Acetone in Gasoline: UOP Shadow Racing Team Tested

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    Acetone Gasoline
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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the use of acetone in gasoline, particularly in the context of historical racing fuel formulations and modern fuel blending practices. Participants explore the implications of using acetone as an octane booster and compare it to other fuel blends, such as ethanol and methanol, in terms of performance and cost.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant recounts the UOP Shadow Racing Team's use of a fuel mixture of 55% isooctane and 45% acetone, claiming it resulted in a 104 octane fuel without damaging the fuel system.
  • Another participant shares their experience using a 50% blend of ethanol/methanol, noting the slight decrease in BTU per gallon but insignificant differences in power and mileage, while emphasizing cost benefits.
  • A later reply reiterates the benefits of ethanol/methanol blends for boosting octane ratings, suggesting it could be advantageous for turbocharged applications.
  • One participant provides historical trivia about a fuel blend used by Mercedes in the late 1930s, which included acetone, methyl-alcohol, and nitro-benzole, highlighting the variability of fuel formulations based on climatic conditions.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effectiveness and safety of using acetone as a fuel additive, with some advocating for its benefits while others focus on alternative blends like ethanol/methanol. No consensus is reached regarding the overall efficacy or safety of these fuel mixtures.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention various assumptions regarding fuel system compatibility and performance metrics, but these remain unresolved. The discussion does not clarify the specific conditions under which these fuel blends may be optimal.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in automotive performance, fuel chemistry, and historical racing practices may find the discussion relevant.

uneasyrider
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I was cruising the web for race fuel ideas and found this. I had to comment...

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=195647

The UOP Shadow team ran a Can-Am car in 1971 and their crew chief was a self taught engineer named Peter Bryant, a really smart guy. UOP sold unleaded fuel and back then they had no readily available unleaded racing fuel so they (UOP) had to come up with something or look a bit idiotic running someone else's gas in there cars. They came up with a mixture of 55% "isooctane" (i.e. precisely 100 octane unleaded) and 45% regular old acetone off the shelf. This made for 104 octane fuel. Peter was worried about it eating the fuel system up but they had no problems. They ran a 497cid BB Chevy producing 735bhp. I think it was 13:1 static compression ratio in the naturally aspirated car (101). Acetone most definitely works as a fuel system safe octane booster (I don't know about people safe) and if you do your home work you will find higher octane fuel will make for better fuel milage as long as the computer can take advantage of it and advance the spark timing to compensate. It won't make massive differences but it will make a difference. I'm not sure of the cost to benefit ratio though.

My two bits. :wink:

Side note: The Mercedes and I think AutoUnion ran a Shell fuel blend in there Grand Prix cars in the late 1930's that included about 10% acetone in the mix.
 
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I don't know about acetone but I have been running a 50% blend of ethonol/methonal (depending on market price) in my car for years. There is slightly less btu per gallon but the power and mileage difference are pretty insignificant and it's much cheaper than gasoline even after paying road taxes.

I could run higher blends but I don't want to tax the fuel system too much. The equivalent octane rating for ethonol is over 100 (not really important for a stock Corolla so I don't remember the exact number) so if you are looking for a way to cheaply boost 'octane rating' this works quite nicely, just be sure to richen your fuel mixture ;)
 
mesa said:
I don't know about acetone but I have been running a 50% blend of ethonol/methonal (depending on market price) in my car for years. There is slightly less btu per gallon but the power and mileage difference are pretty insignificant and it's much cheaper than gasoline even after paying road taxes.

I could run higher blends but I don't want to tax the fuel system too much. The equivalent octane rating for ethonol is over 100 (not really important for a stock Corolla so I don't remember the exact number) so if you are looking for a way to cheaply boost 'octane rating' this works quite nicely, just be sure to richen your fuel mixture ;)

Thanks for the info. I hadn't thought of that and it would be a great blend for a blower/turbo car.
 
Just some fun fuel trivia, here's the fuel formula Shell blended for Mercedes back in the late '30's:

86.0% Methyl-Alcohol
4.4% Nitro-Benzole
8.8% Acetone
0.8% Sulphuric Ether

The ratios were varied slightly for climatic conditions.

I wouldn't have wanted to be the driver behind the car! lol