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Ethanol & Diesel (story in this month's Offshore)

  • Thread starter Thread starter dougl33
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dougl33

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Offshore has an article about ethanol and diesel fuel. In a nutshell they claim that with the new low sulfur diesel fuel that the ethanol content could be increased from 10% to 20%. The way the article is written leads you to believe that there already is ethanol in diesel fuel. They didn't mention where. Overall, the story was pretty vague.

Anyone know if there's any truth to this?
 
Zero truth to it; someone's been smoking something funny.

There IS talk about increasing ethanol in gas from 10 to 20%, but that's unlikely for two reasons - 1) It will DESTROY carbuerated engines, as they will run lean and burn up, and 2) There is insufficient ethanol right now to provide for it at 10%; we cannot grow enough corn to make it at a 20% blend, even assuming we had the plants to do the conversion (which we also lack)
 
Ethanol in diesel? I think they were referring to gasoline, I don't think a diesel could tolorate much if any ethanol.
 
why put ethanol in diesel
 
I agree. Why would you put ethanol in diesel. But there it was right in the magazine.
 
i cut and copied a part of an article i found regarding this:

Ethanol Blended Diesel Fuel
Ethanol blended diesel fuel is a mixture of ethanol and diesel fuel. The ratio of these two fuel components varies with the manufacturer. In addition, a co-solvent is added to allow for the diesel to mix with the ethanol. The fuel E-Diesel that is currently being used in a pilot project of Husky Energy Ltd., Octel-Starreon/AAE, and Winnipeg Transit combines 91.5 per cent diesel fuel, 7.5 per cent ethanol, and 1 per cent co-solvent.

Currently ethanol blended diesel fuel is used by a variety of users in the United States and Europe. Winnipeg is the location of the first pilot demonstration of an ethanol-blended diesel fuel in Canada. This demonstration was facilitated by Manitoba Conservation and started in October of 2001. It involves 10 Winnipeg Transit buses that are used on regular routes. Users in other localities have introduced the fuel into regular use in both heavy vehicles (e.g. dump trucks) and transport trucks.

The benefits of using this fuel include a 3 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and reduced emissions of some air pollutants (notably particulate matter, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides).

At the moment there are no gas stations that sell ethanol blended diesel fuel. In a few years we may see it marketed to large fleet users such as transit systems and highway transport trucks.
 
Damn! I thought us diesel folks were safe from ethanol. :mad:
 
I just got the offshore issue, but didn't read it yet. If E diesel is on the frontier, does that mean you have to kiss older tanks goodbye?
 
I just read the article and it says that there's already 10% ethanol in diesel, and that it's going to 20%. Methinks they're confused.

Why would they put it in? If ADM and their cronies in the EPA could get away with it they'd be mandating putting it in the drinking water too. Hmm, maybe not such a bad idea...
 
I dont think there is enough ethanol production to put it in all the fuel. i think you diesel guys are safe for now.

I think that boat us needs to put the screws to the government and keep the ethanol out of marine gas and diesel. if they put it in, just think how much fuel will be wasted due to forced phase separation and age, the stuff does not keep. what a huge waste when we need all the concervation possible. everyone needs to write their congressman often. bug them to death.
 
I would like to propose a preliminary testing period wherein farmers would be required to run this concoction in their expensive diesel powered farm equipment, and store it in their tanks. Oh, and how about running a 10% ethanol/jetfuel mixture in all ADM corporate jets! In reality, the farmers will probably ask for and receive an exemption. They're no fools. This diesel/ethanol idea just makes no sense to me. Maybe someone smarter can explain it.
 
"For mileage comparison, 10 percent and seven percent reductions in fuel economy corresponded with 15 percent and 10 percent blends of ethanol and No. 2 diesel fuel respectively. E-Diesel also was found to be slightly more expensive than No. 2 diesel fuel, due to the limited production of the special blending additive. E-Diesel, when commercially available, is expected to cost a few cents more per gallon than conventional diesel fuel."

This is a quote from the article. It seems confusing to me why would anyone consider reduced fuel economy and increased cost. It smells like a pile of excrement shat from male bovine with aspirations of feeding from the political pigs trough.
 
Guess What, Ethonal is Comming to Diesel Too!

If anyone remembers me, I put a thread in a couple of months back. I just changed out the fuel tanks in my 1969 34c. While I was in the process I was talking to a friend who manages a bus company. He told me he just bid on diesel fuel for his next budget period. He also told me, all diesel will be cut with ethonal. The newer engins will not be affected,but the older ones will not have enough lubricety in the fuel for them to run happy.
Since ethonal is not going away, diesel owners will have to cut the new fuel with something for the older engines.
I do know what ethonal did to my fiberglass gas tanks, I'm sure once ethonal is introduced to diesel fiberglass tanks, the owner's of the older boats will be in the same boat. Pardon the pun.
Bottom line, it's not going away.
On a positive note, "Horsefeathers",my 34c has not run this well since I bought her 3 years ago.

Hank Wawryck
 
Copied from a recent BoatUS article:



Current production levels of ethanol — around four to four-and-a-half billion gallons a year — simply don’t match our nation’s thirst for fuel. In 2004, motor vehicles in the U.S., including cars, trucks, boats, and other off-road vehicles, consumed 141 billion gallons of gasoline. Accordingly, it would take 14 billion gallons of ethanol to produce enough E10 for the entire country. Even if the 30-plus new ethanol plants being built today were to come up to 100% production this year, the total capacity of U.S. producers would add up to just over six billion gallons a year. Imported ethanol will have to make up the difference between U.S. ethanol demand and capacity this year, roughly one to one-and-a-half billion gallons, much of which will come from Caribbean basin countries and Brazil.



I may be on the way but hopefully we will have a few years before it hits us diesel folks.
 
so we may become less dependant on foreign oil but will now become dependent on foreign ethanol. the good thing is that Brazilians are not psycho's like the middle easterners are, at least the Brazilians dont make their women cover up (thank goodness).

Anyhow now floods and droughts will effect fuel prices along with everthing else.
 
If ethanol comes to on-road diesel and I don't think it will on a large scale like it has with gasoline, why couldn't we just burn home heating oil or kerosine or biodiesel? It seems like there should always be an alternative with diesel that the gas crowd was not able to switch to.
 
Why indeed futz about with an E-Diesel when B-Diesel (Bio-D) has been proven acceptable?

I'd rather change fuel filters and have my exhaust smell like french fries than ruin injectors or worse through alcohol absorbed moisture.
 
Does anyone know what the germans were doing during WWII? I always heard that they were using alternative fuels. Maybe there is something there for us to look at instead of being sheep all the time. The floor is open.
 
How about SVO? Most of us don't have cold weather issues. I know that it is got it's problems too, but at least it won't eat up your tanks.
 

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