IIRC, ethanol is the least costly of the environmentally friendly octane enhancers. While there are a few alternatives, it will cost more to use them. Even if you don’t see the cost in your price per gallon, it still costs the refiner more, and they are unlikely to go for it.
What oxygenators are used in non ethanol fuels today? I use premium no ethanal fuel in my boat in MN as it is available, and recommended by my boat guy.
They’re non-oxygenated, so, none.
meanjoe75fan December 23 @Cavell:You could do that, but the “ethanol” tank would probably be E85, not E100. BATFE is particular about having all alcohol denatured to prohibit diversion. The simplest and cheapest denaturant is gasoline.
That’s true, but it doesn’t take 15% gasoline to denature ethanol. The real reason that E85 is 15% gasoline is so cars will start in cold weather. If you go to a drag strip and watch them start alcohol and fuel dragsters, you may notice that they prime the engine with a few squirts of gasoline before they crank the engine.
They probably do a gasoline prime with Indy cars too.
When I flew glow engine powered model airplanes, I would keep a can of lighter fluid in the flight kit for cool weather flying. A couple of drops of naphtha in the carb and the engine would light right up, otherwise you would have to resort to an (ugh!) electric starter or choke the engine to the verge of hydrolock with resulting violent kickback to get the engine started.
Seen a show( Modern Marvels) about sucrose,in Brazil were most of the cars apperently run on
Alcohol (easy to come by down there-about half the cost of gas down there) GM produces cars with a small gas tank for starting on cool mornings,they have no problem with alcohol down there(produced from cane) works down there.Apples and Oranges,works good down there but not so good here(Henry Ford was a believer)-Kevin
Brazil probably has the widest choice in motor fuels of any country. On a recent trip our driver had to pull in for “gas”. There were two stations side by side; one had propane, diesel, and three grades of gasoline. The next one had pure alcohol, or a blend. Some cars are designed to run on alcohol only, others a blend.
Indy cars run on pure alcohol, though they have switched from methanol to ethanol. It’s a safety issue, an alcohol fire can be extinguished with water, on the other hand, alcohol burns with a nearly invisible flame in daylight, especially methanol.
Sterno is essentially jelled methanol if you want to see for yourself what a methanol fire looks like.
Also, alcohol has higher octane than gasoline, so the race engines can run at higher compression ratio.
On the other hand, alcohol has to run much richer to be stoiciometric and has less energy per gallon or pound.
Gasoline about 19,000 BTU per pound
Ethanol 12.600 BTU per pound
Methanol 9,600 BTU per pound
Nitromethane 5,000 BTU pound
This means fewer laps between pit stops.
Ever notice the unique odor of E10? It’s not the ethanol, which cannot be smelled over the gasoline. It’s called “fusel oils” which are longer chain alcohols (C3 to C5) and possibly some esters which are formed during fermentation. They are separated in the distillation process, then added back in. I’m convinced these components attract mice or rabbits which are gnawing holes in my plastic gasoline containers. This never happened before E10.
Uh-oh - sounds like you might get a rabbit flambé!
So thats why the critter eat the hose off of my gas container when I left it at the Deracho site,have noticed a prodominately shellac like smell on interstate now-Kevin
@shadowfax: wiki- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EROI_-Ratio_of_Energy_Returned_on_Energy_Invested-_USA.svg
Keyword:
EROEI - Ratio of Energy Returned on Energy Invested
EROI -Energy Ratio on Investment [fossil fuel]
"The True Cost of Fossil Fuels"
April 2013, Scientific American
I seem to have tossed the hard copy. Above info should get you most of the way.
@longtime: Yes, but…
I cut my teeth on Edward Abbey…to the extent I still retain a “green conscience” into my 40s, it has much to do with the"The Monkey Wrench Gang." I still have conflicted feelings upon seeing a bulldozer…
Now, hydro energy might be “low carbon”…but it irrevocably wrecks rIparian ecosystems. In the name of global warming, we’re trading energy sources that might impact the ecosystem *at some point in the future…for one that’s raping the desert southwest, today. (And kills salmon by the truckload.)
Hardly seems like progress…
yes, hydro, has its drawbacks. I live in PNW and this water year, we have less than 20% of normal snowpak as of last date of measure. Fish now have priority over power (by treaty to Native Americans, ) December rain is less than 2inches. Rained only a few days in Dec. If weather continues, it;s going to be tough fire season.