Ethanol test for pump petrol

[Dirty]

I think the important question here is..... does the ethanol soaked water burn when you put a match to it?

Originally Posted by Dirty

I think the important question here is..... does the ethanol soaked water burn when you put a match to it?

or make a good fire starter when combined with a defective lithium-ion battery?

[mutley]

very interesting read i own a streetfighter & a monster with plastic fuel tanks & always run them on super unleaded even drain the fuel tanks when not being used over winter months

[jerry]

another problem is that although Monster carbs have Viton rubber in some components which is supposed to be Ethanaol tolerant ,, my experience is that in Thailand which has 10% ethanol in a lot of fuel it destroys rubber components in carbs on hondas and ducatis so the owners have to search out pure benzine 95 which is not always available

[Kato]

Originally Posted by Mr Gazza

The aircraft icing chart will be based on using Avgas which is 100 octane (possibly 110 octane?)

Not so it is for micro & light aircraft running pump fuel

[BigOz]

Originally Posted by Dirty

I think the important question here is..... does the ethanol soaked water burn when you put a match to it?

The flammability of a water ethanol solution depends on the amount of ethanol vapour the solution is evolving and that depends greatly on the percent alcohol and the temperature of the liquid.
At room temperature it would need to be at over 40% ethanol to water to ignite and continue to burn from a momentary ignition but when cooking for example, wine at just 12% will ignite and burn when added to a hot pan in in the presence of a source of ignition because the heat vaporises the alcohol out of the solution faster.

[Mr Gazza]

Originally Posted by Kato

Not so it is for micro & light aircraft running pump fuel

Ah! Yes you're right, the little un's do run on pump petrol.

I remember many years ago when I was visiting a cousin. We watched a micro-light descend in silence out of sight behind his back hedge.
Thinking it had crashed we raced round to see what had happened, only to meet an Orange suited aviator carrying a ready can and a bottle of two-stroke.... He had run out of petrol.
Needless to say we found him enough petrol out of various car tanks to get a measured gallon. He added his oil, filled his Micro-light up and off he went, returning our waves as he climbed out... What fun.

Nice info Luddite, I'll have to test my local BP's fuel to see just how much ethanol is in there. Knowing that Esso is clean gives me a better option than the full tank drain winterization that I've been doing.

[Maggsy]

According to Esso's website, their "Synergy Supreme+ Unleaded 97" is free from ethanol unless you are in Devon, Cornwall, Teeside or Scotland.
Awaiting reply from BP.
Are all Ducati plastic tanks vulnerable or just those from a certain period? (2013 696 owner asking!)

[Luddite]

As I understand it, all plastic/nylon tanks can be affected. With E95 fuel, while the ethanol stays in suspension within the petrol, you're pretty safe. It's when the ethanol separates out that the problems occur. How long this takes will depend on how quickly the fuel absorbs moisture.

Metal tanks aren't immune either as the ethanol is acidic and contains its own oxygen, so corrosion can occur more readily.

Certainly over winter, it's safest to keep ethanol free fuel in your tank if you're not using a fuel stabiliser.

[Maggsy]

Thanks Luddite!

[Dirty]

Originally Posted by BigOz

The flammability of a water ethanol solution depends on the amount of ethanol vapour the solution is evolving and that depends greatly on the percent alcohol and the temperature of the liquid.
At room temperature it would need to be at over 40% ethanol to water to ignite and continue to burn from a momentary ignition but when cooking for example, wine at just 12% will ignite and burn when added to a hot pan in in the presence of a source of ignition because the heat vaporises the alcohol out of the solution faster.

[Maggsy]

Here's the reply I got from BP:-

Thank you for your email concerning the fuel sold by BP.

Bioethanol is present in nearly all regular unleaded petrol being sold by fuel suppliers in the UK today. Bioethanol is also becoming increasingly present in the UK’s super-unleaded (premium/higher octane) petrol too; this is because, in compliance with the UK government’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, fuel suppliers have been required to increase the quantity of bio fuels in their transport fuels since 2008. As a consequence, the inclusion of bioethanol in our BP Ultimate Unleaded supply chain is an evolving situation and we are therefore unable to give you categorical assurances as to its absence or presence. However we can assure you that – as required by the The Motor Fuel (Composition and Content) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 – the content of bioethanol in our BP Ultimate Unleaded gasoline will never be more than 5% by volume until 1st January 2017 at the earliest.

All BP fuels, Regular and BP Ultimate, contain special ingredients which have cleaning and protection properties for the engine. BP Ultimate has been rigorously tested on a wide range of vehicles, covering hundreds of thousands of miles, in various conditions. Its advanced formula offers a wide range of benefits compared to ordinary fuels, including better fuel efficiency and enhanced performance, , all of which give long term benefit and value to the consumer and their vehicle.

BP does not supply 100% bioethanol as a retail fuel in the UK.

Thank you for taking the time to bring the matter to our attention and for allowing us the opportunity to respond to your concerns at this time.

[Luddite]

Thought I'd copy the following four posts from "Ethanol free fuel" into this thread for ease of reference:

[Luddite]

From: Ethanol free fuel

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=54589

Originally Posted by Fuzzy

I found it.. I found the holy grail of fuel...

Esso premium unleaded contains no ethanol unless you're in Devon, Cornwall, Scotland or Newcastle.

BP ultimate contains no ethanol PERIOD according to head office.

Shell, texaco contain less than 5% according to head office

Total and Mobil 1 filling stations contain 0% in premium fuel according to head office.

Hope it helps.