The Zig-Zag of Technology

And please don't anyone tell me that I ought to say "dialectic." All I mean is zig-zag. If "dialectic" means something more, it is a word worth avoiding.

If, on the other hand, you wish to insist that you, dear reader, mean only "zig-zag" when you say dialectic, I answer that I prefer to say just what I mean. So when what I mean is zig-zag, that is the unpretentious word I use.

Every solution generates a new set of problems, inspiring yet more solutions, and those again pose problems. For example: because the solution to acid rain involved getting the sulphur out of diesel fuel, the next generation of problems involved inadequate lubrication, blocked filters, etc. The solution for such problems has involved regular testing of fuel for lubricity, purity, and viscosity to ensure that it meets the specifications of the manufacturer of the engine for which it is intended. It has also involved high pressure common rail injection systems for many types of engines, especially marine engines, from yachts to cargo ships. 

The higher the injection pressure, the more thoroughly the fuel atomizes and the better it mixes with the oxygen in the cylinder. This results in much greater efficiency, and minimal formation of particulars. So … more power, fewer emissions, everyone is happy.

High pressure, by the way, means what it says. Common rail engines now routinely  generate the once unheard of pressure of 36,000 pounds per square inch.   

It turns out, though, that contamination is all too easy in the context of an HPCR and that vigilance (or even what Nigel Calder, of the Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual, prefers to call “paranoia”) becomes a survival trait.

The injectors themselves suffer from wear and tear and leave the yachts vulnerable to engine failure, full or partial. Thus, many manufacturers suggest fuel injector replacements at half engine life, based on the number of operating hours

The situation is ripe for further innovation, new systems that will, for example, render the fuel injectors reliable beyond the half-life of the engine, or that will more effectively filter the fuel against the contaminants that can contribute to that wear and tear.

Those innovations will come, and the zig-zag of problems and their solutions will surely continue.