In article , Paul Sengupta wrote:
* September 2004, acquire Diamond DA40 tdi

Hmm, the Thielert looks nice, doesn't it. Perhaps I'll be able to
afford one in, uh, about 300 years.

I can't see why ethanol would be a particularly good fuel for planes;
it's hydrophilic (as opposed to gasoline or most petroleum products
which are hydrophobic),

Does it matter if it has some water in it? It might reduce the power/
efficiency, but it's not going to come in bubbles/streams to cut the
engine completely as it does now with avgas?

I read somewhere that current fuel systems and distribution
infrastructure is geared for hydrophobic fuels, so that might require
some change. Another thing might be that if you get too much water in
a gasoline-ethanol mix, the ethanol-water will separate from the rest?

it eats rubber and has a low energy
content. Certainly not a straight replacement for avgas.

How do cars in Brazil do on the stuff?

Fine I understand. The lower heating value doesn't matter that as much
for cars as for planes, I'd say. Also, cars typically have shorter
lives than planes and I think all newer cars have such rubber that
isn't eaten by ethanol. And for older cars, it's a simple matter of
replacing some hoses, as opposed to aircraft where you might need some
recertification etc.


--
Janne Blomqvist