02/09/07 Aquanol Power

Aquanol Power. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Thanks to the South Dakota University Collegiate FFA Organization - the nation`s first vehicle that runs stricly on water and ethanol is in South Dakota for the rest of the week. According to FFA member Jason Frerichs - the aquanol-powered van comes from the University of Idaho in Moscow. FRERICHS: It's a van they have out there, it's a diesel van and they basically pulled out the glowplug and inserted a smartplug that this fellow by the name of Mark Cherry has patented. With that smartplug it basically creates, he calls it a catalytic ignition. From there on out it runs on 35% water and 65% ethanol. It starts on that as well so it contunes to run on a hydrous ethanol product According to Frerichs - the University of Idaho really uses the van to show ethanol`s efficiency. FRERICHS: It seems like we are always faced with the question that when it comes to ethanol, how can we be efficient? Once in a while these studies get thrown out there and often times they prove to be false but the fact of the matter when you are adding 35% water, we're extending the efficiencies of the ethanol right there and the power output on it is increased by up to 50% gain in the actual power that is received from it so obviously miles per gallon is increased and things like that so it's fairly interesting technology. They had it back in times, they even dealt with some of this back in military times in World War II and stuff; this is the first automobile that has this water-ethanol technology. As Frerichs noted - Mark Cherry actually developed the smart plug that allows the van to run on this aquanol fuel. Frerichs says Cherry will be in South Dakota with the van - providing hands-on presentations with the ethanol and water-powered vehicle. FRERICHS: When he's here it's going to be on demonstration, he'll give a little presentation to kind of talk about how it works even though its cold outside it runs just fine when it's cold weather. It's about a 130 proof ethanol mixture when you add that water to it. The van was actually converted and delivered to Valley Transit in Lewiston, Idaho - the group who donated the van for conversion - in 1999. The van`s performance is constatnly monitored using onboard sensors and portable emissions equipment. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.