Automotive Materials Engineering Challenges and Solutions for the Use of Ethanol and Methanol Blended Fuels (2010-01-0729)

Economic market forces and increasing environmental awareness of gasoline have led to interest in developing alternatives to gasoline, and extending the current global supply for transportation fuels. One viable strategy is the use of alternative alcohol fuels for combustion engines, with ethanol and methanol in various concentration ranges proposed and in-use. Utilizing and citing data from this review, a comprehensive overview of the materials selection and engineering challenges facing metals, plastics and elastomers are presented. The engineering approach and solution-sets discussed will focus on production feasibility and implementation. The effects from the fuel chemistry and quality of fuel ethanol produced on the related vehicle components are discussed. Through the discussions and analyses outlined in this review, the industry can benefit from a better understanding of the materials challenges and solution sets, subsequently improving the products and the customer experience, hence furthering the acceptance and adaptation of usage of alternative fuels and biofuels such as ethanol and methanol.