Hola Folks!
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a news item on keelynet.com about using
methanol to reduce your overall fuel costs. Methanol is wood alcohol
and found in windshield washer fluid.
Here are some other items about methanol, one as fuel for a fuel cell to
create electricity, the others reporting excellent results in burning an
85% methanol to 15% gasoline mixture (called M85) in your car/van, etc.;
10/24/05 - Methanol Fuel Cell
Their little fuel cell was producing electric power with no moving
parts, no noise, no heat buildup and no pollution. High school chemistry
students are taught how electricity can be used to separate water into
hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cells are the reverse of that process,
creating electricity as hydrogen and oxygen atoms combine to produce
water. In the case of Lewis' model, a plastic vial attached to the top
supplies a mixture of water and methanol, while near the bottom a spigot
drains the excess water. The water in the vial is a carrier for the
methanol. The drain water was created. Inside the cell, a membrane
coated on both sides with catalyst separates a chamber into one side for
liquid and the other side for gases where hydrogen atoms combine with
the oxygen in air to form water. This special membrane allows hydrogen
and oxygen to pass through as ions, described as atoms that leave an
electron behind. Fuel cells utilize hydrogen, and it turns out that
methanol is an ideal carrier for hydrogen, Lewis said. It is a liquid
that can be handled by pipelines, tank trucks and pumps at filling
stations. About 2.5 billion gallons of methanol is made each year in the
United States. Most of it is made in the Houston area from natural gas.
It currently costs about 40 cents per gallon. The average motorist most
likely sees methyl alcohol in windshield washer fluid, which is as much
as 50 percent methanol depending upon climate. Youngsters encounter
methanol in model airplane fuel, which is about 95 percent methanol with
a little castor oil added for lubrication. In addition to natural gas,
methanol can be made from coal and theoretically could be made from
seaweed, "farmed" near the Equator. The chemistry is proven, Halpert and
Prakash said. Now it is up to engineers to make it work. The fuel cells
will need to be wired in series, in "stacks," to provide enough current
to move an automobile. But their output is relatively high, 25 watts to
a maximum of 50 watts, from each 4- by 6-inch piece of membrane.
Prototype cells have already been run intermittently for more than 3,000
hours, the equivalent of 150,000 miles without loss of performance,
Halpert said. The fuel cell converts more than 34 percent of the
theoretical energy in fuel into usable power. This is twice the
efficiency of existing gasoline engines, according to the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory.
10/24/05 - 85% Methanol + 15% Gasoline to run your car
In 1978, the California Energy Commission (CEC) began experimenting with
alternative fuel vehicles by testing blends of methanol in Honda Civics.
In the mid-1980s, California's continuing efforts to encourage the
development of alternative fuel vehicle technology led to the
introduction of the methanol Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV). The FFV runs
on either methanol or gasoline, or any combination of the two fuels.
Operating primarily on "M-85" - a blend of 85% methanol and 15% gasoline
- the FFV provides the flexibility to refuel with gasoline in areas
where methanol may be unavailable. More than 15,000 methanol FFVs built
by major automakers were sold, with the majority operating in
California. To support these vehicles, the CEC reached agreements with
ARCO, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Shell, Texaco and Ultramar (Beacon) in
building a network of sixty M-85 fueling stations across the state. (in
1998) At the pump, methanol prices range from about 88" to $1.10 per
gallon of methanol. Since methanol has roughly half the energy content
of a gallon of gasoline, the actual cost to the consumer is closer to
$1.50 per gallon. With the close of the 1998 model year, the Ford Motor
Company discontinued its production of methanol Taurus FFVs.
10/24/05 - FEDEX van tests highly successful using Methanol
Through the "CleanFleet" program, five alternative fuels were tested in
84 panel vans, including 20 Ford vans fueled with "M-85" -- a blend of
85% methanol and 15% gasoline. The Ford vehicles were gasoline vans
modified as flexible fuel vehicles, capable of operating on any mixture
of methanol and gasoline -- from 85% methanol to 100% gasoline. The M-85
vans were fueled from a 4,000-gallon, above-ground, vaulted tank
installed at the FedEx facility in Santa Ana. Since methanol is a liquid
fuel similar to gasoline, no modifications had to be made to the vehicle
garage and maintenance facilities. The methanol vans performed extremely
well, with the highest vehicle availability and driver use, and the
lowest number of repair order days per 100 service days of the
alternative fuels demonstrated. When drivers were asked if they were
able to meet their regular schedule with the alternative fuel vehicles,
fully 96% said yes to M-85, the strongest positive response. In fact,
more than half of the M-85 drivers said they would consider driving a
methanol vehicle for their personal car. The driving range of the M-85
vans was 57% of the gasoline vans or 173 miles -- the furthest driving
range of the alternative fuels demonstrated and compatible with urban
fleet operations. Estimated costs for a fleet of 50 M-85 vans in 1996
ranged from 38.3 to 44.7 cents per mile, depending on the price of
methanol. Today, methanol is selling at or below the lower baseline price.
10/24/05 - 2005 Tips on Buying Methanol in bulk
Methanol can be bought through several types of distributors, as it is
sold for several different uses. The price can vary from $2 a gallon to
$4 a gallon. Methanol is made from natural gas and the price fluctuates
with the price of natural gas. It is sold either 'by the gallon' (ie
bring your own gas cans) or by the drum- 15, 30, or 55 gallon drums. For
test batches, we often use yellow bottle Heet brand gas line antifreeze
(99% methanol) from auto parts stores. But for anything larger than a
liter, you'll need to find a better supply. To find methanol suppliers,
I usually dig into the yellow pages and search several categories: 1.
Automotive racing- the easiest place to find methanol is usually through
auto race tracks, racing engine builders, or performance shops. This is
usually categorised in several different ways in the yellow pages-
performance, auto, racing, racetracks. These sources are likely to sell
it 'by the gallon' although that is not always the case. Some racetracks
are seasonal. 2. Petroleum distributors- methanol is also an alternative
fuel and is used in some applications as a fuel additive. I've had good
luck finding it by calling bulk petroleum distributors. They are likely
to carry it year-round, but are likely to sell only full drums. Yellow
pages: petroleum, fuel, or gasoline, wholesale or bulk. If they don't
carry it they may know who does.
--
Jerry Decker - http://www.keelynet.com
Donations to support KeelyNet: http://www.keelynet.com/donate1.htm
Public Archive http://www.escribe.com/science/keelynet
Order out of Chaos - From an Art to a Science
