Gasoline

by Bryan A. Thompson

Last Updated 2/10/2003

 

2 C₈H₁₈ + 25 O₂ --> 16 CO₂ + 18 H₂O + Energy

Gasoline + Oxygen --> Carbon Dioxide + Water + Energy

 

Overview

Gasoline is necessary for generators and can also be used for transportation, cooking and lighting in an emergency.  This documentation will discuss how to plan for an energency and store it for use in an emergency situations.

 

Energy, Density, Weight, etc

See the Fuel Comparison Chart (or as an Excel File) for more information.

 

Energy Efficiency and Energy Costs

See the Energy Efficiency Comparison Chart (or as an Excel File) for more information about how the generator compares to other forms of energy consumption.

Stored gasoline is cheaper per KWH than stored propane. 

My car gets about 32 Miles per gallon.  There are 36.33KWH/gallon in gasoline.  Therefore the energy required by my car is about 1.135KWH/mile on the highway.  Automotive engines are about 15% efficient. 

 

Cost to Store Gasoline

All you really need are some cans ($5 for a 5 gallon can, or $1/gallon) plus some fuel additive ($4 for 20 gallons, or $0.20/gallon), so it costs about $1.20/gallon to store the fuel.

 

Storage Information

It is necessary to use an additive when storing gasoline for an extended period of time.  I use a product called Sta-bil Fuel Stabilizer.  It's available at Walmart for about $4 and treats 20 gallons.  It claims to prevent the formation of gum and varnish and removes water.  It's supposed to keep fuel fresh for 12 months, longer if you use more of the product.  I stored some cheap 87 octane gas for at least 18 months with this product and it worked fine in my car after that time.

Gasoline storage for renters

Most leases have a clause about not storing fuel anywhere on the premises.

 

Amount to Store for an extended outage

First do an energy usage survey for electrical energy needs.  Determine the number of Kilowatt Hours you'll need per day and multiply by the number of days you want to plan for.  Then figure that in an energy efficient generator, you'll need about 1 gallon for every 5.8 Kilowatt Hours of electrical energy. 

 

Distribution

Probably keep a funnel around, and maybe a siphon if you store large quantities.