Website Produced By:

http://www.2020institute.org/

 

 

 

Worst Case Scenario

 

The Potential for methanol:  Hydrogen

 

Quick note:  Long time viewers may notice that our diesel numbers and thus numbers based on our diesel numbers have changed.  This is the result of our mistakenly entering the "low" value of BTU for petroleum based diesel.  This means that we jumped a gap of approx 9,000 BTU when comparing that value to the "high" value BTU of methanol.  To clarify, one BTU is the energy necessary to raise 1 lb water 1 degree Fahrenheit.  "high" value refers to this water in liquid state, "low" value refers to the water in vapor state.  Our apologies for this rookie-level mistake.

 

2H₂ + CO = CH₃OH  =>  2 mol H₂ + 1 mol CO = 1 mol COH₄

 

  Electrolysis achieves 100% efficiency @ 0.06587 kWh/mol H₂

 

At approximately 82% efficiency, electrolyzing 1 kg H₂ requires 40 kWh

 

1 mol H₂ = 2.016 g

1 mol C = 12.011 g

1 mol O = 15.999g

1 mol CH₃OH = 32.042g

 

4.032 g H / 32.042g CH₃OH = .125834 H in CH₃OH

 

.125834 kg H x 20 kWh / kg H = 2.51669 kWh  per kg CH₃OH

 

CH₃OH Density = .7918 kg / L

 

1 kg CH₃OH x (1 L CH₃OH / .7918 kg CH₃OH) = 9.52 kWh / gal CH₃OH

 

Every year the USA consumes 137 billion gallons of gasoline

 

Internal combustion gasoline engine = 25% efficient @ 125,000 BTU/gal

Internal combustion methanol engine = 43% efficient @ 63,000 BTU/gal

Future Fuel Cell methanol engine = 66% efficient @ 63,000 BTU/gal

 

137,000,000,000 gal gas/year  x 1.16 delta efficiency/BTU ratio x 9.52 kWh/gal CH₃OH

 

1.5129 billion MWh/year required to synthesize enough CH₃OH to replace gasoline.

 

Every year the USA consumes over 59 billion gallons of Diesel

 

Internal combustion diesel engine = 43% efficient @ 138,700 BTU/gal

Internal combustion methanol engine = 43% efficient @ 63,000 BTU/gal

 

59,050,000,000 gal diesel/year x 2.20 delta efficiency/BTU ratio x 9.52 kWh/gal CH₃OH

1.238 billion MWh/year required to synthesize enough CH₃OH to replace diesel.

 

1.238 billion MWh + 1.5129 billion MWh = 2.751 billion MWh total

 

 

2.75 billion MWh is approximately 70.9% of  the 3.88 billion MWh generated in the USA every year.

 

 

Efficiencies are rough estimates and vary with vehicle.  BTU/gal figures came from: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/docs_view2.asp?docid=778 and differ slightly from methanol institute: http://www.methanol.org/pdfFrame.cfm?pdf=FuelProperties.pdf  at 64,250 BTU/gal.  Methanol ICE efficiency of 43% is from: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/presentations/sae-2002-01-2743.pdf  Electrolysis efficiency used in calculations based on advertised efficiencies > 85%:

http://www.accagen.com/age-family.htm

DOE BTU chart: http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/pdfs/fueltable.pdf