[bumblebee]

Aug. 8, 2005 issue - A couple of years ago, when the cost of oil started to soar, Joel Rosado didn't think twice. The owner of an air-taxi service in Mineiros, Brazil, with a fleet of 12 planes, he needed to do what he could to contain fuel costs—he spends 20 percent of his revenues each year on 300,000 or so liters of fuel. So he rang up aircraft-maker Embraer, put in an order for the latest-model single-propeller Ipanema plane and tanked up—with alcohol. Flying on ethanol (a form of alcohol) distilled from sugar cane slashed the fuel bill for his Ipanema by 40 percent, at no cost to performance. Now Rosado is buying another brand-new Ipanema and plans to convert his 11 other planes to alcohol, too. The only problem: Embraer, the world's first manufacturer of ethanol-fueled planes, now has so many customers that there's a two-year wait list to convert gasoline engines to alcohol. Embraer is now looking into converting the T25, a military-training turbojet, to alcohol. "At this rate," says Embraer executive Acir Padilha, "the gasoline motor is headed for extinction."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8769619/site/newsweek/

 

[jeeps84]

I thought alcohol burned twice as fast as gas.

 

[GSXR1000DJ]

I thought alcohol burned twice as fast as gas.

Thats what I thought as well. Gas Man will be able to tell us that one. And if it does burn twice as fast, then how are they saving 40%?

 

[Gas Man]

Well they are slowing introducing achohol into the gasoline now.. The catch it that it burns better for the tree huggers. Most people have 10% ethonal in your gasoline at the pump which it's root ingrediant is achohol. I can see them doing more and more of this.

I'm not sure about burning faster in the engine but it doesn't sound that far off.

 

[bumblebee]

there is no future for personal transportation without the use of re-newable fuels...

 

[Gas Man]

Only time will truly tell...

 

[zx636r]

yeah i dont knwo how its gonna burn faster if the injectors are only spitting soo much at a time. but good question. do u need more alcohol to get the combustions to work right.

 

[bumblebee]

Using Boyle's Law...you can adjust the amount/volume of alcohol needed for combustion by changing the temperature and pressure inside the cylinder. Formula 1 cars run on Methanol and I believe Champ and IRL do too...

 

[drewpy]

if it burns twice as fast wouldnt you need only half the fuel then?

 

[Gas Man]

No I believe what that means is that if you were to put that in your engine now...it would burn easier.... like with the loads of compression you have it would probably burn sooner than what your engine wants it to... but I could be slightly off on that idea...