Testing the Wate

Conventional wisdom says water in ethanol is bad, but a new technical understanding is emerging that could dramatically improve corn-based ethanol’s environmental footprint while revolutionizing how the alternative fuel is made, transported and used. By Ron Kotrba

lot of attention is being focused on midlevel ethanol blends. If that’s considered a hot topic then issue of midlevel hydrous blends reaches the magnitude of a Super Nova. A convincing message is reaching influential ears in government and private industry, and it turns conventional wisdom on its head. The accepted truth is that water in ethanol is bad—period. As such, anhydrous “water-free” ethanol has been the norm in the United States since the blend component’s debut in gas supplies 25 years ago. Now enter a serendipitous, convincing find.

“This just happened last year—it’s very new,” says Frits Dautzenberg, a San Diego-based consultant. “How is it possible everyone missed this point?” Dautzenberg is retained as a consultant by the Netherlands-based Process Design Center Inc. What Dautzenberg is talking about is a new understanding of hydrous ethanol’s relationship to gas and ambient moisture.

Problems are being reported in New England, most likely due to bad gas (too much ethanol?):

http://wbz.com/Trouble-in-the-gas-tank-/2160021
Posted: Friday, 09 May 2008 5:24PM

Trouble in the gas tank?

M.E. Reporting

WBZ Newsroom — WBZ’s Lisa Meyer has learned at least two car makers, Mercedes and Audi, are testing gas from our area after a series of reports of problems with the cars’ oxygen sensors and catalytic converters.

Mechanic Robert Ansell of Marblehead tipped us off to the problem. People came into his shop after their ‘check engine’ lights came on. Ansell says the oxygen sensors give off readings that make no sense and the catalytic converters are running at triple and quadruple their usual temperature — hot enough to melt the inside of the converters.

Mercedes spokesman Rob Moran confirms to WBZ that the company believes there is a bad gas problem here. He says problems have been reported within a 100 mile radius of Boston, affecting car owners in Southern New Hampshire, Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Moran says Mercedes is testing gas samples right now. The results are not yet in. Moran says if people flush their gas and replace it with fuel from a reliable source the problem goes away, with no damage to the vehicle. Moran says its possible that the proportion of additives in the gas may be out of balance or there might be too much ethanol in the blend.

Ansell says he thinks Mercedes, Audis some Volkswagons and other high performance vehicles are more suseptible to the problem because they use a special kind of oxygen sensor, called a planar sensor. Other vehicles seem to be unaffected.

Missing is the discussion on how this affects engine and exhaust system corrosion and wear.

So they found out something about the refining process; big deal.

Like my mechanic told me recently; the majority of cars on the road were not built to use any ethanol blend and the effects are showing up in the work he is having to do in repairs.

Now consider what happens with higher water content in the fuel - good luck - better get one of those 100,000 mile power train warranty's, I think you will be needing it!

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