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Termyn8or -> RE: "Ethanol 'the answer,' auto execs tell Bush" (3/26/2007 9:39:06 PM)
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No, ethanol does not produce as much power.
This part is supposition, but I did my homework.
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Ethanol is not only capable of less power, it also has a problem with higher RPMs. Although modern engines being very oversquare, which means big bore short stroke, are designed for higher RPMs. You'd be surprised at how many newer engines have roller lifters these days, in the old days they were an expensive option, usually an addon.
In the early years they did alot of study about the "flamefront" of the burning mixture, and longer stroke engines were abandoned for the newer high revving short strokers. Gasoline was just fine, you get it in there and ignite it, the flamefront was never a problem with the short strokers.
Now ethanol burns a bit differently, when the piston inhibits it's flamefront, it's combustion slows down. This really sucks performance wise, and that is why some real gasoline is needed. Actually there is no reason a car won't run on 100 % ethanol, it just won't have all that good acceleration. It will run clean though.
The American public has a love for passing gear. To get the same results from the same size engine with pure ethanol, it would have to be supercharged and it would have to over-richen the mixture on hard acceleration. This is all fine and good, because the ethanol will burn clean, whether it does it in the cylinder or the catalytic.
Another reason for the mention of 15% real gas in the new fuel is to appease Bush of course. If he ain't an oil man I never did see one. Thing is, the stupid shits fight these alternative energy plans and don't even think about the big picture. But that is typical.
To illustrate I say this, even if gasoline became obsolete, it would only put a minor dent in the oil industry. Almost every piece of plastic in the world is made with petroleum. Gasoline is really only a small part of their revenue. If you are on a normal tile or linoleum floor, you are on a petroleum waste product, tar. Like the roof on your house. It's just that your floor tiles or linoleum are painted and of course, textured differently. Same substance though.
It all comes from petroleum, just like the keys upon which I type right now, and the cabinets for the monitor etc, all not possible without petroleum, or at least really hard to do.
Actually, ethanol could start to be used for home heating, see when they crack petroleum they can get so much of this and so much of that. And a different crude has different yield.
That is why Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraq prior to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Iraq has what is called light sweet crude, while Kuwait's oil was the heavier stuff. When the crude is heavier, you get more solids, more tar, more linoleum, when it is lighter you get more aromatics, low viscosity products like the base for gasoline, or heating oil.
Now they can futz with the gasoline vs heating oil ratio, which is real close. It is real similar to deisel fuel. Then there is naptha, they always need naptha, and I don't mean for our Zippo lighters. Thing is, when you get to the bottom of that barrel, throw the barrel out, but pouring in some light sweet crude will help.
When you crack petroleum you never know exactly what you'll get. Of course you start with the gases, acetelyne, propane etc., then comes the liquids. But you control the process, you heat it and have it under pressure, the right heat and pressure only one thing burns off, or evaporates off, then another, then another. Then you get to the liquids.
The very first liquid to burn off is the benzine base, the gasoline base. At one time they used to expel it, burn it out in the fields, because it had to be burned off before they could get the heating and lighting oil. Yes this was before electricity. People didn't want that stinky, dangerous gasoline in their house, so they paid for the oil to burn in lamps and sometimes stoves of dofferent sorts.The gasoline was free, they burned it off in the fields, or maybe just blew it off during the cracking process.
Gasoline was a waste product until Ransom Eli Olds came along, and found a way to use it in an internal combustion engine. There were plenty of steam driven cars at the time, but for one, they could not use the gasoline to heat the tanks because they couldn't control the burning in free air, and Olds also eliminated the need to get water. A steam engine requires water as well as fuel, but since Olds, the automobile is continent of water, oil, lubricant etc. All you need is gasoline ususally. Yes you must make sure the engine has coolant and oil, and all other fluids are up to level, but in everyday use, all you need is gasoline.
To get a more militaristic history of oil, google for Major General Smedly P. Butler. Before the demand got so great, he outlined how the oil companies have been manipulating this government, decades ago. He is long dead, but his writing lives on. He was a Major General and later in life tells of how he came to realize that he was not fighting for his country, but for Standard Oil. (SOHIO for some, BP now)
Check it out, but for now, I must go. Baath time, not the party, just the other pronounciation.
T
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