A Diesel Engine That Runs On Ethanol?

Photo by Katherine Volkovski on Unsplash

A Norfolk Daily News story last week announced that a Chicago company, ClearFlame Engine Technologies, has been developing an ethanol-based fuel that can power diesel engines. We're not talking E-85. We're talking about ethanol itself. If this is true, it's quite the breakthrough.

Before getting into the story, I would note that using ethanol as fuel for diesels has many challenges.  According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, there are many technical barriers to the use of ethanol in diesel fuel. 

The Milestone Report begins by citing the reasons ethanol was considered for fuel in the first place. The NREL cited these benefits of Ethanol-diesel blends:

 • Displacement of imported petroleum with a domestic and renewable resource.
• Significant lowering of diesel particulate matter emissions.
• Possible improvement in cold flow properties imparted by the ethanol.
• Possible improvement in fuel lubricity imparted by the emulsifier additives. 

 The challenges, however, are many. They include:

• Low flashpoint of this fuel. E-diesel cannot be safely handled like conventional diesel but must be handled like gasoline. This may necessitate some modifications to storage and handling equipment, as well as vehicle fuel systems. Some stakeholders believe that this fact limits the market for e-diesel to centrally refueled fleets, estimated to represent some 5 billion gallons of diesel fuel annually. If the market is limited to fleets, E-diesel represents a potential market for fuel-grade ethanol of several hundred million gallons.
• Obtaining OEM warranty acceptance. Currently engine manufacturers will not warrantee their engines for use with e-diesel because of concerns about safety and liability, as well as materials and component compatibility. A large body of test data acquired in close cooperation with the OEM’s will be necessary to address this issue.
• EPA fuel registration requirements. As a non-baseline diesel fuel, e-diesel will be required to undergo Tier 1 and Tier 2 emission and health effects testing, a time consuming and expensive process. In addition to these major concerns there are issues related to quantifying the stability, water tolerance, and other fuel properties of e-diesel.

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In light of these objections to increasing the percentage of ethanol in blended e-Diesel, it surprised me to read that a company has been working on a 100 percent ethanol fuel for diesels. The Norfolk Daily News article is  titled Tech Company Develops Diesel Engine That Runs On Ethanol.

BJ Johnson, co-founder and CEO of ClearFlame Engine Technologies, says their mission is to decrease tailpipe emissions and build a low-carbon future.

“What our solution allows is to maintain all of the performance, fuel economy, torque, and practicality of the diesel engine design, but without the need for any diesel fuel and replacing it with 100 percent renewable ethanol. Which not only lowers your fuel cost, but also drastically lowers your emissions.”

Johnson said that "if just 20 percent of U.S. diesel trucks converted to ClearFlame technology, carbon reduction would eclipse 40% and ethanol demand would double." 

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It is interesting to see the variety of approaches that are being explored to bring us a cleaner future. I always feel like it's too early to tell what route will take precedence over the others. It's like VHS and Beta all over agin, except that instead of a choice between two options, we still have a multitude of competing concepts in the works. Only time will tell.

Key Links

Milestone Report: Technical Barriers to the Use of Ethanol in Diesel Fuel

Tech Company Develops Diesel Engine That Runs On Ethanol

Abstract for a research paper on Diesel-Ethanol Blends

Electronics and Sensors: A Blessing and a Curse

The degree to which technology's tentacles have reached into our lives is quite amazing. Getting our vehicles to run at optimal performance is no longer just a matter of turning wrenches, but involves complex wiring diagrams as well. Sensors and brain boxes talk to one another and we just let it happen. Every year we have more whistles and bells on our devices and, let's face it, our diesel truck is just another device.

I remember when my key fob stopped functioning to open and lock my doors. I didn't know why, until one day I discovered that these fobs are battery powered. All I needed to do was change the battery, an answer I discovered only by accident. (Mentioned it in passing during a conversation with a friend.)

There are other kinds of niggling annoyances that aren't so common. For example, what happens when your radio won't turn off? That's what happened to a fellow with the handle Rescue7 who shared this problem on the Duramax Forum. He described his issue like this: 

Recently on my 07 GMC 2500 HD Classic, my radio doesn't turn off when I stop the engine, remove the key & open the door - as it always has always performed in the past? Now the radio just stays on as if on a timer & will time out after 5-10 min.

As you can imagine, he says he doesn't like walking away from his truck while the radio is still on. And I can't blame him.

Fortunately, a former GMC tech named GMAXfirefighter stepped up to the plate to help him walk it through. First, he needed to get the specifics of what was going on. After a series of back and forth posts, there were enough clues to zero in on the real issue and a solution was found.

Ugh. Fortunately, it's not only the Internet of Things that has been getting connected, but people can get connected as well, through forums and other online communities. In short, if all this high tech occasionally leaves you frustrated, you're not alone. 

But solutions aren't far away either.  We have a list of forums and other resources here in the right hand column. Links to forums are below, or you can just reach out and Ask Jake. If he doesn't have an answer, he'll point you in the right direction.

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Source: https://www.duramaxforum.com/threads/radio-wont-turn-off.1009784/