can ammonia be mixed with gasoline ?

A

ael65

certum quod factum
Registered Senior Member
I found that ammonia was used as a fuel for some modified internal combustion (IC) engines, it also was used in conjunction with gasoline but the 2 were fed separately. If ammonia is miscible with gasoline, then burning such a mixture may be more environmental friendly. (Something tells me that this is not a case, since I can't find any references to that).

Ammonia is a clean burning fuel with 15.3 MJ/l (compared to gasoline 36.2MJ/l, ethanol 23.4 MJ/l, liquid H2 9.9MJ/l) that can be produced from methane and holds promise for fuel cells, particularly Direct Ammonia PCC. Ammonia could also be produced from renewable sources only, since all input ingredients are: air + water + energy. It is easier to store and handle then hydrogen.
 
NH3 is not miscible with hydrocarbons. NH3 is a hydrogen bond molecule, while Hydrocarbons are basically neutral, in chemistry "like dissolves like". London dispersion forces are the only attractions between hydrocarbons and ionic/dipole/hydrogen materials. A way to dissolve hydrocarbons with Ammonia is to pressurize the mixture under (carbonated soft drinks).
 
They outlaw engines for putting out nitrogen oxides in the parts per million range. A few that is more than half nitrogen by weight is not going to pass anyone's emission standards and it is not going to be clean burning. It's going to pass nitric acids out the exhaust system.
 
Dissolving NH3 with hydrocarbons in high pressure and temp will end up with induced-induced intermolecular bonds, which are the weakest intermolecular attractions, and usually lasts only as long as the container is pressurized (coke bottle loosses its fizz after opening). But chemical engineers can make anything happen, they defy the odds, otherwise you will need a pressurized motor engine or a viscous fuel solution. Petroleum Hydrocarbons are more volatile than NH3(not sure), if the solubility of the mixture is not important, then we can burn off the Hydrocarbion first, though undermines the purpose.
 
OK, mixing is not a good idea. It sound a bit like mixing gasoline fuel with water (hydrogen bond molecule)

My interest in ammonia is as a potential clean fuel. It generaly burns cleanly (according to wiki) 4NH3+3O2=>6H2O+2N2, and will produce NO only with a help of catalyser. Some residual NO can also be removed in a catalytic converter as the demonstrated recently by Honda, where NH3 is purposly produced to neutralized NO, and then burned. However, NH3 performs better then gasoline when converted to energy by a fuel cell rather then IC engine (energy wise, not to mention 0 emmision)

Looking from energy balance and environment polution point of view we are better off converting:
CH4->NH3->energy
rather then:
CH4->NH3->(fertilizer)->(corn)->(ethanol)->energy
 
Are you certain tgat the reaction DOESN'T need a ctalyst to take place. My knowledge would tell me that NH3+O2-->NH3+O2 you need a ctalyst to have the reaction take place and it will always yeild Nitrous Oxide.
 
Perhaps there is a way after all that had been investigate by a military that would like to produce a fuel from air and water.

Professor Vito Agosta writes:

"At the present time, technology exists in which an emulsificant can be used as a component in a fossil fuel, so that the ignition properties of the emulsion are not altered. Ammonia can gradually be introduced as the emulsificant"

can someone explain what "emulsificant" are ?

the whole link: memagazine.org/contents/current/webonly/webex710.html
 
Thread I statred to suggest NH3 as moble fuel (easy way to store H2, for fuel cells, with more H2 per gallon than pure liquid H2, which is extremely difficult to store !) is at:
http://www.sciforums.com/showpost.php?p=1309370&postcount=2
I give link to first reply as it has reference to pattents etc, where as post one only suggests this is a good idea. There have been 23 posts, most with more information than here.
 
Billy T,

I looked at your thread and I agree with proponents of NH3 as clean energy source when converted using fuel cells (especially mid temperature Direct Ammonia PCC). This concept is all over the web. (I actually stumbled on your post while googling). I'm willing to take a leap of faith and assume that this is a winning bet.

Therefore I'm comming from a different angle: if ammonia is a future, can it also be integrated with current internal combustion (IC) engines and in process become widespread, if so how ? This will allow for ammonia infrastucure and distribution to be build, and once that is in place mass usage (cars,generators,...) based on fuel cells, not IC could follow.

The easiest way get there is to mix ammonia with existing fuel. Failing that perhaps providing ammonia separatly and modify cars (kind of flex fuel).
 
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