New info on ethanol as a fuel.
Posted: Mon May 21, 2012 12:15 pm
The buddy who sent this to me is a refinery inefficiency expert.
Ethanol produces less heat when used as a motor fuel; therefore, more ethanol is required for the power needed to operate toadyÔÇÖs cars and trucks. Most cars require less than 50 hp to operate on level intrastate highways. Producing this power from an E-85 fuel vehicle burning gasoline will provide 20 plus fuel mileage, but the same vehicle may see the fuel mileage drop to 13 or 14 mpg when using E-85 due to the increase in fuel used to produce the same 50 horsepower. Ethanol will not hurt the maximum power output of an engine designed to operate on E-85, but the engine must burn more fuel to offset the loss of heat (and the associated thermal expansion) to produce the required power.
There is another factor that reduces the desirability of ethanol for a motor fuel. This is the transportation of ethanol from the production facility to the consumer. Currently no pipeline infrastructure exists for transporting ethanol; therefore, ethanol is transported to the consumer by diesel powered trucks or diesel powered trains. Highway or rail shipment of any fuel is less efficient than pipeline shipment.
The message attached does not even mention the fact that most ethanol produced in this country from corn requires tractors and other diesel powered equipment. When the required diesel to operate the farm equipment is factored into the production of ethanol, the actual renewable fuel can require more oil based fuel than the ethanol saves. Far too many people take the environmental view that 10% ethanol will reduce the fossil fuel use by 10%; therefore 85% ethanol will reduce our dependence on fossil fuel by 85%. This is not true.
Ethanol facts:
* Ethanol fuel mileage is lower than gasoline or diesel fuel mileage in comparable vehicles
* Fuel is required to transport ethanol from the production facility to the consumer
* The pipeline infrastructure cannot currently transport ethanol
* Fuel is required to operate the farm equipment used to produce ethanol
* The required corn production used to produce ethanol impacts the cost of food, farm animal feed, and the associated cost of farm products that rely on corn for their feed
* Ethanol production is more expensive than gasoline or diesel production
* Government subsidies and tax breaks are used to ÔÇ£hideÔÇØ the true cost of ethanol from the consumer
Ethanol produces less heat when used as a motor fuel; therefore, more ethanol is required for the power needed to operate toadyÔÇÖs cars and trucks. Most cars require less than 50 hp to operate on level intrastate highways. Producing this power from an E-85 fuel vehicle burning gasoline will provide 20 plus fuel mileage, but the same vehicle may see the fuel mileage drop to 13 or 14 mpg when using E-85 due to the increase in fuel used to produce the same 50 horsepower. Ethanol will not hurt the maximum power output of an engine designed to operate on E-85, but the engine must burn more fuel to offset the loss of heat (and the associated thermal expansion) to produce the required power.
There is another factor that reduces the desirability of ethanol for a motor fuel. This is the transportation of ethanol from the production facility to the consumer. Currently no pipeline infrastructure exists for transporting ethanol; therefore, ethanol is transported to the consumer by diesel powered trucks or diesel powered trains. Highway or rail shipment of any fuel is less efficient than pipeline shipment.
The message attached does not even mention the fact that most ethanol produced in this country from corn requires tractors and other diesel powered equipment. When the required diesel to operate the farm equipment is factored into the production of ethanol, the actual renewable fuel can require more oil based fuel than the ethanol saves. Far too many people take the environmental view that 10% ethanol will reduce the fossil fuel use by 10%; therefore 85% ethanol will reduce our dependence on fossil fuel by 85%. This is not true.
Ethanol facts:
* Ethanol fuel mileage is lower than gasoline or diesel fuel mileage in comparable vehicles
* Fuel is required to transport ethanol from the production facility to the consumer
* The pipeline infrastructure cannot currently transport ethanol
* Fuel is required to operate the farm equipment used to produce ethanol
* The required corn production used to produce ethanol impacts the cost of food, farm animal feed, and the associated cost of farm products that rely on corn for their feed
* Ethanol production is more expensive than gasoline or diesel production
* Government subsidies and tax breaks are used to ÔÇ£hideÔÇØ the true cost of ethanol from the consumer