Author Topic: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?  (Read 13299 times)

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Offline bearingburner

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #15 on: May 25, 2015, 01:32:22 PM »
I'd go with ethanol preferably Jack Daniels. You could always drink it it if the engine blew.

Offline Dr Goggles

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #16 on: May 25, 2015, 05:14:28 PM »
Great thread, and the interesting thing?.... E85 don't cost as much as some of those other speciality products.........
Few understand what I'm trying to do but they vastly outnumber those who understand why...................

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Offline rouse

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #17 on: May 26, 2015, 10:11:41 AM »
The JD sounds like it be the call, but it has to much water :-D

I will run E85 starting with E98 and blended, that way I'll know what the 15% composition is.

Racers spend to much time, effort, and $$ to just roll the dice on fuel mixtures that are inconsistent as E85 tends to be.

I am supposed to be getting parts for the build coming in this week and we'll build to that Fuel.

Rouse
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Offline TheBaron

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #18 on: May 26, 2015, 11:40:28 AM »
As an old air racer crew chief that had to deal with water/alcohol injection, I know what the military research found out as far as the best alcohol for combustion properties,,,,,,

METHANOL

Robert "Smitty" Smith

Offline rouse

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #19 on: May 26, 2015, 12:03:41 PM »
As an old air racer crew chief that had to deal with water/alcohol injection, I know what the military research found out as far as the best alcohol for combustion properties,,,,,,

METHANOL

Robert "Smitty" Smith

I agree Smitty, however, at this point I have to much momentum headed in the wrong direction for methanol.
Ie. the injectors, heads, ports, are all sized for E85.

Rouse
Johnnie Rouse
Bike 4680 P-PP2000 SCTA record 153.325    A-PF3000 182.920
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Offline hotrod

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Re: Methanol Or Ethanol Staarting from scratch which one is best?
« Reply #20 on: May 27, 2015, 01:45:28 PM »
Actually when they did comparative testing ethanol and methanol were interchangeable in ADI (water injection systems) in high performance WWII aircraft engine applications.
They used a mixture of methanol and ethanol in very low temperature environments to get the high concentrations of alcohol they needed to achieve freeze protection and best performance.

The only reason they used methanol was it was poisonous so the GI's were not likely to steal it and drink it. It  is also cheaper to make and untaxed. During the research at Pratt & Whitney, they got a supply of high proof ethanol for testing and they got a tank car escorted by U.S. Treasury agents who were worried about it being diverted to "medicinal uses". Remember this was shortly after prohibition ended.
The Navy used ethanol for their torpedoes (so called torpedo juice) because it was much less toxic than methanol and just as effective in the torpedo motors. They did have problems with the swabbies skimming some off to spike their punch.

Best easily available document on the development of water alcohol ADI systems for high performance aircraft is probably this PDF.

http://www.enginehistory.org/Frank%20WalkerWeb1.pdf