Gasoline and Alcohol Fuels by Dr.

Ravi Kumar Puli

Gasoline
Gasoline consists of up to 500 hydrocarbons with between 3 and 12 carbon atoms per molecule

Fuel Related Terms

Methane-one carbon atom; four hydrogen atoms (CH4)

Natural gas is mostly methane

What does NMHC Mean?

NMHC means non-methane hydrocarbons Cows produce methane gas (two places)

If emission level standards included methane, then areas with cows may fail
Decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills NMHC measures all hydrocarbons EXCEPT methane which is considered to be a potent greenhouse gas (23 times that of CO2) (Does not affect the ozone layer because it does react with NOx)

Ethane (C2H6)

Whats this to do about Alcohol?

If one of the Hs is replaced with an hydroxyl group (-OH) (adding an atom of oxygen to the molecule) this changes methane into methanol and ethane into ethanol (delete the e and add ol at the end Adding the oxygen atom to the molecule is all it takes to create an alcohol The oxygen in the fuel itself is called an oxygenated fuel

The Oxygen will not Escape

Oxygenated fuel is not like soft drinks where the CO2 can bubble out Carbonated water, also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, or seltzer water, is plain water into which carbon dioxide gas has been dissolved

Other Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons come in many different forms The number of carbons determines its name Replace the four hydrogen atoms from methane and replace with two chlorines and two fluorines The result: dichlorodifluoromethane (R-12)

Glycols
The same with glycols Add another OH to the ethanol and you get ethylene glycol (antifreeze) This is why antifreeze can burn Antifreeze can be ignited and will burn

Methanol (CH3OH)
The bad alcohol Made from natural gas or wood Called wood alcohol Very corrosive Must be used with another alcohol called a co-solvent if used in an engine Also called methyl alcohol or methyl hydrate

Methanol
Contains 50% oxygen by weight and is very corrosive

M85 Flex Fuel Vehicles

M85 flex-fuel vehicles are a gasoline vehicle that can use M85 It takes 1.7 gallons of M85 to get the same driving range as one gallon of gasoline, but price of a gallon of gasoline is about 1.7 times the price of a gallon of M85, so it balances out

Ethanol (C2H5OH)
The good alcohol Is not as corrosive as methanol Made from corn or bio-mass (called bioethanol) Called grain alcohol Also called ethyl alcohol Used as an additive to gasoline Used to be called gasohol

Propane (C3H8)

Isopropanol (C3H8O)
Isopropanol is sometimes sold as "Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol, 70% (or 90%)" Isopropyl alcohol is also commonly used as a cleaner and solvent in industry

Isopropyl Alcohol
Isopropanol is a major ingredient in "drygas" fuel additive Once soluble, the water does not pose the same risk as insoluble water as it will no longer accumulate in the supply lines and freeze

Butane (C4H10)

Butanol
Can be used as a fuel to replace gasoline Not currently in production First plant designed to produce automotive fuel is in England Can be used 85% with gasoline(15%) without any changes Almost the same BTU output

Pentane (C5H12)

Hexane (C6H14)

Heptane (C7H16)

Octane (C8H18)

ISO-OCTANE

Olefins
(Causes Valve Deposits)

Naphthalene (Moth Balls)

Toluene
(used as an octane improver)

Benzene (Cancer causing)

(Some say that any chemical ending in ene can cause cancer)

Hi-Test gas used to be called benzene

Gasoline is a blend of hydrocarbons

The heavier molecules provide heat energy and therefore fuel economy The lighter hydrocarbons are used to provide volatility to allow the engine to start in cold weather

Therefore gasoline is blended for each season.

Specific Gravity of Gasoline

Gasoline has a specific gravity that ranges from 0.730 to 0.760

Water has a specify gravity of 1.000 Gasoline is less dense than water

Water will sink to the bottom of a gas tank

Alcohol Specific Gravity

Methanol is 0.792 Ethanol is 0.815 E85 ranges from 0.700 to 0.770 Therefore it would be hard to detect if a customer were using E85 by testing the specific gravity.

Octane Rating
Octane rating is a measure of the fuels ability to resist detonation (ping or spark knock) Gasoline is most commonly rated based on the ANTIKNOCK INDEX (AKI), a measure of octane rating

Octane Ratings (Continued)

The AKI of a motor fuel is the average of the: Research Octane Number (RON) Motor Octane Number (MON)

(R+M)/2

Octane Ratings (continued)

The RON of a fuel is TYPICALLY 8 to 10 numbers higher than the MON. For instance, an 87 octane gasoline typically has a MON of 82 and a RON of 92. 82 + 92 = 174 divided by 2= 87

R+M/2 Ratings
Regular= 87 Mid-grade (Plus) = 89 Premium + 91+

High Altitude Ratings

(Why Lower?) (Lower Air Density)

E85 Octane Rating

Ethanol Carbon Cycle

Grain Ethanol-Energy Balance

The energy needed to produce ethanol is about 30% less than the amount of energy released when it is burned This amount takes in the planting, transportation and other costs Some say it is about 65% whereas others say close to 100% About 300 gallons of ethanol per acre of corn