Description
Abstract: Ethanol as a blending component to gasoline fuels offers great potential for reducing GHGemissions, particularly in the US and European countries. In addition, lightweight aluminum materials are used in automotive applications. However, rising ethanol contents lead to an increasing entry of water and ions. The corrosive risk depends on the micro-solvation behavior of the fuel components and the adsorption reactions at the phase boundary between material and fuel. In this study, the impact of corrosive fuel components and their interactions on the corrosion behavior of pure aluminum (UNS A91050) has been analyzed. Using the methods of statistical experimental design, the components water, chloride, and acetic acid were varied at different ethanol concentrations. On the material side, corrosion features (corrosion degree, pit depth, and corrosion morphology) were investigated dependent on the fuel composition. The quantitative evaluation was determined by means of the contrast method and the multi-dimensional regression mode.
Authors: Rüdiger Reitz, Tom Engler, and Matthias Oechsner
Keywords: Gasoline, ethanol, aluminum, corrosion, immersion test, statistical approach