the diesel is doing well thusfar. I've really been trying to take it easy on the transmission, as Chrysler autos are known to fail quite easily, and the 47RE is no exception. A [stock] replacement rings in to the tune of about $3500-4500, so I want to hold off on that as long as possible.
All in all, the fuel economy isn't hateful. I drive 99% in town, so much stop/go is encountered. Still, I'm in the high teens, as far as MPG. I've yet to get a good highway stint in, but it accelerates like a car, rather than a 6500lb truck. Hopefully, I'll be able to piece together the makings of a 5 or 6 speed swap, before the automatic gives up it's ghost, forcing me into another auto trans. I can mod the 47RE to better accomodate the 600+ lb/ft torque, but that would merely be band-aiding the situation.
We'll see what transpires after the first of the year, when all of this Holiday crap is over.
All in all, the fuel economy isn't hateful. I drive 99% in town, so much stop/go is encountered. Still, I'm in the high teens, as far as MPG. I've yet to get a good highway stint in, but it accelerates like a car, rather than a 6500lb truck. Hopefully, I'll be able to piece together the makings of a 5 or 6 speed swap, before the automatic gives up it's ghost, forcing me into another auto trans. I can mod the 47RE to better accomodate the 600+ lb/ft torque, but that would merely be band-aiding the situation.
We'll see what transpires after the first of the year, when all of this Holiday crap is over.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Photography - My ever growing passion
My first DSLR camera was purchased second-hand, about a year ago. It is a Sony Alpha A-100K. I picked it up with a standard 15-70mm lense, and an 75-300mm lense. I've taken standard style shots with it, as if it were a point-n-clicker, for the most part. Once in awhile, I'll accidentally get a great shot. More recently, I've began to explore the more detailed uses and functions of the camera, and photo styling.
Yesterday evening, I tried my hand at an HDR (high-dynamic range) photo. Basically, I threw the camera onto a tripod, snapped 3 photos and various Ev settings (-.7Ev, -.2, 0, +.2) with an f/5.6 of my wife's China hutch thingy. Using Photomatix Pro (http://www.hdrsoft.com/download.html#pmp) to merge the photos, I came up with this. The reddish tint is overbearing, the framing is crooked, and the highlights are washed out, but hey, it's the first whack at it, and I used JPGs, rather than shooting in RAW.Today, if the weather and time permits, I'm going to try and shoot one in more natural lighting, with more colors, to help with seperation and hopefully produce a much better looking one.
We'll see how it goes.
Modern Warfare 2: Into the thick of it
So, I've been playing COD6: MW2 for almost a month now. I generally only play late in the evenings, for an hour or so, and then on the weekends, again, late at night.
My KDR (Kill/Death Ratio) is getting better on this game. Two weeks ago, I was at a .71, and as of last evening, I've increased that to a .82 KDR.
The game is difficult to get a +1.0 per match, for me. I think there's a few reasons for this:
I tend to do better, however, when I play solo, rather than play with a group of people that I know. I'm not sure why that is, but I've proven it to be true, time and time again.
As for the maps and such, they're quite good. Many have the same feel and look to them, which led me to believe that I wasn't playing all of the maps, but I am, indeed, playing them. It's time for a map pack, Infinity Ward! :) There's one map, called "Rust". It's a very small map, maybe 100yds X 100yds, and is an absolute slaughterfest. It's like throwing 12 guys fighting, into a salad bowl. Kill/Die/Kill/Die/Die/Die/Kill/Die.. you get the idea. :)
But, I like the game very much, and I'll continue to play it. My quest is to reach that 1.0 KDR goal! I'm 630 kills behind my deaths, though, and that's gonna take quite some time.
"UAV Spotted!"
My KDR (Kill/Death Ratio) is getting better on this game. Two weeks ago, I was at a .71, and as of last evening, I've increased that to a .82 KDR.
The game is difficult to get a +1.0 per match, for me. I think there's a few reasons for this:
- My reaction time at 41 yrs of age
- I play on a 100+" HD projection TV and the screen is cheap, not giving me a good clear, bright, quality picture
- I tend to be a 'run and gun' type of player, rather than sit back and wait, or strategically move through the "battlefield"
I tend to do better, however, when I play solo, rather than play with a group of people that I know. I'm not sure why that is, but I've proven it to be true, time and time again.
As for the maps and such, they're quite good. Many have the same feel and look to them, which led me to believe that I wasn't playing all of the maps, but I am, indeed, playing them. It's time for a map pack, Infinity Ward! :) There's one map, called "Rust". It's a very small map, maybe 100yds X 100yds, and is an absolute slaughterfest. It's like throwing 12 guys fighting, into a salad bowl. Kill/Die/Kill/Die/Die/Die/Kill/Die.. you get the idea. :)
But, I like the game very much, and I'll continue to play it. My quest is to reach that 1.0 KDR goal! I'm 630 kills behind my deaths, though, and that's gonna take quite some time.
"UAV Spotted!"
Monday, December 7, 2009
Photo of the Day
Taken after dark, about 7:30pm, after it had snowed all day. The lighting in the background is from the streetlight.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Photo of the Day
- This is a shot of my woodstove fire, taken last night.
Shot with a Sony A100-K DSLR
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About Me
- Rogan
- I'm a Systems Administrator in a Windows Server-based environment. I have past experience with Fedora, some RedHat, etc. Have held positions for other companies, such as Network Engineer, Sr. Systems Control Analyst, and so on.
