A VPAC member passed on this information yesterday:
"I must report that within the last week I have found alcohol to be
present in petrol that I have bought from a small independent
supplier, and from Shell and BP forecourts so this blows the theory
that the major suppliers were tending not to lace their petrol with
ethanol. I rather suspect that, whatever the brand name, all the fuel
in my area (Chester) emanates from the local Shell oil refinery and that this facility is using alcohol in its petrol."
So it looks like the major fuel companies are now adding alcohol to Mogas.
Tony Nowak
Alcohol in Mogas
Moderators: John Dean, Moderator
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Nigel Ramsay
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Nigel Hitchman
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Not due to winter fuel, its due to the refinary in question now being set up to deliver fuel containing ethanol. On the same VPAC email list that the original quote came from, we had a very comprehensive reply from Barry Plumb regarding the current situation, as well as current EASA testing for which the report is about to be published. unfortunately I didnt keep a copy.
All this info was also apparently presented at the last NC meeting, so should have been passed on to strut members by their NC reps. for us that are not members of struts, I guess something will appear on the website or in the magazine, particularly once the EASA report is published.
All this info was also apparently presented at the last NC meeting, so should have been passed on to strut members by their NC reps. for us that are not members of struts, I guess something will appear on the website or in the magazine, particularly once the EASA report is published.
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Adrian Hatton
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Bioethanol production is set to increase in the New Year so I guess we are likely to see more of it in our mogas soon.
http://tinyurl.com/y86qjk2
I understand that there is another similar sized plant due to come online within the next year on Humberside - I love the Ensus facts statement suggesting that the CO2 produced as a result of the ethanol production is not part of the greenhouse gas equation because it goes to food production - priceless.
http://tinyurl.com/y86qjk2
I understand that there is another similar sized plant due to come online within the next year on Humberside - I love the Ensus facts statement suggesting that the CO2 produced as a result of the ethanol production is not part of the greenhouse gas equation because it goes to food production - priceless.
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Barry Plumb
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:14 am
- Location: Leighton Buzzard
Nigel Hitchman mentioned a reply that I made to the initial post. Here it is.
The fuel situation is changing rapidly at present with more distribution
loading racks supplying ethanol blended fuels.
Below is a copy of the relavant sections of the Engineering Report for NC
which was issued for the last NC meeting in November.
I was rather hoping that the Engineering Report would find its way via your Strut NC rep out to the Strut members, but this does not seem to be the case.
Ethanol blended fuels cannot be distributed by pipeline, so raw unblended
fuel (known as BOB) is shipped to the loading depos via pipeline and the
ethanol comes by road or rail tanker. The ethanol is added as the fuel is
loaded into the road tanker for delivery to the forecourts. Some refineries
have their own vehicle loading racks and the ethanol will be added at that
point.
There is presently an EASA research programme in place looking into the
Safety Implications of Biofuels in Aviation. (SIoBiA). I have been working
on that programme as a member of the EASA steering Committee. The final report is due out soon (see notes below).
Text from the NC report follows :-
Mogas (a progress report on the EASA SIoBiA project follows)
Following my detailed piece in the last NC report, the only item I have to
report on this time is that the draft of the final report from the SIoBiA
team was issued in time for discussion at the final steering committee
meeting which took place in Cologne on 9th November. Barry Plumb was in attendance at that meeting. The research programme is now largely completed with a few outstanding tests on fuel phase separation and long term storage nearing completion. These last few tests were delayed when a major fire broke out at the Mobil fuel labs. Fortunately the test samples and test rigs were not destroyed in the fire, but inevitably delays have occurred.
The final report will ultimately be published via the EASA website, and will
be available for all to read. However it will be something of a tome, in
excess of 200 pages. It is intended that Barry Plumb will prepare a précis
of the report, highlighting the areas of particular concern for LAA aircraft
operators, and this will be put onto the LAA website.
Once the SIoBiA team's findings are better understood the Engineering Sub-Committee can begin to develop a more soundly based policy on the use of Mogas in LAA aircraft.
Other Mogas News
Once again, a reminder that the Government's RTFO ramps up to 3.25% bio-fuel content in 2009/2010. This means that fuel companies can no longer meet the RTFO obligation by just putting 5% FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) into diesel fuel, and therefore it will be essential to distribute mogas containing bio-ethanol. Once a fuel company makes the necessary investment and infrastructure changes to accommodate bio-ethanol they will probably blend at a minimum of 5% (in order to stay within the vapour pressure limits of EN228 it is required to use at least 5%). The effect of this is that from now on we would expect the number of outlets selling mogas with ethanol to increase significantly, and our members will need to be increasingly vigilant to keep within the existing rules.
Indications are that in certain parts of the country members are already
finding difficulty in obtaining Mogas that is ethanol free (eg. Southern
Counties and East Anglia), whereas members in other areas (eg. North West) previously reported that they have so far not found any fuel containing Ethanol (but see update below).
Just a reminder to keep testing your fuel supplies for alcohol, as it is
most unlikely that forecourt operators will inform the customers when the
fuel specification changes.
Here is an update from Alan Adams, an LAA member from the North West who is keeping an eye on developments in his local area, and regularly keeps in touch :-
Shell Stanlow (Ellesmere Port) went live with ethanol at the end of October
as expected and I have had a positive test from my local garage to confirm this. So now there will be ethanol in all Shell petrol unleaded 95 and V-Power in the Stanlow distribution envelope, which covers an area from North Wales/Cheshire to Carlisle and stretches east nearly as far a Leeds. V-Power all around the country will now have ethanol since it all comes from Stanlow.
Other companies picking up from Stanlow (BP, Texaco, some supermarkets and minor players) will also have ethanol in unleaded 95 but as of now Stanlow are not putting ethanol into super unleaded 98. I am not sure if/when 98 will be affected.
I have also confirmed that my local Esso garage is still ethanol free which
is in line with the information I received from my Esso acquaintance a
couple of months ago.
The fuel standard EN228 was revised in 2008, and the LAA Mogas approval information and placards are being updated to reflect this change. The placards are also being revised to account for the replacement of Airworthiness notices 98B and 98C with CAP747 (GC5). These changes will also be made to information on the website "mogas" page in the near future.
Hope this is of interest.
Have a nag at your NC rep to make the details of the Engineering report
available to strut members.
Kind Regards
Barry Plumb
The fuel situation is changing rapidly at present with more distribution
loading racks supplying ethanol blended fuels.
Below is a copy of the relavant sections of the Engineering Report for NC
which was issued for the last NC meeting in November.
I was rather hoping that the Engineering Report would find its way via your Strut NC rep out to the Strut members, but this does not seem to be the case.
Ethanol blended fuels cannot be distributed by pipeline, so raw unblended
fuel (known as BOB) is shipped to the loading depos via pipeline and the
ethanol comes by road or rail tanker. The ethanol is added as the fuel is
loaded into the road tanker for delivery to the forecourts. Some refineries
have their own vehicle loading racks and the ethanol will be added at that
point.
There is presently an EASA research programme in place looking into the
Safety Implications of Biofuels in Aviation. (SIoBiA). I have been working
on that programme as a member of the EASA steering Committee. The final report is due out soon (see notes below).
Text from the NC report follows :-
Mogas (a progress report on the EASA SIoBiA project follows)
Following my detailed piece in the last NC report, the only item I have to
report on this time is that the draft of the final report from the SIoBiA
team was issued in time for discussion at the final steering committee
meeting which took place in Cologne on 9th November. Barry Plumb was in attendance at that meeting. The research programme is now largely completed with a few outstanding tests on fuel phase separation and long term storage nearing completion. These last few tests were delayed when a major fire broke out at the Mobil fuel labs. Fortunately the test samples and test rigs were not destroyed in the fire, but inevitably delays have occurred.
The final report will ultimately be published via the EASA website, and will
be available for all to read. However it will be something of a tome, in
excess of 200 pages. It is intended that Barry Plumb will prepare a précis
of the report, highlighting the areas of particular concern for LAA aircraft
operators, and this will be put onto the LAA website.
Once the SIoBiA team's findings are better understood the Engineering Sub-Committee can begin to develop a more soundly based policy on the use of Mogas in LAA aircraft.
Other Mogas News
Once again, a reminder that the Government's RTFO ramps up to 3.25% bio-fuel content in 2009/2010. This means that fuel companies can no longer meet the RTFO obligation by just putting 5% FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) into diesel fuel, and therefore it will be essential to distribute mogas containing bio-ethanol. Once a fuel company makes the necessary investment and infrastructure changes to accommodate bio-ethanol they will probably blend at a minimum of 5% (in order to stay within the vapour pressure limits of EN228 it is required to use at least 5%). The effect of this is that from now on we would expect the number of outlets selling mogas with ethanol to increase significantly, and our members will need to be increasingly vigilant to keep within the existing rules.
Indications are that in certain parts of the country members are already
finding difficulty in obtaining Mogas that is ethanol free (eg. Southern
Counties and East Anglia), whereas members in other areas (eg. North West) previously reported that they have so far not found any fuel containing Ethanol (but see update below).
Just a reminder to keep testing your fuel supplies for alcohol, as it is
most unlikely that forecourt operators will inform the customers when the
fuel specification changes.
Here is an update from Alan Adams, an LAA member from the North West who is keeping an eye on developments in his local area, and regularly keeps in touch :-
Shell Stanlow (Ellesmere Port) went live with ethanol at the end of October
as expected and I have had a positive test from my local garage to confirm this. So now there will be ethanol in all Shell petrol unleaded 95 and V-Power in the Stanlow distribution envelope, which covers an area from North Wales/Cheshire to Carlisle and stretches east nearly as far a Leeds. V-Power all around the country will now have ethanol since it all comes from Stanlow.
Other companies picking up from Stanlow (BP, Texaco, some supermarkets and minor players) will also have ethanol in unleaded 95 but as of now Stanlow are not putting ethanol into super unleaded 98. I am not sure if/when 98 will be affected.
I have also confirmed that my local Esso garage is still ethanol free which
is in line with the information I received from my Esso acquaintance a
couple of months ago.
The fuel standard EN228 was revised in 2008, and the LAA Mogas approval information and placards are being updated to reflect this change. The placards are also being revised to account for the replacement of Airworthiness notices 98B and 98C with CAP747 (GC5). These changes will also be made to information on the website "mogas" page in the near future.
Hope this is of interest.
Have a nag at your NC rep to make the details of the Engineering report
available to strut members.
Kind Regards
Barry Plumb
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Barry Plumb
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Wed Jan 02, 2008 10:14 am
- Location: Leighton Buzzard
Rod,
I have been looking into the topic of ETBE in some detail recently. ETBE is manufactured using 47% of bio-ethanol and 53% Isobutylene, reacted at high temperature over a catylist. The former component is a renewable, whereas the latter is a well-head product. ETBE therefore only counts partially towards the bio content of the fuel.
Fuel specification EN228 allows the use of up to 5% Ethanol, or up to 14% ETBE, so fuel producers can meet their obligations under the RTFO by using Bio-Ethanol, or ETBE.
ETBE is in extensive use on the continent, particularly France and Spain, where they have very large production facilities, but so far as I can tell there do not appear to be any production plants in UK as yet (unless someone knows different). Therefore if fuel producers are to use this oxygenate it will need to be imported. There are now several UK Bio-ethanol plants, and more will be commissioned shortly.
Actually this is rather a shame, because ETBE posesses almost none of the technical problems that Ethanol exhibits, and ETBE is CAA approved for use in aviation fuels(and FAA approved in USA). Since it is approved for use in aviation fuels, I was keen to obtain a fuel sample with ETBE, but without Ethanol, so that I could carry out tests with the Bluebottle kits. I wanted to ensure that it does not give a "false positive" test result, which would confuse users into thinking the fuel contained Ethanol when in reallity it was legal to use. Fortunately a good friend and LAA member Richard Sykes managed to obtain such a sample, and tests showed that the test kits do not pick it up. (Actually the only down side I can see to its use is that it really stinks... literally awful !!)
So far as I can tell the only fuels currently containing ETBE are the specialist racing fuels that BP sell via a very limited number of forcourts. At one time Fina/Total/Elf, the French consortium looked as though they would be marketing fuel with ETBE (as they do on the continent) but I cannot see how they could do it in UK. This comes about because of the complex refining, distribution, loading, tanker delivery, forecourts chain that our fuel follows in UK. If Fina/Total/Elf were to market fuel containing up to 14% ETBE then it would almost certainly be from a loading rack at the refinery. They would not be able to do it over the whole of the UK otherwise they would need to have ETBE storage tanks to service the loading racks at each of the distribution depos that servie their forecourts. Virtually impossible.
When I made enquires with experts about why we were not making more use of ETBE in UK they pointed out that this oxygenate is more expensive to produce, since there is an extra, energy intensive, stage in its production. Also it would preclude going to the higher bio-content fuels envisaged for the future.
Kind Regards, Barry Plumb
I have been looking into the topic of ETBE in some detail recently. ETBE is manufactured using 47% of bio-ethanol and 53% Isobutylene, reacted at high temperature over a catylist. The former component is a renewable, whereas the latter is a well-head product. ETBE therefore only counts partially towards the bio content of the fuel.
Fuel specification EN228 allows the use of up to 5% Ethanol, or up to 14% ETBE, so fuel producers can meet their obligations under the RTFO by using Bio-Ethanol, or ETBE.
ETBE is in extensive use on the continent, particularly France and Spain, where they have very large production facilities, but so far as I can tell there do not appear to be any production plants in UK as yet (unless someone knows different). Therefore if fuel producers are to use this oxygenate it will need to be imported. There are now several UK Bio-ethanol plants, and more will be commissioned shortly.
Actually this is rather a shame, because ETBE posesses almost none of the technical problems that Ethanol exhibits, and ETBE is CAA approved for use in aviation fuels(and FAA approved in USA). Since it is approved for use in aviation fuels, I was keen to obtain a fuel sample with ETBE, but without Ethanol, so that I could carry out tests with the Bluebottle kits. I wanted to ensure that it does not give a "false positive" test result, which would confuse users into thinking the fuel contained Ethanol when in reallity it was legal to use. Fortunately a good friend and LAA member Richard Sykes managed to obtain such a sample, and tests showed that the test kits do not pick it up. (Actually the only down side I can see to its use is that it really stinks... literally awful !!)
So far as I can tell the only fuels currently containing ETBE are the specialist racing fuels that BP sell via a very limited number of forcourts. At one time Fina/Total/Elf, the French consortium looked as though they would be marketing fuel with ETBE (as they do on the continent) but I cannot see how they could do it in UK. This comes about because of the complex refining, distribution, loading, tanker delivery, forecourts chain that our fuel follows in UK. If Fina/Total/Elf were to market fuel containing up to 14% ETBE then it would almost certainly be from a loading rack at the refinery. They would not be able to do it over the whole of the UK otherwise they would need to have ETBE storage tanks to service the loading racks at each of the distribution depos that servie their forecourts. Virtually impossible.
When I made enquires with experts about why we were not making more use of ETBE in UK they pointed out that this oxygenate is more expensive to produce, since there is an extra, energy intensive, stage in its production. Also it would preclude going to the higher bio-content fuels envisaged for the future.
Kind Regards, Barry Plumb
Ethanol in Mogas
We have been monitoring the petrol available in Hampshire and Sussex over the last 5 months and some of our findings are listed below. The measurements include the petrol volatility as determined by the standard industry Reid Vapour Pressure test, which is determined at a temperature of 37.8 Deg C, and a measurement of the temperature at which the vapour pressure reaches 14.5 psi, ie it commences to boil. Clearly this boiling temperature is that at which vapour lock can be expected in a fuel line at atmospheric pressure. At higher altitudes, or if there are any flow restrictions that will lower the pressure in the fuel line, the temperature for vapour lock will be reduced.
Date of Purchase....Fuel...Reid V.Press...temp for 14.5psi...Ethanol
04.10.09..............Avgas.........6.0psi...........64.0degC............0 %
07.10.09..............Tesco 95.....10.7.............46.5...................4.0
04.10.09..............Shell 95.......10...............47.5...................2.9
27.10.09..............Shell 95.......11.2............44.0...................2.9
22.10.09............Shell V Power..9.9.............50.....................0
24.10.09.............BP Ultimate....11.0............44.....................0
03.02.10............Shell V Power..10.5...........47.0.................. 0
03.03.10............BP Ultimate.....10.8...........48.0...................0
We appear to be fortunate in this area that local premium petrol does not so far contain alcohol. We know from enquiries to both Shell and BP that they intend to add a few % ethanol, but it has not happened here yet. Currently fuel containing ethanol should not be used for flight.
The results show that compared to Avgas, all Mogas has a very high volatility. There appears to be no major difference in volatility of Mogas supplied with and without ethanol. The volatility is increased by suppliers during the winter to assist the engine starting characteristics. Thus we are currently getting higher volatility than would be expected later in the year.
To put the boiling temperature into perspective it is interesting to compare it with the fuel line temperature rise for Tecnam Sierra G TSAC which is 12 Deg C, and for the Mechanical Fuel Pump is a rise of 14 DegC. Both measurements are the rise above OAT and are the maximum measured, which occurs during a climb in flight. If however the engine is stopped with the aircraft stationary, then significantly higher temperatures occur due to the lack of airflow.
If the atmospheric temperature was to rise to summer levels ( we should be so lucky), the use of winter volatility fuel would leave little margin for safety.
We are continuing to accumulate further data on Mogas and the aircraft fuel system characteristics.
Date of Purchase....Fuel...Reid V.Press...temp for 14.5psi...Ethanol
04.10.09..............Avgas.........6.0psi...........64.0degC............0 %
07.10.09..............Tesco 95.....10.7.............46.5...................4.0
04.10.09..............Shell 95.......10...............47.5...................2.9
27.10.09..............Shell 95.......11.2............44.0...................2.9
22.10.09............Shell V Power..9.9.............50.....................0
24.10.09.............BP Ultimate....11.0............44.....................0
03.02.10............Shell V Power..10.5...........47.0.................. 0
03.03.10............BP Ultimate.....10.8...........48.0...................0
We appear to be fortunate in this area that local premium petrol does not so far contain alcohol. We know from enquiries to both Shell and BP that they intend to add a few % ethanol, but it has not happened here yet. Currently fuel containing ethanol should not be used for flight.
The results show that compared to Avgas, all Mogas has a very high volatility. There appears to be no major difference in volatility of Mogas supplied with and without ethanol. The volatility is increased by suppliers during the winter to assist the engine starting characteristics. Thus we are currently getting higher volatility than would be expected later in the year.
To put the boiling temperature into perspective it is interesting to compare it with the fuel line temperature rise for Tecnam Sierra G TSAC which is 12 Deg C, and for the Mechanical Fuel Pump is a rise of 14 DegC. Both measurements are the rise above OAT and are the maximum measured, which occurs during a climb in flight. If however the engine is stopped with the aircraft stationary, then significantly higher temperatures occur due to the lack of airflow.
If the atmospheric temperature was to rise to summer levels ( we should be so lucky), the use of winter volatility fuel would leave little margin for safety.
We are continuing to accumulate further data on Mogas and the aircraft fuel system characteristics.
I tested fuel (Standard grade) I bought at my local "Texaco" garage today, and it was free of alcohol. I did speak to a Texaco chemist a couple of years ago and he said that they had no plans to add alcohol.-
mcfadyeanda
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John Price
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- Location: Eynsford
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jangiolini
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I have just had a long chat with a very helpful chap from Esso who has told me that for the forseable future they wont have alcohol added to their petrol that comes out of Grangemouth!! They intend to meet their commitment to bio fuels with their Diesel sales. I have tested the Shell petrol here in Cumbernauld next to EGPG with the bluebottle test and it is clear too. However I tested ASDA and Tesco petrol and both were found to contain alcohol!!!! I did notice a reduction on mpg in my car and I will not be buying fuel from the supermarkets again.
John Angiolini
036444
036444