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banerjeerupak
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Why can we not use normal alcohols such as ethanol or methanol for the purpose of running our vehicles?
is there any particular problem?
is there any particular problem?
banerjeerupak said:I too accept that all the world's fuel needs cannot be run on alcohol as there is not enough land space. However, it is not entirely impossible to create one. Would it be cheaper to run?
Milage apart, it would also have a lower price than the present price of petrol. In the race for hybrid cars, why is this option not being utilised?
Refer to this, particularly page 2banerjeerupak said:got your point... but do tell me about the milage that such a fuel would be able to give in a normal engine. that's the reason i got onto this
Synthetic fuels research picked up during the 70's and 80's during the previous fuel crisis. The research level rises and falls with the price and supply of oil and alternatives.AIAA Daily Launch said:In a front-page story, the Wall Street Journal (5/21, A1, Dreazen, subscription required) reports, "With fuel prices soaring, the U.S. military, the country's largest single consumer of oil, is turning into an alternative-fuels pioneer." The Journal notes, "The U.S. military consumes 340,000 barrels of oil a day," and "[t]he Defense Department's overall energy bill was $13.6 billion in 2006, the latest figure available -- almost 25 percent higher than the year before." There is also concern that the military's "dependence on oil represents a strategic threat." The result of these factors is tests such as the recent flight of "a B-1 stealth bomber code-named Dark 33," which "confirm[ed] for the first time that a plane could break the sound barrier using synthetic jet fuel."
The main reason is that normal alcohols have a lower energy density compared to gasoline or diesel. This means that they contain less energy per unit volume, resulting in a shorter driving range for vehicles. Additionally, normal alcohols can cause corrosion and damage to certain engine parts, which can be costly to repair.
While normal alcohols are generally safe to use, there are some safety concerns. Ethanol, for example, is highly flammable and can pose a fire hazard if not handled properly. There are also concerns about the potential for alcohol-fueled vehicles to emit harmful pollutants such as formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
Yes, there are some benefits to using normal alcohols as vehicle fuel. They are renewable resources, meaning they can be produced from plants and crops, reducing our dependence on fossil fuels. They also have a lower carbon footprint compared to gasoline and diesel, which can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
One of the main challenges is the infrastructure needed to support widespread use of normal alcohols as vehicle fuel. This includes storage facilities, transportation networks, and fueling stations. Another challenge is the high cost of producing and distributing normal alcohols, which can make them less economically viable compared to traditional fuels.
Yes, normal alcohols can be blended with traditional fuels, and this is already being done in some parts of the world. For example, ethanol is commonly blended with gasoline to create E10 (10% ethanol, 90% gasoline) or E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). These blends can help reduce emissions and decrease our dependence on fossil fuels while still maintaining a similar energy density to pure gasoline.