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Old 07-10-2006, 08:11 AM
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bwilson4web bwilson4web is offline
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Real Name: Bob
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Wink Re: Can someone educate me on gas and ethanol?

Quote:
Originally Posted by jhfarr73
. . .Knowing that ethanol does not have the same energy output I assume I am going to see a loss in efficency for this tank...true? Or does all gas contain 10% ethanol and I just didn't know it?
Sad to say, I don't think anyone except possibly the tank farm that fills the trucks even knows and even then, I'm not sure.

I don't think it is possible to measure the specific gravity of a sample to even get a rough idea of the percentage:

711.22 - gasoline, natural
737.22 - gasoline, vehicle
789.20 - ethyl alcohol

http://www.csgnetwork.com/specificgravliqtable.html

The variablility in the two specific gravity listings for gasoline would completely mask small percentages of ethyl alcohol.

I just don't see a cheap, field assay to measure the percentages and I sure don't trust the placards. Even dry ice is not cold enough to separate the gasoline from the ethanol. There may be a chemists who might propose a field test . . . I never took organic chemistry.

Bob Wilson

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