Does ethanol burn hot or cold? (2023)

How hot does an ethanol fire burn?

Too Hot to Handle

The peak flame temperature of ethanol is 1,920 degrees Celsius (3,488 degrees Fahrenheit), while the peak flame temperature of methanol is 1,870 degrees Celsius (3,398 degrees Fahrenheit).

Ethanol burns hotter than gasoline and that could damage engine parts.

Ethanol only contains 77,000 BTU's (compared to gasoline 114,000 BTU's) but it requires 131,000 BTUs of energy to produce 1 gallon of ethanol. The decrease in BTU's can range from 3% up to 40% depending on the ethanol content.

Carbon Dioxide and Water Out: During combustion, the atoms in ethanol and oxygen are rearranged into carbon dioxide and water. The carbon dioxide and water leave the top of the flame.

From the results summarized in the table below, it is observed that kerosene generates more heat than ethanol. It also produces more carbon soot than ethanol. It was observed that even though both fuels combust to produce a blue flame, ethanol burns cleanly and does not produce any smoke or smell when blown out.

In conclusion, bioethanol fuel is a safe fuel to use, especially when compared to standard gas burning fireplaces and woodburning fireplaces. It emits no smoke or particles, just trace amounts of carbon dioxide that are no threat to you or your family.

Some people have reported engines overheating when ethanol blends are used, suggesting that ethanol burns "hotter." This is a bit mysterious since ethanol contains less energy per unit volume than gasoline, and the flame temperature of ethanol is more than 40°C cooler than gasoline.

Federal law requires that fuel ethanol contain at least 2% denaturant by volume, but the actual amount in fuel ethanol may be higher. Most of the gasoline now sold in the United States contains some ethanol.

However, most cars don't run on pure ethanol – in fact, running on higher than 15-20% ethanol concentration can cause engine damage because the engine has to be adjusted to account for the differing combustion property of that concentration.

Since the ethanol is hygroscopic, it absorbs water from the air, causing the fuel blend to separate. Ethanol can be extremely damaging to small engines and high-powered sports equipment, leading to corrosion of the engine and fuel system.

Which is better gas with ethanol or without?

Ethanol-free gas offers better mileage than fuel with an ethanol mix. Even if mileage efficiency is reduced by 3%, ethanol-free gas is better for the engine. There have been reports of ethanol mixed gas leading to rusting engine parts. Ethanol, by nature, attracts water and can cause damage.

Ethanol does come from agricultural products, although most farmers use diesel fuel to plant and harvest them. And ethanol does, in fact, burn cleanly. But it also increases "evaporative emissions" of smog-causing chemicals by about 25 percent, compared with gasoline that contains no ethanol.

Flammability At low temperature (32°), E85 vapor is more flammable than gasoline vapor.

2.6.

Pure methanol and ethanol generally burn cleanly with a bluish flame color and very limited luminosity. In daylight, it may be difficult to spot such flames.

Alcohol should not be used in a kerosene heater or lamp. Alcohol, i.e., ethanol, is too volatile and burns too quickly to use in its place safely.

Ethanol has a higher octane number than gasoline, providing premium blending properties. Minimum octane number requirements for gasoline prevent engine knocking and ensure drivability. Lower-octane gasoline is blended with 10% ethanol to attain the standard 87 octane.

Bioethanol fuel can be quite costly, but the efficiency of this burner is unrivalled. On average, bio-ethanol fires will burn for around 5 hours, with 1 litre of fuel costing around £2.50. Electric Fires – The most modern electric fires are extremely efficient.

No, bio ethanol fuel burns clean and doesn't produce any smoke, odors, ash, or soot. When you extinguish your fire, you might notice a faint smell, similar to when blowing out a candle.

Unlike its real wood burning counterpart, bioethanol doesn't emit harmful ash or soot byproducts. Instead, it produces heat, steam, and carbon dioxide—making it safe for use indoors (and outdoors).

Does ethanol run cooler?

Ethanol burns cooler than regular gasoline. It requires lower combustion temperatures. Also, it creates a thermodynamic cooling effect that regular gasoline doesn't offer. This is quite beneficial because E85 helps keep the engine cool.

The drop in fuel economy is because ethanol has lower energy content per gallon than gasoline. E85 also burns faster than regular gasoline because it vaporizes faster.

Ethanol and ethanol-gasoline mixtures burn cleaner and have higher octane levels than gasoline that does not contain ethanol, but they also have higher evaporative emissions from fuel tanks and dispensing equipment. These evaporative emissions contribute to the formation of harmful, ground-level ozone and smog.

Ethanol. Pros: Reduces demand for foreign oil, low emissions, high octane, and can potentially be produced from waste materials; existing cars can use 10-percent blends (called E10), and more than 8 million cars already on the road can use E85. Cons: Twenty-five percent lower fuel economy on E85 than gasoline.

Ethanol, a renewable fuel, has been blended in gasoline in the U.S. for over 40 years, helping reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality, increase our energy independence, lower consumer fuel prices, and provide value-added markets for American farmers.

Ethanol is an oxygenate, meaning it adds valuable oxygen to the gasoline. More oxygen in a fuel allows it to burn more completely and cleanly. Ethanol is 35 percent oxygen by weight, so a 10 percent ethanol blend produces gasoline with 3.5 percent oxygen.

Anhydrous ethanol can be blended with gasoline (petrol) for use in gasoline engines, but with high ethanol content only after minor engine modifications.

Pure ethanol – 100% ethanol or E100 – could theoretically be used to power cars, but generally isn't, for numerous reasons: Ethanol is bad for cold-starting, because it doesn't burn as quickly as gasoline. (It has a higher octane, if you're interested.) Pure ethanol would be useless as fuel in the winter months.

Ethanol is known to be an acceptable fuel for gasoline engines because it has a high octane number [13]. Pure ethanol cannot be used in diesel engines, but it can be used by in blends with diesel fuel.

Petrol cars can run on vodka.

"A regular spark-ignition engine won't run on vodka," he says. "You might be able to ignite a little bit of the vodka around the spark but the flame won't propagate throughout the whole mixture and burn all of the fuel because vodka is not alcoholic enough."

Can cars run on moonshine?

Only if it's really strong stuff. To power a car, moonshine—in this case, illicit homemade whiskey—must have an extremely high alcohol content, at minimum 150 proof (or 75 percent alcohol by volume), or 190 proof for best results.

The United States is the world's largest producer of ethanol, having produced over 13.9 billion gallons in 2020. Together, the United States and Brazil produce 84% of the world's ethanol. The vast majority of U.S. ethanol is produced from corn, while Brazil primarily uses sugarcane.

The process to harvest and produce corn-based ethanol creates more harmful emissions than normal gasoline, according to a new report published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

E85 is actually safer for your engine than regular gasoline is. E85 flex fuel not only powers your engine but also cleans your engine, fuel lines, and fuel injectors. That's because E85 contains a high amount of ethanol, up to 83%. Ethanol is an excellent cleaner.

Under the Hood Mechanics: Ethanol helps improve vehicle performance. It's clean so you have less carbon buildup in the engine. You have less sludge buildup, gum and varnish in the fuel injection systems, which is huge because you want a good, clean-burning fuel system.

In the United States, gasoline with an octane rating between 87 – 93 has 10 or 15% ethanol. These types of gasoline are referred to as E-10 and E-15. On the other hand, E-85 typically has an octane rating of 94 or higher.

According to Dan McTeague, a noted petroleum analyst, Shell and Esso 91 are both ethanol free.

Do bioethanol fires give off heat? Yes. The real flame provides a cosy atmosphere, but it also produces a comfortable toastiness for your room. However, we don't recommend replacing your central heating system with a bioethanol fireplace as it will not produce enough heat and will be expensive to run.

The flash point for denatured alcohol is 55°F (13°C) [10]. This means that ethyl alcohol not intended for drinking can have its vapor produce a visible flame, in the presence of an ignition source and oxygen, at a considerably lower temperature than ethyl alcohol intended for drinking.

Are bioethanol fires expensive to run?

Are bioethanol fires expensive to run? The short answer is no; bioethanol fires are not expensive to run compared to the cost of running wood or gas fires.

Gasoline may ignite from a nearby spark, flame, or even static electricity and become a “fireball” with a temperature of 15,000 degrees F.

How Much Heat Do Bioethanol Fires Give Off? In general, bioethanol fires produce around three kilowatt-hours of heat when the gauge is fully open. For some perspective on heat levels, an electric heater generates around two kilowatt-hours of heat, so a bioethanol fireplace will keep you suitably warm.

How long does it burn? In general, 1 liter of bioethanol fuel would last at least 4 hours on the maximum setting and up to 8 hours on minimum setting. Shutting the fireplace off early will preserve the rest of the fuel until you wish to light the fireplace again.

Unlike gas or wood-burning fireplaces, there is no need for a flue or chimney in a room with a bio ethanol fireplace. That being said, bio ethanol fires consume some of the oxygen in the room, which means that fresh air needs to be let in once in a while.

Pure methanol and ethanol generally burn cleanly with a bluish flame color and very limited luminosity. In daylight, it may be difficult to spot such flames.

Ethanol has a heavy, burning smell and emits bright blue flame. Methanol is unpredictable and has a characteristic odour. When burning it gives off light white flame. Ethanol is typically prepared by the fermentation of food crops from factories.

Ethanol is flammable and can also be explosive. It weighs more than air, so it drops out of the air fairly quickly, but if it is aerosolized then as little as 3.3% concentration in air can be easily ignited and then explode.

Drawbacks of bioethanol include: The amount of arable land needed to grow the crops in order to produce a large amount of fuel is immense. This could greatly impact the biodiversity of our environment as we could see natural habitats being overrun, including forests.

Typically, 1 litre of bioethanol fuel burns for around 3.5 to 4 hours (with the shutter fully open). Closing the fuel box lid halfway increases the burn duration, but reduces the heat output and the flame size.

Is bioethanol cheaper than electric?

Bioethanol fireplaces are more expensive to operate than electric varieties.

All resources that are burned as fuels or used to generate heat are measured by the British Thermal Unit, also known as BTUs. They are compared to each other by the amount of energy required to generate 1,000,000 units of heat. Anthracite coal is the hottest burning fuel in comparison to the most common ones in use.

Blue flames are the hottest, followed by white. After that, yellow, orange and red are the common colours you'll see in most fires.

You get a blue gas flame with a hydrocarbon gas when you have enough oxygen for complete combustion. When you do have sufficient oxygen, the gas flame appears blue because complete combustion creates enough energy to excite and ionize the gas molecules in the flame.