American Ethanol Mystic Joining Strong Fleet for Second GLOC Shootout

[Speed on the Water]

The defending Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Top Gun-winning boat—the American Ethanol Mystic Powerboats catamaran—is expected to participate in next month's GLOC Performance Boat Challenge Shootout in Grove, Okla.

http://speedonthewater.com/in-the-news/3742-american-ethanol-mystic-joining-strong-fleet-for-second-gloc-shootout

 

[Ratickle]

Cool. Hope they do well.....

 

[Serious News]

Their video from last year.

 

[fund razor]

Question from the video: what does the cooling sensation on human skin caused by the evaporation of alcohol have to do with lower running temperatures in large big blocks? Does a lot of alcohol evaporate before the ignition of the spark, making the engine block "feel" cooler?

 

[Ratickle]

I'll have to ask my engine building friends. I know that in their aluminum drag engines running on alcohol they are able to use no cooling at all because alcohol engines run so cold. But I've never looked into it because I never planned on running an alcohol engine.

Now I'm curious.

 

[fund razor]

I understand how it makes the skin feel cooler because of the evaporative effect, but I have a feeling that it is not a direct comparison, because the heating in an engine occurs during/after combustion. So, if it simply burns at a lower temperature, I get that. (But then the evaporative effect is a terrible analogy... just say it burns at a lower temperature.)

 

[Ratickle]

Interesting article. I'll keep digging.

First, when you burn alcohol one of the byproducts of combustion is oxygen. This helps enhance the combustion process. Another is the cooling effect of alcohol as it “vaporizes” in the inlet track. This helps create denser air as the air/fuel charge enters the engine, another positive. The cooling effect also helps to cool the engine, at least on the inlet side of the equation. Remember, producing horsepower is all about creating and controlling heat.

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/ctrp-1201-alcohol-fuel-basics/

 

[fund razor]

That is an interesting article, and I guess from some standpoint, as the alcohol vaporizes in the inlet track, it is like the evaporative effect.

The article is also excellent at detailing the massive problems associated with using alcohol tainted fuel outside of the race environment. Essentially, if consumers clean their entire fuel system including fuel tank after each run, it's not as big a problem. Sounds like an easy trade off for the full-time working family man who would like to have a recreational vessel. Right?

 

[Ratickle]

I'm still digging. I had lunch today with, besides the Skater guys, Keith Holmes and Jay Berry, President of Ignite Racing Fuel. Ignite supplies Ethanol for racing, and drinking!! I learned some interesting stuff there and have more to check into now.

One of the things I was told, Methanol needs twice as much fuel as gasoline, but Ethanol only needs 14% more than gasoline.

 

[Ratickle]

2015 video