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An Experiment and Field Study on the Effects of Ethanol on Gasoline

Background

Methodology

We were given a year and a half to come up with our own research project. As a result, important information was gathered and shared during a 10 to 15 minute oral presentation. In our experiment, we managed to find out how ethanol acted upon gasoline.

Background: This project was picked to help us find a question to the answer of our day. What fuel will we have to use for energy in our future? We have decided to test and research ethanol to help us with our fuel crises. Ethanol is produced from plants like corn and may be a nice alternative to gasoline. Unlike ethanol, gasoline produces carbon monoxide and other toxins that pollute the air. These toxins also destroy habitats and are a cause of many health problems. Ethanol reduces the amount of carbon monoxide and other toxins by burning more completely which uses up most of the by products (toxins). Ethanol can be produced in our backyards which are on farms and gardens. This makes ethanol a renewable resource because it can be grown; gasoline which comes from oil that takes millions of years to be made has to be drilled from the earth.

Methodology: The main set up of our experiment consisted of a four-wheeled all terrain vehicle, ethanol, gasoline, pump for extracting fuel, calculator, odometer, containers to hold fuel, driver for vehicle, testing area, and a container for measuring. Through this experimental set up, we tested ethanol (independent variable) mixed with gasoline (control) at different ratios (1:4, 1:2, & 3:4) to observe any effects on gas mileage (dependent variable). All of the mixtures used in the experiment measured out to 2 liters. The control, along with each ratio, was tested three times each on a 1.2 mile stretch in fair weather. There was about an average speed of about 45 mph on the 1.2 mile trial runs. At the end of each trial, the mixture was removed from the gas tank with the pump and poured into the measuring container to record how much was used in liters. At this time observations were made of how fast the vehicle picked up speed, the smell of the fuel ratio, and the smell of the exhaust. Next the fuel was placed back into the gas tank for the next run. These steps were done nine times in all with three per each ratio. After recording the raw data in liters, we added up the amount of fuel burned per each ratio and divided by three to find the average amount used. Then the average was divided into 1.9312 kilometers to get the kilometers per liter of each ratio. Next we converted the measurements to miles per gallon making it possible to find the average gas mileage. This data was then placed onto a graph to illustrate the amount of fuel used by visual means.

Purpose: During this field experiment we are testing different ratios of ethanol to gasoline to find out the best gas mileage of the ratios tested. We are doing this test to figure out for ourselves what the truth is about the effect of ethanol on gas mileage and if it is a good alternative to gasoline. There has been lots of controversy over whether or not ethanol is worth the money. Some say it does not cost to much to produce, some say you use more energy making it, and others say that there is lesser/better gas mileage when used. From the data that we collect we hope to be able to use ethanol instead of gasoline to reduce its use because of the rising costs and limited available amounts. Since ethanol is a renewable resource we believe the prices will be lower than gasoline with updated technology.

Hypothesis: When we mix the different ratios of ethanol to gasoline there will be better gas mileage for a certain level of ethanol added. Since the ethanol has a higher octane number than gasoline we believe that the vehicle gas mileage will rise since there is more of the fuel that is accessible in the engine to use. Of the ratios tested (1:3, 1:1, 3:1) we predict that the ratio of 1:2 will produce the best gas mileage. We predict this because there will be a half and half ratio of ethanol to gasoline.

Conclusion: After testing the different ratios of ethanol to gasoline we discovered that the more ethanol that is added to gasoline the less the gas mileage would be. We predicted that this would happen because of the less impurities that are in ethanol help it burn easier and faster than gasoline. What also makes the ethanol burn faster is its higher combustion rate. So when ethanol is mixed at higher levels with gasoline the fuel burns faster but with fewer impurities. From the research we gathered from the past tests of ethanol we see that their results of ethanol mixed with gasoline does in fact burn faster than just gasoline in some vehicles. The performance of the vehicle was amplified by the use of ethanol in the fuel ratio, resulting from the high octane rating of ethanol. The octane number is the antiknock quality of the fuel. In relation to the use of fuel in the engine the higher the octane number the better the vehicle will perform because of the better quality fuel being burned. Ethanol is used in many of the top performing vehicles today as a fuel additive to boost vehicle performance. We predicted that there would be a five percent loss in gas mileage for every 25% of ethanol added to the ethanol gasoline mixture. The prediction was made by comparing the amount of BTU’s made by ethanol and gasoline. We also looked at the studies made by other researchers who had already compared some of the ethanol to gasoline ratios.

Expansions: Other expansions leading off of what we have already tested is to burn ethanol and gasoline together, use more vehicles to compare gas mileage using the ethanol gasoline ratios, and to use E10AK. To burn different ethanol and gasoline mixtures we would use different containers holding a liter of each mixture. The control of this experiment would be one liter of 93 octane gasoline and the independent variable would be the amount of ethanol in each mixture while the dependent variable would be how long it takes the fuel ratio to burn away after it its ignited. The second expansion of using more vehicles would be set up basically the same way as the experiment we have done for symposium. Except for this experiment we would leave the one gallon fuel ratio in the vehicle and run the cars till the ratio has been depleted. Here we would use for different ratios for comparison to see which vehicle gets the best gas mileage with the different ratios added to the tank. The independent variable in this experiment would be the fuel ratio, the dependent variable would be gas mileage, and the control would be the regular gas mileage for the vehicle being tested. The other expansion is the comparison of the bio-fuel E10AK and the ratios of ethanol and gasoline (E10, E30, and E85) to see which gets the best gas mileage. E10AKis ten percent ethanol denatured with iso-pentane and bio-diesel fuel mixed with gasoline. Of these ratios tested we would like to see if the additive bio-fuel gets better gas mileage when mixed with the other ratios of ethanol to gasoline being tested. By using 93 octane gasoline as the control of this experiment, it would be simpler to make the comparison of the fuels the independent variable to see which gets the better gas mileage the dependent variable. By doing these expansions to our symposium project we would like to further the research of an alternative fuel to gasoline by the testing of these expansions.