Q ) When you talk about storage
how practical would it be to store away a years worth of fuel and keep it from taking on water.
Glenn, Topica fourm,
July 4, 2006
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A ( Clem )
I work in the fertilizer industry.
I have access to anhydrous ammonia tanks that are no longer fit to run
up and down the road but are very good setting still. I plan to store my ethanol in these tanks.
They are are extremely strong and can withstand
vacuum as well as
plenty high pressure for what ethanol would
generate considering outside temperature changes in the midwest.
LP tanks
would also work very well. Part of the answer to your
question would be if you have this type of tank or tanks
available
at a cost you can live with.
Since the tank is completely sealed you do not have to worry about the
ethanol pulling water out of the air.
As the agriculture picture continues to change, you may find
an elevator or fertilizer
business closing, making the purchase
of large storage tanks practical to buy. Good luck, Clem
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A ( Peggy )
If your storage is hermetically sealed or at least very close
to being water tight, they should do fine for an extended period of time. In a vehicle, that sits and is not used, the fuel
tank may not be sealed.
Tanks have ventilation to prevent pressure buildup which
means that humidity and ambient moisture from rain or a car wash or splashing through puddles can sneak in. Peggy
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A ( Gilles )
Large transformers use ( at least did in 1975 when I was around them)
a silica gel type of salt that is placed in a chamber in line with the air breather that vents the transformer.
Due
to the nature of the isolating oil, the level of oil will vary by as much as 4 to 6 inches in a 24 hours period, depending
on the heat from electrical load and the ambiant temperature.
( This translates into some 125 Cubic feet in some cases.)
The 20 to 50 Megawatt units use as much as 8,000 Gallons of oil and the humidity has to be kept to below .1% or the
oil will get contaminated.
The setup is made of 2 drums filled with the salts, that alternate for dehydrating the air,
for a 12 hour period each :
1 ) Drum 1 does the dehydration while drum 2 recovers.
2 ) Drum 2 does the dehydration
while drum 1 recovers.
The recovery cycle is done using a heat source to redry the salts.
The setup is called ''Humidity
trap''
So, by using a humidity trap, the costs of storage can be brought down to an affortable undertaking. Gilles
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