Quote:
Funny
Iron. Iron sleeves, heads, and valves would allow the methanol to pass by without molesting the aluminum in the normal way. But iron is heavy, it also has a different thermal expansion than aluminum, making it extremely difficult to use the two in an engine without having the connection weaken over time.
I am not sure about titanium. I am pretty sure that it doesn't react with methanol in the way aluminum does, but titanium is brittle, and expensive as hell. An alloy containing titanium and steel perhaps?
If we were able to make an engine able to burn methylated gasoline, without the worry of additional wear, we would have a solution to using corn (food) as a source of diluting gas, and be able to rid ourselves of wood waste.
Anyone with any engine building experience in this arena?
|
Funny; there are problems with methanol as far as the aluminium. In Indy cars, Sprint Cars & Midget dirt racers which we use methanol as our fuel, 100%; The motors are tore down only after a few nights racing in the dirt cars and after every race for the IRL cars. The interior of all the fuel components are all anodized to cut down on the reaction. Years ago in the 70's when I started in racing in sprint cars we had to wash out the main fuel metering valve and the main pump, usually with diesel fuel or gas. The IRL mandated Ethanol starting last year so of coarse the power went down and the IRL let the engine size go up a little. Methanol has more energy than Ethanol, and yes you can feel it and see it on the dyno. Just has a little more zip! We all use aluminium heads and that hasn't been a problem as well as intakes either. But most all these motors now use direct port injection there isn't too much fuel in the manifolds and ports. That will now change pretty soon as Stand-Off injection is starting to come over to this side of the pond, IRL cars already. Neat stuff to watch!