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Ethanol Limits. Let's Talk Turkey


Gollum

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Reading my last post, I'm waiting on someone else to admit they, too "can subsist on Alcohol on a limited basis"...

 

I did it all through college :)

 

Very interesting discussion going on here. I was thinking about running ethanol the other day actually. At this point, the fuel isn't prevalent enough for me to have it in my DD.

 

Evan

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Ironic truth be told, most of the ethanol is hydrocracked out of petroleum chains in refineries because it's cheaper by far... When vodka manufacturers buy in bulk from petroleum refiners for their basic product, and then flavor for taste you gotta step back and look at the economics of it.

So in that context, the economics surely do play a part in the thread from where I sit at least.

 

You've mentioned this several times now, and I have not been able to find information to corroborate it. As far as I've been able to find, synthetic ethanol production accounts for less than 10% of worldwide production, and generally used for industrial applications, not for fuel and not for human consumption, since they generally add benzene to it to eliminate the last 4% of water.

http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Products-Markets/European-trade-association-to-promote-synthetic-ethanol

http://cta.ornl.gov/bedb/biofuels/ethanol/Ethanol_Overview.shtml

http://resources.schoolscience.co.uk/GreenerIndustry/pages/ethanol/ethanol1AP.html

http://www.ethanolproducer.com/article-print.jsp?article_id=2077

http://www.ethanolrfa.org/industry/statistics/#A

 

As far as being too energy intensive, it depends on who is adding up the numbers. The number that I have seen indicates that ethanol produced from corn yields 34% more energy than it takes to produce it, including tilling the soil and harvesting it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethanol#Production

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There are a few in your area:

 

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/stations/find_station.php

 

notice that you can find other alternative fuel station from this site, too...

 

Tim, I know I can get it in Madison, but what about when I am running low on fuel on a 1k miles road trip? Thats my other real concern.

 

Evan

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Tim, I know I can get it in Madison, but what about when I am running low on fuel on a 1k miles road trip? Thats my other real concern.

 

Evan

 

I can't think of any part of an ethanol fuel system that wouldn't be able to use pump gas around the country. The key would be a seperate fuel and spark map that actually worked. If you were running sub 12:1 compression then 91 octane might be passable on most engines with the timing retarded enough.

 

But if the engine is running as high of compression as possible on E85, I'm not sure any amount of timing retardation would make it drivable. Would be a fun experiment. :D

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There is a manufacturer of beer that sources it's CO2 from a landfill, and each employee is required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they hire on...doubtful you will find records of many things.

It doesn't mean it's not happening. And yes, I have a signed non-disclosure regarding that. But it's not hard to figure out which brewery was doing it if you ever get a copy of my C.V. and then put 2 & 2 together...

I can't remember if it was here, or at another website that an employee that worked in a refinery commented about this confriming what I was saying. 4% water is not an issue when you cut the bead to 40% anyway.

 

Transport of Alcohol when 'denatured' with benzine like you mention is not controlled. But ask the guys at the loading docks about the tanker trucks that go out with the tax seals on the hoses' end caps and service/fill connections---that is alcohol being transported under BATF Approval, and if it's industrial, denaturing it won't require a seal. This is just stuff I work around, and I tend to ask a lot of stupid questions because I'm curious. Lots of times, people tell me a lot of stuff under the assumption that I'm 'covered' by the same signups and covenants they are...

 

Nothing special, it's just I'm around it from time to time because of my job...and the stuff gets 'filed away' in my bin of useless trivia and etc...

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I can't think of any part of an ethanol fuel system that wouldn't be able to use pump gas around the country. The key would be a seperate fuel and spark map that actually worked. If you were running sub 12:1 compression then 91 octane might be passable on most engines with the timing retarded enough.

 

But if the engine is running as high of compression as possible on E85, I'm not sure any amount of timing retardation would make it drivable. Would be a fun experiment. :D

 

Yes - I think I forgot that the original post was regarding a high compression n/a engine, not a turbo'ed one like mine. For my setup, if I really needed to go back to gasoline, all I would need to do would be to run the majority of the e85 out, refill with gas and load my old gas calibration.

 

For a longer trip, e85 is really starting to be available in a lot of locations across the Midwest - the link I provided earlier would probably allow you to plan out a viable route pretty easily.

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There is a manufacturer of beer that sources it's CO2 from a landfill, and each employee is required to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they hire on...doubtful you will find records of many things.

It doesn't mean it's not happening. And yes, I have a signed non-disclosure regarding that. But it's not hard to figure out which brewery was doing it if you ever get a copy of my C.V. and then put 2 & 2 together...

I can't remember if it was here, or at another website that an employee that worked in a refinery commented about this confriming what I was saying. 4% water is not an issue when you cut the bead to 40% anyway.

 

Transport of Alcohol when 'denatured' with benzine like you mention is not controlled. But ask the guys at the loading docks about the tanker trucks that go out with the tax seals on the hoses' end caps and service/fill connections---that is alcohol being transported under BATF Approval, and if it's industrial, denaturing it won't require a seal. This is just stuff I work around, and I tend to ask a lot of stupid questions because I'm curious. Lots of times, people tell me a lot of stuff under the assumption that I'm 'covered' by the same signups and covenants they are...

 

Nothing special, it's just I'm around it from time to time because of my job...and the stuff gets 'filed away' in my bin of useless trivia and etc...

 

Your diversity is uhmmmmm astounding. What gives?..... are you 102?

 

Certainly no offense.

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  • 4 weeks later...
I can't think of any part of an ethanol fuel system that wouldn't be able to use pump gas around the country. The key would be a seperate fuel and spark map that actually worked. If you were running sub 12:1 compression then 91 octane might be passable on most engines with the timing retarded enough.

 

But if the engine is running as high of compression as possible on E85, I'm not sure any amount of timing retardation would make it drivable. Would be a fun experiment. :D

 

My motor is 9:1 and the only thing holding me back from doing another tune on E85 is not wanting to do yet ANOTHER injector upgrade!

 

I figure I could have a 93 tune, half 93 half E85 tune and full E85 tune.

 

Evan

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Anybody seen the conversion kits out there being marketed for E10/20/85?

Appears to be a piggyback controller, additional injector, and an exhaust sensor.

I ran across the advert briefly in a periodical last evening late, and as I recall it was pretty compatible with Ford Products, F150, etc...

 

I will see if I can scramble it up this evening and repost tomorrow with more details. There was Gibley's Involved, and my memory is hazy of the details so I omit them at this point...

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