ethanol/biodiesel based engine

[badkuk]

just wondering out loud: would it be possible to get better performance/mileage from ethanol/biodiesel if one were to build an engine specifically designed for it? are there any inefficiencies at all with the standard auto engine that one can improve upon?

[A121]

fwik, the diesel engine was originally designed to run on vegetable oils. the first engine that rudolf diesel made ran on peanut oil. astig di ba?

http://www.ybiofuels.org/bio_fuels/history_diesel.html

so technically, old skul diesels can run on 100% biodiesel.

[JiggeR671]

napanood ko sa mythbusters yung lumang benz pinatakbo nila using used cooking oil.. walang modification sa makina... tumakbo pa din yung oto..

[ghosthunter]

napanood ko sa mythbusters yung lumang benz pinatakbo nila using used cooking oil.. walang modification sa makina... tumakbo pa din yung oto..

in the last season of Fifth Gear, they had one guy drive an old diesel Benz from one end of UK to the other just on used vegetable oil. Aside from changing the fuel filter, no other maintenance issued came up. Not to mention the guy just asked the oil from restaurants along the way. Free fuel!

[mbeige]

A friend of a friend of mine based in San Diego has a 300SD w126 Benz and a 95 Dodge Cummins turbodiesel. Both run on free, used veggie oil. They just filter it, add some fuel catalyst, some RUG (regular unleaded gasoline) for better combustion and lubricity in the cold season, and some diesel for added lubricity.

The result?

San Diego to San Francsico cost $6! To think, that's a 9 hour drive! Among other savings as well, like running these cars for a combined 30,000 miles without any problems so far, fuel savings in the thousands of $$$, and French Fries smelling/hunger-inducing rides!

Sabi nga niya eh, "If you run on free used veggie oil, fuel economy doesn't matter!"

[badkuk]

well, tatakbo sa tatakbo...but is it possible to further modify it such that it would even be more efficient? i.e. would it be possible to come up with an engine that takes advantage of ethanol's/biodiesel's unique features(assuming there *are*, that distinguishes it from fossil fuels)?

[rsnald]

i got to talk to someone who has actually worked on diesel/ethanol blends for diesel engines (this is a PhD guy, medyo matanda na) and he says it's not really gonna fly since the basic fact is that on a per kilogram basis of fuel, pure diesel simply has more heating value (more BTU/kg).

more so for biodiesel/ethanol blends coz pure biodiesel also has a lower heating value compared to diesel. that is why in some reports, specially those soya based biodiesel, pure bd gave lower mileage figures compared to pure diesel.
of course you cannot rule out computer tweaking of fuel injection/combustion, but if that tweaking will work on bd/ethanol blend, then it would also work on pure diesel. fyi lang. ;)