Ethanols Effects On Classic Cars Fuel Systems

Almost a year ago, I reported that the Hagerty Insurance Agency had enlisted Kettering University to study the effects of ethanol blended gasoline on the fuel systems of classic cars and boats. The study attempted to simulate 3000 hours of use in a manner that would duplicate a typical classic vehicle's use cycle.

The preliminary results were released in the Spring 2009 issue of Hagerty’s Magazine.

After several months and a full 3,000 hours of testing, the Hagerty study found that there was no difference between the performance of the SU carburetors (from a 1962 MGA) running E10 and the ones flowing E0 (gasoline without ethanol). The carburetor jets were unobstructed, the needle valves and floats were functioning properly and the throttle shafts were moving freely. Both fuel pumps continued to put out more than 3psi and were flowing fuel at an acceptable rate — regardless of the fuel.

The preliminary results seem promising but it should be noted that only the results from studying one vehicle's fuel system have been released to date. The results from the other five vehicles being studied will be released in a future addition of Hagerty’s Magazine.

Spring 2009 Issue of Hagerty’s Magazine (PDF)

May Ethanol Production Hits New High

Ethanol production hit a new high in May with over 871 million gallons produced. Imports and consumption numbers were also higher. Daily production volume reached 669,000 barrels per day.

Ethanol Production Numbers in Gallons
	Production	Imports	Stocks	Consumption
May 2009	871,584,000	21,168,000	587,958,000	928,284,000
April 2009	807,240,000	7,014,000	623,490,000	848,148,000
March 2009	833,154,000	3,276,000	657,384,000	837,942,000
February 2009	761,040,000	2,142,000	658,896,000	700,098,000
January 2009	820,890,000	15,582,000	595,812,000	837,858,000
December 2008	854,364,000	19,446,000	597,198,000	916,146,000
November 2008	842,268,000	11,676,000	639,534,000	852,474,000
October 2008	842,016,000	25,830,000	638,064,000	901,530,000
September 2008	806,274,000	103,572,000	671,748,000	863,142,000
August 2008	842,478,000	81,102,000	625,044,000	852,348,000
July 2008	799,764,000	57,120,000	553,812,000	819,840,000
June 2008	736,848,000	65,982,000	516,768,000	791,910,000
May 2008	778,806,000	36,372,000	505,848,000	793,968,000

Source: - Energy Information Administration

Valero says all 7 ethanol plants at capacity

Top U.S. oil refiner Valero Energy Corp said all seven of the ethanol plants it bought in March from a bankrupt producer were now running at capacity and making money.

"Ethanol is kind of a bright spot for us right now. They are generating cash flow," Valero spokesman Bill Day said of the plants, which have the combined capacity of about 780 million gallons a year, or about 7.5 percent of the total U.S. operating capacity to make the fuel.

Valero began production at the 110-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant in Welcome, Minnesota, during the first week of July, Day said by telephone.

The company bought the plants from VeraSun Energy, which filed for bankruptcy protection after locking in pricey contracts for corn, the main input cost for making ethanol.

Source : Reuters India

Ethanol's lack of compatibility over stated.

Gasoline is not a single substance. It is a complex mixture of components which vary widely in their physical and chemical properties. There is no such thing as pure gasoline. Gasoline must cover a wide range of operating conditions, such as variations in fuel systems, engine temperatures, fuel pumps and fuel pressure. It must also cover a variety of climates, altitudes, and driving patterns. The properties of gasoline must be balanced to give satisfactory engine performance over an extremely wide range of circumstances. In some respects, the prevailing quality standards represent compromises, so that all the numerous performance requirements may be satisfied.

Auto manufacturers have, for many years, used materials that are compatible with oxygenated fuels. However, with the widespread use of oxygenated fuels and reformulated gasoline, certain myths have resurfaced, so they warrant mention here. In earlier versions of this manual this topic was covered in greater detail, including photographs from various tests and applicable service bulletins.

The information presented was segmented into two categories, metals and elastomers.

Most metal components in automobile fuel systems will corrode or rust in the presence of water, air or acidic compounds. The gasoline distribution system usually contains water, and additional moisture may collect in the automobile tank from condensation. Gasoline may also contain traces of sulfur and organic acids. Gasoline has always been recognized as potentially corrosive. Pipelines which distribute gasoline routinely require that corrosion inhibitors be contained in gasoline to protect their plain steel pipe. Therefore, corrosion inhibitors have been routinely added to gasoline for many years.

Alcohols are more soluble in water than MTBE. The addition of ethanol will increase a gasoline’s ability to hold water. Therefore, an ethanol enhanced gasoline may have a slightly higher moisture content than non-blended gasoline. Several tests have been reported on ethanol enhanced gasolines. Vehicle fuel tanks and fuel system components from autos operated for extended periods on these blends were removed, cut open, and examined. These tests have generally concluded that ethanol does not increase corrosion in normal, everyday operation.

Auto manufacturers have indicated they do not have major concerns about metal corrosion, provided that all fuels contain effective corrosion inhibitors at the proper treatment levels. Responsible ethanol producers recognize that not all commercial gasolines are adequately treated for blending, and have, for some time, included a corrosion inhibitor in their ethanol.

Elastomer compatibility is more difficult to generalize. A number of gasoline ingredients can have an effect on elastomer swelling and deterioration. For instance, aromatics, such as benzene, toluene, and xylene, have been shown to have detrimental effects on some fuel system elastomers. Gasolines sold today have a higher level of aromatics than those sold in the 1970s.

The addition of alcohols or ethers to gasoline can also cause swelling in fuel system elastomers. Swelling can be severe with methanol, but relatively insignificant with other alcohols. Ten volume percent ethanol contributes less swelling than the amount of additional aromatics needed to obtain the same increase in octane number. The combination of ethanol or MTBE with high aromatic levels may cause greater swelling than either product by itself.

Automobile and parts manufacturers have been responsive to the changes occurring in today’s gasoline. Materials problems are less likely to occur with newer vehicles because of the upgrading of fuel system materials that has occurred since the introduction of higher aromatic unleaded gasolines and the addition of alcohols and ethers. All major automobile manufacturers have indicated that their late model vehicles are equipped with fuel system components upgraded for use with these fuels.

While all auto manufacturers warrant the use of 10 percent ethanol blends or gasoline containing MTBE. Fuel systems in 1975 to 1980 model years were
upgraded, but not to the same extent as later models. Pre- 1975 models may have fuel system components that are sensitive to high aromatic gasolines, alcohols and ethers. Specific documentation of the effect fuel components have on older fuel system parts is often lacking.

Technicians who find themselves replacing parts on pre-1980 vehicles should specify that replacement parts be resistant to such fuel components. These products include Viton® (EGR valves, fuel inlet needle tips) and fluoro elastomers (fuel lines, evaporative control lines, etc.)


It is interesting to note that many of the aromatic components of gasoline such as benzene, toluene, and xylene do not fare very well on chemical compatibility charts with common elastomers used in modern day engines. However, many of the same elastomer components show a good to excellent rating in the presence of ethanol.

I have provided a link to a chemical compatibility chart so you too can see how ethanol and other components of aromatic gasolines fares in the presence of elastomers.

I have also provided a link to Changes in Gasoline III, The Auto Technicians Gasoline Quality Guide. Changes in Gasoline III is the latest in the ongoing series of Changes in Gasoline manuals. The first manual, entitled Changes in Gasoline & the Automobile Service Technician, was originally published in 1987. Over a four year period it was periodically updated to focus on fuel related areas of greatest interest to automobile service technicians. The first version of the manual achieved a circulation of 345,000 copies.

This is by far the most comprehensive guide that I have even seen concerning common components of gasoline and it effects on use in new and older model vehicles.

There is also a great deal of information on use in small engines including outboard motors. This manual is a must read for the automobile and small engine techicians.

Chemical compatibility chart
Changes in Gasoline IV

Corn Ethanol blamed for Gulf Dead Zones?

In recent years, there has been great uncertainty regarding the cause of the hypoxic zone (low oxygen) in the northern Gulf of Mexico. This has often been the result of a lack of data to support many of the prevailing theories regarding the size, duration and source of the problem. This paper looks at the available information and draws thefollowing conclusions.

First, the hypoxic zone is seasonal. While localized effects can be severe, vast “dead zones” with widespread negative effects on the fishing industry may be overstated. On the contrary, it is possible that the water flow from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB) delivers the basic nutrients required for the very existence of the northern Gulf fishing industry.

Second, fishing data since 1985 shows no negative impact nor any clear relationship between the fish catch, the flow of water through the MARB or the size of the seasonal hypoxic zone.

Third, there is also no clear evidence of a relationship between nitrogen and the size of the seasonal hypoxic zone. In recent years, as corn production has become more efficient and yields have increased, the nitrogen removed from corn fields in the grain may equal or exceed the amount of nitrogen applied in the fertilizer.

While many conclude that corn ethanol is the real reason for the large Gulf Dead Zones, a closer look shows that this is just not true.

There are several sources of nitrogen that contribute to algae growth in the Gulf.

1) Natural sources such as fixation, soil, etc.
2) Agricultural sources such as fertilizer application
3) Industrial sources such as waste water treatment
4) Municipal sources such as sewage, golf courses, and run‐off from lawns, etc.

There has been considerable finger‐pointing at agriculture as the source of N and, in particular, at corn because the total N application is relatively high.

We explored this further to determine the net N balance in relation to corn: our hypothesis was that since corn yield has increased considerably over the years then the nitrogen removed in the grain will have increased, thereby, resulting in a large increase in nitrogen use efficiency in corn.

It should be noted that between 1970 and 1980 the N removed was just over 50% of
the applied N. However, as yields corn increased without a corresponding increase in applied N, the ratio gradually improved until, for 2007, the N amount removed in the grain is about equal to the N amount applied.

Therefore, under present day cultural practices, the net balance for N applied and N removed in corn is such that there is no excess N available due to fertilizer use. The conclusion then is that any change in N entering the Gulf via the MARB, over time, is probably not related to the use of fertilizer N for corn.

Other possible sources.

The amount of N flowing through the MARB that originates from sewage has likely increased by a considerable amount. While difficult to calculate the exact number, we can assume that N output per person is relatively constant, while the population within the Mississippi watershed increased by 22% between 1970 and 2000.

Another source that is linked to population and the expansion of homes is that from the N applied to lawns.

The estimated area for lawns, which includes golf courses and other commercial grass areas, in 2005, was ~64K sq miles = 41 MM acres across the U.S. We estimate that 60% of the area falls within the Mississippi watershed, which would be 24.6 MM acres of lawns.

The typical recommendation for lawns works out to be 130 lb N/acre/season.
Therefore, the amount of N applied to lawns within the Mississippi watershed is 3.2 billion lbs, or 1.6 MM tons N per year.

Since most lawns are cut and mulched there is relatively little removal of N, unlike the grain in corn. Consequently, a major portion of the N applied to lawns may be available for leaching. While the total amount of N applied to lawns is approx 25% of the total N applied to corn, the net N available for leaching per acre is almost infinitely higher for lawns than from corn.

Complete study with charts