Ethanol mixed gasoline in Brazil

Good night everyone!

I'm a frequenter of this forum to seven months and I like the way issues are discussed here, and how I can get knowing about the Rotax 2-stroke engines, following the discussions posted here.

I would like to share my experience with the ethanol blended automotive gasoline used in experimental aircraft here in Brazil.

As you know, the Brazilian automotive gasoline has been added to 20% ethanol for two decades as a way to improve its octane features instead of lead. We dispose of this mixture in any gas station (with due care regarding the quality of it in certain positions) at about 84 octane.

As the Rotax 582 manual requires at least 90 octanes, I usually mix 30% of avgas (leaded) to reach the advice. About ethanol, I personally never had problems related to moisture.

I make my own maintenance and decarbonization, following engine wear and promoting all the necessary measurements. My Rotax 582 counts 371 hours, with the original crankshaft and within specifications. Some troubles that I had reports about fuels, were caused by the unreliability of the dealers in the country.

As for cost, I must say that automotive gasoline is attractive, even with the mix of avgas.

Here we have another option, which is "BR Podium" gasoline with 100 octanes, also mixed with 20% ethanol, but it has detergents that harm the lubricating properties of oil added into the mix and cost similar to avgas, therefore, unfavourable.

I hope had help you on some doubts about the experimental aircraft use of ethanol.

I am available to everyone and sorry about my poor English!

Hugs and good flights to everyone.

Rafael Peres

Uberaba-MG/Brazil

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Mixture adjustment.

Thank you Rafael, Have you had to adjust the carburetter for the 20% ethanol? I would expect that you would need to richen it up. Nev

Yes thank you very much Rafael,

We can learn much from Brazil about real life ethanol use. Brazil has many years of practical experience, and a good technical expertise, to know how to use ethanol successfully. We make such a big fuss about the possible dangers of 10% ethanol, and are afraid of it, while Brazil has figured out how to use much higher concentrations. I have heard of crop dusting aircraft running on 100% ethanol, and Australian-made Holden cars imported over there running on 20% ethanol mix with no problems.

- You say you have not personally had problems with moisture. Has it been a problem for other users??

- We hear that it will be a problem for some rubber and gasket materials. Has it been a problem there??

- We are told that the Rotax 912 series is OK with some ethanol, but the fuel system itself may be a problem. Do Brazilian users take special precautions??

Hopefully others will ask questions, and we can all learn more from the Brazilian real life experience, rather than just our 'arm chair experts'.

Once again, thank you for offering to help.

Please don't feel embarrassed by your English, it is quite adequate.

Ciao,

JG

That's true we use cropduster aircraft with 100% ethanol... All new cars since 2006 are both capable of burn gasoline and ethanol in any proportion. Since 2010, the mix ratio of auto gas and ethanol was lowered to 20%, instead of 25%, by market interests.

Everybody uses auto gas or avgas here... all my friends fly auto gas with 2 strokes Rotax engines and it's normal... as i sad, the only concern is the reliability of the gas station, and believe me, it's true...

I had a problem with the viton tip needle valve on bing, but it has about 100 hr of flying time and almost tree years in contact with the mixture... I Can't say if was caused by ethanol, therefore, is known that some rubber isn't compatible with ethanol (Dupont viton rubber too).

For the 912, everybody uses the 100 octane automotive "BR Podium" or avgas. The automotive, at least don't show lead deposits in the engine. All gas hoses and tanks here are made to support ethanol too.

In the Rotax, the mixture is the same recommended by manual and adjust chart of the bing carbs. No problems at all!

Great flights to everybody!

Hugs!

see like i been saying for some time the stuff ain't as bad as what you think, i been paying attention to the Brazilians for some years. it is your existing system that supplies fuel to the engine not the engine itself you have to deal with.. if you do some seaches here you will find some posts were i have added links to the ultraflight radio site with talks on how to deal with converting to your aircraft to ethanol use.