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The purpose of this study was to determine the corrosivity of hydrated ethanol fuel, and to determine the effectiveness of soluble corrosion inhibitors in preventing this corrosion. Electrochemical techniques and laboratory immersion tests were used to measure the corrosion rate of certain fuel system metals in ethanol contaminated with water and other impurities. On the basis of chemical analysis of commercial fuels and corrosion rate measurements, a corrosive fuel mixture was formulated that was used to test the effectiveness of commercial inhibitors. Based on our tests, it would seem that inhibitors provide a reasonable method for preventing corrosion when hydrated ethanol fuel is used.

Eight exhaust gas condensates were evaluated for their corrosiveness towards plain carbon steel, Type 1 aluminized steel, Galvalume, and Type 409 stainless steel. Test methods included the use of anodic polarization measurements and a cyclic immersion procedure. The corrosivity of an exhaust condensate is affected by its chemistry, which in turn may he affected by variations in fuel, engine operating conditions, type of engine, and the emission control system. Condensate pH of those tested ranged from 2.3 to 9.0. Results of the corrosion tests showed that acidic condensates were generally the most corrosive, but that substantial pitting corrosion could occur with alkaline condensates.