Posted on 02/10/2006 6:45:56 AM PST by T Ruth
There is nothing new in the use of alcohol as a motor fuel. In 1872, when Nikolaus Otto invented the internal combustion engine, gasoline was not available. Ethyl alcohol at 180-190 proof was the specified fuel.
* * *
[A]lcohols have a relatively high anti-knock or octane rating [and] have the ability to raise considerably the octane ratings of gasolines with which they are mixed. . . . The ability to increase octane rating means that: (1) a lower (therefore cheaper) grade of gasoline can be used to obtain a fuel with a certain octane rating; and (2) the use of traditional pollution producing anti-knock additives such as tetraethyl lead can be eliminated. . . .
WATER INJECTION
During World War II, the military made extensive use of water injection in high performance piston aircraft engines. . . . Even today, water injection systems are available that can be installed in automobiles. . . . [T]he latent heat of vaporization for gasoline is about 140 Btu/lb and for ethanol about 361 Btu/lb. Water has a latent heat of about 700 Btu/lb! Therefore, if a little water is injected into the carburetor in the form of an ultra-fine mist, the latent heat of the water will cool the charge and increase volumetric efficiency. . . . There are definite limits, however, to the amount of water that can be injected. Too much will cause excessive cooling and misfiring.
The use of water injection with a gasoline fueled engine requires a separate metering and injection system because water and gasoline do not mix. Ethanol and water, however, do mix and the benefits of water injection can be had simply by adding the desired amount of water to the alcohol in the fuel tank.
(Excerpt) Read more at journeytoforever.org ...
It is also interesting to note that the date of the manual is 1980.
Note: in order to comply with the 300 word limitation on excerpts, I had to butcher even the parts I excerpted. The full article is much more interesting.
Yup, Alcohol and water do mix. Remember that when you have your Alcohol powered car in the winter time. Brazil was able to use a lot of Alky but then they ain't known for their ski resorts.
Brazil uses stright ethanol or E85, either one. The flex fuel cars have a gasoline injector with about a liter of gas for cold starting. No problemo!
Yeah, you may be familiar with a product called "Heet." It is essentially wood alcohol, and is often added to gasoline to absorb water and prevent fuel line freeze-ups in cold weather.
So, at what ambient temperature would an alcohol-powered vehicle be impractical? How would a gas-alcohol mix affect that? The Zubrin article to which I linked advocated the use of Flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs).
If I'm raising a crop that can be converted to alcohol I have two choices. I can sell the crop or I can convert it to alcohol. If I convert it to alcohol I have two choices. I can sell it for a auto fuel and get a couple of dollars a gallon for it or I can put it in quart jars and sell it for twenty or thirty dollars a gallon. Decisions, decisions, the plight of the poor farmer.
LOL
This is an interesting site.
http://running_on_alcohol.tripod.com/
Tells you how to build your own still, make your own alchohol, and secure the permits from the BATF to make it legal.
A rumor among the good ole' boys down in Mahalasville is that the alcohol in e85 isn't otherwise denatured except for the addition of the gasoline; thus, pouring a glass of e85 and adding an ice cube or two will separate out the ethanol from the gasoline, leaving you with 190 proof white lightening on the rocks.
If somebody holds muh beer, maybe I can talk Mrs. Lucky into trying it.
YEs, alcohol and water mix, but when they did, they no longer mix with the gasoline.
Try a little home experiment: mix some alcohol and gasoline together in a glass container (so you can see what's happening): shake it up and they mix completely - gasoline and alcohol are miscible.
Then add a little water and shake again: the water mixes wtih the alcohol and separates from the gas completely, so if your vehicle is jetted or calibrated for the gas/alcohol mixture, it is NOT going to run the same.
...but it will run much better than a gasoline engine would on the same amount of water injected into its fuel .
-bttt-
In the work cited, Mr. Matheson addresses this:
Alcohol blends do have one relatively minor drawback. The presence of even small amounts of water in the blend will cause a portion of the alcohol and gasoline to separate. At room temperature, less than 1% water can do the damage. As the temperature is lowered, amounts as small as 0.01% can cause separation. However, various substances such as benzene (benzol), acetone, and butyl alcohol can be added to the blend to increase water tolerance. Closed fuel systems, now in use, prevent moisture from forming inside the gas tank. Oil companies, given the proper incentive, could dry out their storage facilities and pipelines. Also, extensive use of alcohol blends over the past 50 years is ample evidence that the problem can be solved.
There are additives, non alcoholic, which can be added to fuel to allow a small amount of water to blend. I have been told many times over the years that adding alcohol to fuel may increase rust problems. In a couple of cases in years past I've added alcohol to the gas tank to remove a large amount of water. Probably didn't cause it to mix with with the gasoline but allowed it to burn in order to keep the engine running. I wouldn't do that with the modern fuel injected cars. The carburetor was more tolerant of a little water for a short period of time.
I thought this was going to be a moonshiners and Revenoors thread.
There are laws that prevent distillation of ethanol and resale. The fact it will be for motor fuel rather than for drinking should make no difference as the law was written without the thought of ethanol for fuel.
Looks like the stills in Cosby will be cooking again making good old Tennessee Moonshine more miles to the gallon fuel.
Years ago, J.C. Whitney catalog used to carry a water injection system for cars which just bolted on. It actually worked pretty good. A friend of mine installed one on a VW bus. Got better mileage and ran smoother.
Cosby, stills, & mash?
Interesting.
From what I understand, the bigger problem with straight ethanol (or high % of it) is that it doesn't vaporize worth a damn at low temperatures - it has a very low vapor pressure. I believe the relavent temperature is around 5 degrees Celsius or so.
Actually, isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol, fuel-line anti-freeze) is great at mixing with both fuel and water at the same time, which is why it is used as a fuel-line anti-freeze, among other reasons. Ethanol and methanol aren't as effective for co-miscability.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.