Welcome
back folks. I would like to report on yet another development regarding
NASCAR's recent efforts to improve their public perception by
lowering the organization's carbon footprint. Beginning in 2011, NASCAR
will begin the use of an ethanol blend fuel... specifically, SUNOCO
E-15.
In
my previous post, I covered the inevitable shift to Electronic Fuel
Injection. In this post I will attempt to explain the ramifications of
this new development regarding the SUNOCO E-15
The
E-15 fuel will not be 100% organic. There will still be a considerable
amount of fossil fuel being burned in the engines... eighty five percent
to be exact. As you know... a race car has no real emissions systems
like the cars we drive to work. The fossil fuels in E-15 will of course
still create substantial emissions of hydrocarbon byproducts such as
carbon dioxide. However, this will still be significant improvement over
what has been used in the past.
Now on to the facts...
First, the ethanol itself will come from American Grown Corn and will be processed in a newly constructed facility in Fulton, NY.
Note: This ethanol product is distilled the same way the original
Moonshiners did way back in the early days of NASCAR racing!
Essentially, ethanol is Moonshine, or Grain Alcohol. (Please see cartoon at top of page.)
Second,
the ethanol will then be transported to the SUNOCO fuel blending
facility in Marcus Hook, PA where it will be added to conventional high
octane gasoline.
Third,
the final blended fuel product will then be transported to the tracks
where it will be dispensed by tanker trucks for the teams to use in
their fuel cells.
My
understanding is that the fuel cans the race teams use to refuel the
cars may go through some design changes, but nothing definitive on this
as of now. E-15 has apparently been in the testing stage for several
months, and teams are reporting a horsepower increase!
Now for today’s Toad Tech Tip…
After
you pump gas into your car... always insure that your gas cap is
tightened correctly. Many people do not realize that a loose gas cap can
result in check engine warning light.
This is known as "EVAP code" in
the auto repair business and could result in a wasted trip to the
repair shop. Your gas tank along with the cap, are part of a closed
fuel system. Gas vapors are scavenged and stored in a vapor canister and then are later used by the engine when the purge solenoid opens at specific intervals.
When
you have a loose gas cap, this system ceases to work correctly, and
harmful fuel vapors can be released into the vehicle and/or atmosphere.
Until next time...
