Marine Toilet Specialists Discuss the Pros and Cons of Isobutanol
Your Marine Toilet Professionals Suggest That Quality Cannot Be Overlooked
Raritan Engineering Company your marine toilet analysts would like to share with you these topics we thought would be of interest to you this month regarding the pros and cons of isobutanol.
Your marine toilet experts know that the problems with ethanol-gasoline blends such as E10 (10 percent ethanol) for marine engines are well-known. Yes, ethanol provides oxygen to help gasoline burn cleaner, which is good for our lungs, but it holds less energy than gas, attracts water to fuel tanks, and is corrosive to fuel lines and fittings. In higher concentrations like the 15 percent blend (E15) now available, it will void the warranty on most marine engines.
For the last five years, a group of marine manufacturers has been testing isobutanol, another form of alcohol that does not attract water or corrode fuel lines and boasts 30 percent higher energy density than ethanol. It can be distilled from the same plant sources that ethanol is made from.
Engineers from Evinrude have taken the lead along with others from Mercury Marine, Volvo Penta, Indmar, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the American Boat and Yacht Council and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. The engineers from these organizations logged thousands of hours on the water testing isobutanol-blended gasoline in marine engines.
Our fuels for the comparison were 93-octane E10 “pump gas” and 93-octane B12.5 Gulf Marine 100 fed from a remote tank. Fuel-flow measurements came from each engine’s Mercury SmartCraft gauge, with speeds measured by GPS as two-way averages.
So come and see your choice of marine toilets and other marine supply needs at Raritan Engineering.
Your marine toilet professionals know that the Gulf Marine 100 isobutanol blend also squeezed extra WOT rpm from the Dauntless’ Verado, adding 200 turns and 1.4 mph. It delivered a fuel-efficiency edge, burning 1.8 gph (6 percent) less at 6,000 rpm.
About Biofuels
The term “biofuel” refers to any transportation or liquid fuel made from biomass. Examples include biobutanol—sometimes called “bio-based isobutanol” or “bio-isobutanol”—and ethanol.
Biofuels and Biofuel Advantages
Biofuels are transportation or liquids fuels made from biomass—organic plant material that has stored energy from the sun in the form of chemical energy. There are many ways this stored energy can be converted into liquid fuels relatively easily.
Biofuels are increasingly being used as a component in gasoline and diesel fuel for a number of reasons. Among other biofuel advantages, they can help diversify energy supplies and reduce reliance on imported oil.
How are biofuels used?
Ethanol and biodiesel can be blended with either gasoline or diesel to produce a finished fuel. However, they are not ideal fuel components because of their lower energy content and reduced compatibility with vehicles and distribution infrastructure.
Are biofuels better for the environment than conventional fuels?
A key biofuel advantage is successfully reducing overall GHG emissions across the entire lifecycle, known as “well-to-wheel” or “crop-to-car” emissions. The carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted when the biofuel is burned in a vehicle is offset by the CO2 absorbed by the atmosphere during the growing of the crop used as biomass.
Because of its unique chemical properties, biobutanol—also known as "bio-based butanol" or "bio-isobutanol"—can be blended at 16% volume in gasoline, thus displacing more gasoline per gallon of fuel consumed than the standard ethanol blend of 10% volume.
Purchase your marine items here at Raritan Engineering. We are always happy to answer any of your marine supply questions or concerns.
via About Biofuels
via Photo
Comments
Post a Comment