RE: [Chrysler300] methanol versus ethanol

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

Just to add a 300 note, the ’55 C-300 engine had a compression ratio of 8.5:1 and ours seems to do fine on whatever bad-idea ethanol-loaded gasoline mix is proffered in CA.  It does boil away from the carbs quickly and I almost always have to wait for the rear-mounted fuel pump to prime the fuel lines and fill the bowls before cranking.  The engine generally starts on a partial turn of the flywheel.  Very satisfying.

 

Non-300 stuff, but from my last job as maintenance manager at a methanol plant in Pasadena (Houston area), TX:  Methanol is commonly made from natural gas, mostly methane (CH4).  Through fairly exotic processing, one atom of oxygen (O) is added to the methane molecule to make CH3OH or methanol.  Methanol has many uses but my employer (Enron Methanol Co.—R.I.P.) used most of the plant’s production as one of the feedstock components for their nearby MTBE plant.  MTBE is/was a rather effective gasoline additive/oxygenate used to promote burning and raise octane and the resulting product has less BTU/gallon than gasoline. The other component of MTBE is/was iso-butane (C3H8)—another component of natural gas.  Considerable energy is consumed in making these compounds and the MTBE did a job on some older materials.  Its main problem was that, like ethanol and methanol, it is 100% soluble in water.  Any leak into a water supply is going to stay there.  The MTBE also formed formaldehyde, a potent and stinking cancer-causing agent, for a short time until catalytic converters warmed up.  The industry was not excited about MTBE.  But the EPA mandated it for a while, it worked, did displace some foreign oil and reduced unburned hydrocarbons in vehicles equipped with emission-controls of the era.  The first notice of problems with MTBE was when the governor of Alaska banned it up there.  Just the odor of the product venting fumes while filling and exhaust from cold cats and no-cat vehicles really stunk and made folks nauseous.  Later, MTBE started showing up around leaky buried tanks and in lakes where boat exhaust carried unburned MTBE into the water.  Current combustion control technology generally enables attaining desired emission levels without oxygenates in the newer vehicles.  Older vehicles will probably have somewhat cleaner tailpipe emissions with ethanol.  Ruthanne says our C-300 is a stinker from behind.  At 10-11 MPG, I know I’m not getting my money’s worth in the combustion process and that partially-burned and unburned fuel is undoubtedly present at the oval tailpipe tips.

 

So, much-converted methanol was used as motor fuel for a while.  The methanol and MTBE plants are now rusting away, I understand.  Many ethanol plants were also idled due to high corn prices and low oil prices with demand for the product based more on politics than thermodynamics and economics.  As an Iowa engineer, I understand some of each of these driving forces.  Given a choice, I’d rather a portion of my outrageous gasoline dollar go to an Iowa farmer than some son-of-a-sheik in the Mideast, Africa or South America.

 

Oops, class is over.  Bring paper and pencil tomorrow—there will be a quiz.

 

C-300’ly,

Rich Barber

 

From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of kmaniak@xxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, September 01, 2013 10:19 AM
To: daryl1086@xxxxxxxxxxx; Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] methenol versus ethanol

 

  

With all due respect, I must disagree with you. The gasolines available to the general public today are all "Methanol-Free". Methanol, aka-wood alcohol, has not been blended with gasoline and offered for sale for motor vehicles for over 15 years. Today, refiners blend gasoline with "Ethanol", aka-grain alcohol. Though the spirit of your message was correct, the terminology was a bit confused.

-----Original Message-----
From: Daryl1086 <daryl1086@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:daryl1086%40comcast.net> >
To: Chrysler 300 listserver <Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:Chrysler300%40yahoogroups.com> >
Sent: Sun, Sep 1, 2013 4:31 am
Subject: [Chrysler300] methenol

For what it's worth, I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and there is not a methanol free gasoline with in 50 miles from here.

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