RedRocker
06-15-2008, 08:23 AM
Very soon, you will start to see E10 replacing regular unleaded at several unbranded stations in the Pine Belt, and branded stations will be close on their heels. Having read much about this, since I work for one of the companies that has these stations, I thought I'd share a little of what I have learned with you, to perhaps prevent you from having a very unpleasant experience with this transition.
On the upside, each gallon of E10 represents 10% less money going to the OPEC cartels that we all despise so much, and E10 is actually 89 octane ... replacing both regular AND midgrade, but at the price of regular unleaded ... minus a couple cents. Sadly, what you may have read about reduced economy with ethanol fuels is true, albeit grossly overstated by fearmongers. Ethanol is just not as volatile as gasoline, but the reduction in economy is easily offset by the fact that your entire fuel system will be much cleaner. Clogged injectors should become much more rare, thereby giving a net benefit.
On the downside, at least initially, ethanol attracts water like silica gel, able to absorb many many times the amount of water that straight gasoline can. The danger here is that once ethanol fuels absorb as little as 0.5%, they can and will "phase separate". This means the ethanol will leave the gasoline solution, forming a layer of ethanol-rich water at the bottom of the tank, and a layer of gasoline above it which no longer meets minimum octane specs. Ethanol is already present in a small percentage in all gasolines due to the mandatory phase-out of MTBE as the principal octane booster. The ethanol is now used to boost octane, and has the side-effect of giving us cleaner burning fuels, BUT ... if the ethanol is removed, then the gasoline loses octane rating ... as much as 6 points in literature that I have read. Ethanol also acts as a scouring agent, as does biodiesel, and it is highly recommended to retailers to have their tanks thoroughly cleaned prior to the introduction of biofuels. Ethanol will 'clean' dirty tanks, injecting a mix of particles into the dispenser. Micron filtration is the key. Before you get scared of the whole process, there are multiple safe-guards to be implemented which are sure to be adhered to by responsible retailers. If you are to buy E10, know your seller, and inquire about what precautions they take to insure the integrity of the fuels in their tanks.
For the car owner, there are things they should do as well. In cars over probably 5 years of age, or if you routinely let your tank stay below half-full (causing increased condensation), I would recommend having the fuel tank dropped and cleaned by a reputable repairman, and the fuel filter replaced. Ethanol will have he same effect on a dirty fuel tank as it does on a underground storage tank. I have a feeling that once E10 starts showing up locally, there will be a rash of car owners with fuel system probems caused by their own dirty fuel tanks, but the station owners will of course be blamed. I hope that these retailers will provide some sort of literature to educate consumers on this danger ... I know I am going to push for it with the company I work for.
I hope this helps somebody in some small way. This can be a great way to kick the OPEC guys where it hurts, as well as a boon to American farmers who will reap the benefits. Once again, farmers will be able to grow all the corn they want, without the government paying them not to. Now, if common sense can prevail in the Senate and House, the expensive corn subsidies they pay out can become a thing of the past, since corn farmers will be fully able to stand on their own 2 feet again and be proud of it. As much as I believe that corn is the WRONG crop to be doing this with, almost anything is preferable to being so dependent on OPEC. More on that later.
I can also add info on B5 and B10 biodiesel for anybody that is interested.
On the upside, each gallon of E10 represents 10% less money going to the OPEC cartels that we all despise so much, and E10 is actually 89 octane ... replacing both regular AND midgrade, but at the price of regular unleaded ... minus a couple cents. Sadly, what you may have read about reduced economy with ethanol fuels is true, albeit grossly overstated by fearmongers. Ethanol is just not as volatile as gasoline, but the reduction in economy is easily offset by the fact that your entire fuel system will be much cleaner. Clogged injectors should become much more rare, thereby giving a net benefit.
On the downside, at least initially, ethanol attracts water like silica gel, able to absorb many many times the amount of water that straight gasoline can. The danger here is that once ethanol fuels absorb as little as 0.5%, they can and will "phase separate". This means the ethanol will leave the gasoline solution, forming a layer of ethanol-rich water at the bottom of the tank, and a layer of gasoline above it which no longer meets minimum octane specs. Ethanol is already present in a small percentage in all gasolines due to the mandatory phase-out of MTBE as the principal octane booster. The ethanol is now used to boost octane, and has the side-effect of giving us cleaner burning fuels, BUT ... if the ethanol is removed, then the gasoline loses octane rating ... as much as 6 points in literature that I have read. Ethanol also acts as a scouring agent, as does biodiesel, and it is highly recommended to retailers to have their tanks thoroughly cleaned prior to the introduction of biofuels. Ethanol will 'clean' dirty tanks, injecting a mix of particles into the dispenser. Micron filtration is the key. Before you get scared of the whole process, there are multiple safe-guards to be implemented which are sure to be adhered to by responsible retailers. If you are to buy E10, know your seller, and inquire about what precautions they take to insure the integrity of the fuels in their tanks.
For the car owner, there are things they should do as well. In cars over probably 5 years of age, or if you routinely let your tank stay below half-full (causing increased condensation), I would recommend having the fuel tank dropped and cleaned by a reputable repairman, and the fuel filter replaced. Ethanol will have he same effect on a dirty fuel tank as it does on a underground storage tank. I have a feeling that once E10 starts showing up locally, there will be a rash of car owners with fuel system probems caused by their own dirty fuel tanks, but the station owners will of course be blamed. I hope that these retailers will provide some sort of literature to educate consumers on this danger ... I know I am going to push for it with the company I work for.
I hope this helps somebody in some small way. This can be a great way to kick the OPEC guys where it hurts, as well as a boon to American farmers who will reap the benefits. Once again, farmers will be able to grow all the corn they want, without the government paying them not to. Now, if common sense can prevail in the Senate and House, the expensive corn subsidies they pay out can become a thing of the past, since corn farmers will be fully able to stand on their own 2 feet again and be proud of it. As much as I believe that corn is the WRONG crop to be doing this with, almost anything is preferable to being so dependent on OPEC. More on that later.
I can also add info on B5 and B10 biodiesel for anybody that is interested.