Structural Integrity of Materials in Fuel Ethanol Environments

Abstract

Nowadays, the use of liquid fuels is prevalent in the transport sector due to ease of storage. There are two different fuel types namely, fuels obtained from fossil resources and biofuels made from renewable resources. Typical biofuels in industry use include pure plant oil (PPO), biodiesel, ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), biobutanol and fuel ethanol. Studies carried out have shown that fuel ethanol can substitute petrol. In addition, ethanol can be blended with gasoline at any ratio depending on the circumstances and the desired fuel. Typical fuel ethanol blends in use are: E5, E10, E20, E25, E70, E85, E95 and E100. Remarkably, there have been evidences of stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of steel storage tanks and associated piping used in fuel ethanol service during the past decade. This chapter is therefore, centered on a description of structural integrity issues related to metallic and non-metallic materials in fuel ethanol environments. Prior research on the corrosion and stress corrosion cracking behavior of ethanol-gasoline blends are also reviewed.