Myth: 15% Ethanol Fuel Will Destroy My Engine

[Bill USA]

24. Here is NREL's 2012 test of vehicles using E0, E10, E15, E20 for 60k, 90k and 120k miles. IF there

had been ANY wear engine durability/problems with E15 (or E20), such as seals breakdown, in 120,000 they would have known about it (like perhaps engine fires might have tipped them off there was a leaking seal somewhere, or engine seizure due to loss of lubricant...LOL).

[font size="3"]NOte to administrators: this is a report from a U.S. Government lab. this information is in the public domain - no Copyrights apply.[/font]

Comparative Emissions Testing of Vehicles Aged on E0, E15 and E20 Fuels

http://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy12osti/55778.pdf

The 2009 vehicles were aged on mileage accumulation dynamometers (Section 3.3) and emissions tests were performed at approximately 60,000, 90,000, and 120,000 miles on the odometer (Table 2). The control vehicles were exposed only to RE0 and Cert_E0 ethanol-free fuels throughout the aging period and test process (fuels defined in Section 4). The RE15 vehicles were aged on RE15 fuel, and emissions tests were performed using Cert_E15 fuel, and then Cert_E0 fuel at each mileage interval. Likewise, the RE20 vehicles were aged on RE20 fuel, and emissions tests were performed using Cert_E20 fuel, and then Cert_E0 fuel at each mileage interval.

The present study is part of a multi-laboratory test program coordinated by DOE to evaluate the effect of higher ethanol blends, up to 20% by volume, on vehicle exhaust emissions over the lifetime of the vehicle. Six different vehicle models were chosen for testing at SGS Environmental Testing Corporation. Four types of vehicles from the 2009 model year were aged to 120,000 miles, and two types of vehicles from the 2000 model year were aged for an additional 50,000 miles over the starting odometer. The vehicles were aged under very consistent and controlled conditions by running them on mileage accumulation dynamometers using the Standard Road Cycle.

The fuels used to age the vehicles, or “aging fuels,” were designated as RE0, RE15, and RE20 to indicate the ethanol content. Emissions tests were performed using fuels designated as Cert_E0, Cert_E15, and Cert_E20 to indicate the amount of ethanol splash-blended into certification gasoline.

For each vehicle model chosen for testing, three closely matched vehicles were recruited. The three vehicles in the set all had the same engine family and evaporative emissions family. One vehicle was aged on ethanol-free fuel (RE0), one aged on 15 vol% ethanol splash blended into gasoline (RE15), and one on 20 vol% ethanol splash blended into gasoline (RE20). The test plan was designed to establish baseline (pre-aging) exhaust emissions, and then to periodically retest the eighteen vehicles in the study following mileage accumulation to quantify the change of exhaust emissions as the vehicles aged. For each vehicle model, the test results for the vehicles aged on RE0, RE15, and RE20 fuels were directly compared to assess the impact of ethanol content on exhaust emissions deterioration.

The conclusions drawn here apply to the six vehicle models tested. The reader is referred to the DOE V4 Program Rep

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Two makes and models were tested from the 2000 model year. Both the 2000 Accord and 2000 Focus were certified to EPA NLEV standards. The cars were recruited from the public fleet by others and provided to SGS-ETC for testing. Significant operational problems and failures were encountered with some of the model year 2000 cars provided (Section 5), and testing was restarted with spare vehicles to complete the test matrix. Only the vehicles that completed the test matrix are included in Table 1 and in the results sections. The starting odometers were within 6,000 miles of each other for the 2000 Accord cars aged on RE0, RE15 and RE20 fuels. The starting odometers for the 2000 Focus cars were significantly different, with the Focus RE0 having the highest starting mileage of 103,069 miles, about 33,000 miles higher than Focus RE20. The model year 2000 vehicles were aged on mileage accumulation dynamometers (Section 3.3). Emissions tests were performed at the starting mileage, and following approximately 25,000 and 50,000 miles of aging (Table 2).

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8.0 Conclusions

The conclusions drawn here apply to the six vehicle models tested. These findings are not sufficient to make conclusions about the use of higher ethanol blends in the nation’s legacy vehicle fleet. The reader is referred to the DOE V4 Program Report [Ref 3] for a comprehensive statistical analysis of 82 vehicles, including 14 vehicles from this study.

• The vehicles aged on 15% and 20% ethanol-containing fuels did not produce higher exhaust emissions compared to control vehicles aged on ethanol-free fuel, for all six models tested in the study.

• Blends of 15% to 20% ethanol into certification gasoline either produced no change or lowered NMHC and CO emissions for each vehicle tested, relative to the same vehicle tested on ethanol-free certification gasoline. NOx emissions were not statistically different for each vehicle tested on ethanol-containing certification fuels, compared to the same vehicle tested on ethanol-free certification gasoline.

• The mean NOx emissions increased over the aging period for 17 of the 18 vehicles in the study. Of these vehicles, five were aged using RE0 fuel, six were aged using RE15 fuel, and six were aged using RE20 fuel.

• For four of the six models tested, the vehicle aged on RE0 fuel had[font size="3"] higher exhaust emissions[/font] compared to the matched vehicles aged on RE15 or RE20 fuel. This finding contradicted the concern that higher ethanol content in gasoline may accelerate catalyst deterioration.

• The 2009 Honda Odyssey aged using RE0 fuel had higher NMHC, CO and NOx emissions at 120,000 miles compared to the vehicles aged on RE15 and RE20 with 95% confidence. The catalyst conversion efficiency for the HC, CO and NOx species was poorer for Odyssey RE0 as it aged compared to the other vehicles.

• NOx emissions from the 2009 Ford Focus aged using RE0 fuel were higher than Focus RE15 at 90,000 miles and higher than Focus RE20 at 120,000 miles with statistical confidence. All three vehicles in this set had significant deterioration of NOx emissions over the 120,000 mile aging period.

• There was no statistical difference in NMHC, CO and NOx emissions for the 2009 Toyota Camrys aged on RE15 and RE20 fuels compared to Camry RE0 after 120,000 miles of aging.

• NMHC, CO and NOx emissions were higher for 2009 Saturn Outlook RE0 compared to the vehicles aged on RE15 and RE20 fuels after 120,000 miles, with statistical confidence.

• The effect of the aging fuel on NMHC and NOx emissions was not statistically significant for the model year 2000 Honda Accords. CO emissions from Accord RE0 were higher compared to Accords RE15 and RE20 at 120,000 miles with statistical confidence.
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