Subject: biodiesel
From: Rotary Engine
Date: 10/2/2006, 10:39 AM
To: AA-me


>>   Perhaps the comparison test was about performance.  I'll wait >> and
>>     see what
>>     he says.   AGE-85 is formulated with aircraft in mind, using
>> many of the
>>     performance enhancing additives that gasoline normally has
>> including
>>     a wee
>>     bit of biodiesel, whereas Baylor's E-95 (at this point) is >> just
>>     denatured
>>     ethanol.  Don't race cars run on methanol?
>>
>>     Doug Fir
>>
>> Doug,
>>  Yes racecars usually run Methanol, which is even worse energy
>> wise.
>> Simple fact is gasoline comes in at 115,000 BTU/gal and ethanol >> at
>> 84,000 BTU/gal, or about 73% the energy available in a gallon of
>> gasoline. Gas is hard to beat. Some of the effects of burning
>> ethanol
>> may help bring it closer to gasoline. Tolerance of higher
>> compression
>> without detonation or per-ignition, and less thermal energy >> wasted
>> to
>> cooling do help, but ethanol comes in with a large gap relative >> to
>> gasoline. It's a cleaner burning fuel but you can't make the
>> physics
>> change much. The rotaries tolerance for a wide range of fuels is
>> useful,
>> but spark ignition bio-diesel might do you better for milage.
>> Bill Jepson
>>
>
>
> Spark ignition bio-diesel is a new one on me. Please explain. Do > you
> mix it with gasoline, and if so in what ratio?
>
> #2 diesel has much more energy than gasoline. The biodiesel I am
> familiar with has slightly less, but still more than gasoline.
>
> Doc Custer
> Retired software engineer and sometime Audiologist
> Building RV9-A. Fuselage
>
> CW and perhaps John
> The Wankel will run on direct injection diesel fuel
> as long as you fire it with a spark plug.
>
> CW and perhaps John Deere were running the engine on heavy fuel
> years ago. there are many SAE and other tech papers on the > subject.
>
> Wankel Gmbh demonstrated such a turbo charged engine at OSH
> several years ago. Here are some pictures from the factory
> in Korf Germany
>
> Mistral in Geneva Switzerland is/was also working on a
> NA such engine. Here are some pictures of the engine
> on the Mistral dyno in Geneva.
>
>
> Paul Lamar ...No rotor no motor.



Wow!

I have trouble seeing biodiesel as an aircraft fuel for the same
reasons #2 diesel is not suitable: the tendency to gel and/or solidify
at the low temperatures commonly encountered at high altitudes. JetA
would probably be more suitable, particularly if it were heated. The
heat would have to be controlled somehow. Biodiesel, if made from the
right vegetable oil stock, might also be suitable if heated.

The other problems I can see right off the top of my head are that of
low vapor pressure and higher viscosity. If the fuel was sprayed
directly on hot metal, the low vapor pressure might not be a factor,
particularly if special injectors were used. Maybe. The higher
viscosity would require a modified fuel system including injectors.
And probably the fuel map would have to be made temperature aware as
the viscosity of some of these fuels change dramatically with changing
temperature. On the plus side, a lower volume of fuel would have to be
dealt with per cycle for the same power/energy; and range would be
improved.

Looks like a major development effort to me.

Doc Custer
Retired software engineer and sometime Audiologist
Building RV9-A. Fuselage



I've been running waste vegetable oil in my '85 benz for 12 months now.
The secret is in the filtering and preheating.
Although I would not recommend waste veggie oil for aircraft applications,
you could try new canola
oil as long as it is preheated to @ 170 F through an electric inline heater,
then through the coolant heat exchanger.
The heat exchanger is @ 8 -10 pounds. The inline electric is 4 ounces, but
draws 20 - 30 amps.
Mike  Arndt


If the OAT is -20F how do you get it out of the tank?

Doc Custer
Retired software engineer and sometime Audiologist
Building RV9-A. Fuselage



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