A real (old) gasoline sub

[oil pan 4]

http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/p-series.html Pentane plus, sounds cool. Some what like gas but with out all the longer, bigger hydrocarbons. This "new" gasoline sub is kind of like how gas was when it all was 100% distilled from crude oil. Back in the days long before leaded gas and Cracked gasoline, distilled gas would off gas these compounds mainly propane, pentane and others. That is how propane was discovered. Now it's back. Years ago when I herd of this old school gasoline it made me think, could I some how make gasoline hold propane? At least some propane will mix with gas I know that. Maybe I could mix propane with gasoline and they could make one liquid and burned as such.

 

[pajim17057]

I'd also like to know more about this fuel. I wish they went into more detail.

 

[MN Driver]

The 'octane scale' was created with pentane being 0 because it takes very little pressure to combust and octane being 100. Pentane is not suitable as a substitute for gasoline in an internal combustion engine. Mixing it with ethanol and methyltetrahydrofuran would sure have to boost the octane rating through the roof but I have a feeling that the pentane content would be minimal. I'm having a hard time figuring out how that makes sense. It must make some sense if it's on the US Department of Energy site but I'd like to know a little more about how it is equiventlt to 89-93 octane.

 

[GMorg]

Actually, heptane was the zero standard and octane was the 100 standard.

 

[GMorg]

Pentane has an "octane rating" of 62. The standard for 100 was actually iso-octane which can also be called 2,2,4-trimethylpentane.

 

[MN Driver]

Oh, sorry about that. I was watching modern marvels and they were talking about the octane rating scale and I mixed that up. Another thing from that show is that a short time before lead was added most gas was somewhere along the lines of 50 octane.

 

[GMorg]

Modern Marvels is cool

 

[oil pan 4]

I saw that show too. It would be good to have realy volitile fuel stored under slight pressure in the tank so the goodies don't get out of the tank and into the air. It could take Just a few PSI. The fuel could be enriched with butane and propane as a cheap way to up the octaine. It hasn't realy been tried yet so no one knows any thing about it yet. And lead, Lead rules it is just about the best thing for a gas engine.