Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 7, 1985)
Wednesday August 7, 1985/The Battalion/Page 3 ATE AND LOCAL "< • • • - ethanol A&M profs find practical alternative to gasoline By BRETT MCGLAUN Reporter Two Texas A&M professors, [prompted to find an alternative for [gasoline during the gas crunch of the mid-70s, have found a safe and practical alternative to gasoline — jmethyl alchohol or methanol. Dr. William Harris, a professor in [the chemical engineering depart ment, says although the recession of [the mid-70s is over, another one is [just around the corner. “This time it will be a real scarci- |ty,” he says. Harris and Dr. Richard Davison, [ also of the chemical engineering de partment, have been working since 1974 on a system that would help a car convert its fuel system from gas- [oline to one that would burn both gasoline first and then methanol. Harris says the methanol fuel also would be a cheaper alternative. “Gallon for gallon there’s not as much energy available (about half that of gasoline) but cost is half as much as gas,” he says. Harris says the equipment a car would need is similar to that of a car using propane fuel — two fuel tanks and a conversion kit. “You would need a car that could run on both methanol and gas,” he says. Harris says the largest part of the research has been finding a conver sion kit that would work. This kit would trigger the conversion from gasoline to methanol. developed a conversion kit that works, but Harris says it is too bulky and bothersome. “It works much like a regulator a scuba diver would wear,” he says. “It works well. . ., but it’s not as efficient as we’d like and it’s relatively expen sive and bulky,” he says. Harris and Davison were working on a computerized switching system “We are in the final stretch and nowhere to go. Ids very frustrating. ” — Dr. William Hat vis, Texas A&M chemi cal engineering professor A kit is needed because methanol requires a higher heat than gasoline to become combustible. Thus the car would have to start on gasoline and, after heating up on the gasoline, convert to methanol, Harris says. “Methanol fuel takes about eight times as much heat,” he says. “You would probably end up burning a half of a cup of gasoline before switching over.” The two professors with help from some graduate students have when funding problems put a halt to their work. The new system would improve the switching process and come closer to equal distribution of fuel to each cylinder. “We are in the final stretch and nowhere to go,” Harris says. “It’s very frustrating. “What we need is to put the com puterized system on a motor and get the feed back,” he says, “then field test it.” Harris says public opinion about methanol as a combustible fuel has not been very good because of the heat factor and the corrosion of some of the engine parts by the acid in the methanol. “There’s a lot of bad news from a corrosive aspect,” he says. But he says the industry has made developments to get over those hur dles. Harris says methanol fuel is de rived from burning any carbon source, trapping and separating the chemicals that is released by that burning. In other words, when pe troleum becomes scarce, methanol fuel is the only fuel that would not “run out” over time. It can be re planted with trees, corn stalks, etc. Harris also says methanol is a clean burning fuel and does not have the cancer-causing effects of other petroleum fuels. He says that more than 12 cars have been converted and have logged over 100,000 miles with no complications. e admin- server of emuluk Gramm to keep fighting subpoena Associated Press DALLAS — A lawyer for U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm says an audit of Gramm’s election campaign fund by the Federal Election Commission would be “like tearing up a planted field and replanting it.” James Schoener, Gramm’s Wash ington attorney, said the senator is “ready to do everything the law re quires” but will continue to fight an FEC subpoena ordering him to turn over his fund-raising committee’s fi nancial records. On Monday, the FEC asked a fed eral judge to order the Friends of Phil Gramm, the senator’s fund-rais ing committee, to comply with the subpoena ordering the group to turn over its records. The request, filed in Dallas fed eral court, is the latest in a five- month-long effort by the FEC to au dit the records of the Friends of Phil Gramm. The committee helped pro pel Gramm into the U.S. Senate last November. The FEC since March said it had “reason to believe” the Dallas-based committee failed to correctly report contributors and expenditures and failed to “continuously report out standing debts” while accepting con tributions that exceed the legal limits per contributor. “We admit we didn’t disclose the debts, but we didn’t know what they were,” Schoener told the Dallas Morning News. He said Gramm recently spent al most $100,000 on a “complete and total . . . amended campaign filing” that should satisfy the EEC. The FEC subpoenaed Friends of Phil Gramm records on June 20, the day after the committee asked U.S. District Judge Robert Porter of Dal las to halt the FEC’s audit plans. e wastinj > days he- remark! 1-gun sa- t a note- cannons , should I £ to coraf r e have to l, “Whec id seetlie with die we must Memori- hole af- >ng com' over il, Your after tfe i?” ?en have s for our -ning" gone nt keeps 5 ts special is a state , Sills is talk the r missile* liters :or ie Hurl copotd -Smitt' eopeM ssavoyi zwspap''. AM an “ seoftl* aril / r t -s, (kw =>a/x r class'* *4a) U ur ' scat- ^ ri°n. Tjf K 77^- Panel to investigate allegations against Reagan administration A&M prof to head B-CS Eagle A Texas A&M professor was named editor of the Bryan-Col- lege Station Eagle Tuesday. Effective Sept. 1, Bob G. Rog ers will replace Glenn Drom- 1 goole, editor of the Eagle since 1981. Dromgoole is leaving to be come executive editor of the Abi lene Reporter-News. A graduate of the University of Texas and of A&M, Rogers taught journalism classes at A&M from 1968 to 1970 when he left to teach at the University of Wyom- ing. He rejoined the A&M faculty in 1974 and served as head of the Department of Communications from 1975 to 1982. Rogers said that it will be tough for him to leave the students but that he is looking forward to the challenges he’ll face as the Eagle’s editor. In addition to teaching, Rogers has served as The Battalion’s unofficial adviser. Rogers’ experience includes serving as the managing editor of the Austin American-Statesman. Associated Press WASHINGTON — A congressio nal panel will hold a hearing next month on allegations that the Rea gan administration held back money that would have gone for experi mental airport radar designed to de tect the perilous changes in wind di rection known as wind shear, House Majority Leader Jim Wright of Fort Worth said Tuesday. Wind shear has been considered a possible contributor to last Friday’s crash of a Delta Airlines jumbo at Dallas-Fort Worth International Air port, in which 133 people died. Wright, D-Fort Worth, and Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas, jointly an- AUSTIN — Texas authorities seized 130 East Texas marijuana plants Tuesday but made no arrests in conjunction with continuing fed eral raids throughout the nation, of ficials said. David Wells, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety, said authorities raided three pot nounced the hearing, which is to be conducted by Rep. Norm Mineta, D- Calif., chairman of the House Public Works Subccommittee on Aviation. “We were greatly saddened by the loss of life in the crash at DFW and appreciate Congressman Mineta’s prompt action to speed the imple mentation of NEXRAD (“Next Gen eration Radar”) to prevent tragedies like this from occurring in the fu ture,” said a statement issued by Wright and Frost. A spokesman at the Federal Avi ation Administration had said that the Office of Management and Bud get had told the agency to look at other radar systems before spending atches east of Lufkin that yielded 1, 33 and 26 plants respectively. “If pulled when the plant reaches maturity, each one has a potential street value of $500,” Wells said. “That could be $65,000 street va lue.” Two of the raids were in San Au gustine County and the third in An gelina County, he said. Authorities also raided five patches near Nacog- $55 million earmarked for NEX RAD. One NEXRAD system is in exper imental use at the airport in Mem phis. “The current efforts by the fed eral government to develop and implement the NEXRAD technol ogy needs to be accelerated, and this tragedy should put to rest the efforts by the White House and OMB to slow down funding for implementa tion of the NEXRAD technology,” said a statement issued by Mineta. Rep. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., had asked for a hearing into the crash. Many of the victims were from Shaw’s dis trict. doches, he said. Wells said an investigation is continuing, but no arrests were ex pected immediately. Although Texas authorities have been conducting organized searches since spring, Wells said the latest raids are part of a national crack down designed to force up the plant’s cost and prevent harvesting on federal land. Plants seized, drug raids continue Associated Press The comfort of soft contacts, at a very Soft contacts comfortable price. of the doctor’s prescription.Their flexible design makes them comfortable almost from the moment you slip them on. And the price fits right into your budget, too. 8!£ GE Texas State Ofticac Bryan 214 N. Main 779-2786/Post Oak Mall College Station 764-0010 Battalion Classified 845-2611 71 1 University Drive College Station, Texas Member FDIC UNIVERSITY NATIONAL BANK On direct deposit accounts. MAINTENANCE FEE FREE as low as $343 BILLS PAID One check pays all your housing expenses, includ ing top maintenance service, all electric kitchens, pool, lighted tennis courts, and security guard. ELECTRICITY BILLS? WHY BOTHER WITH 1601 Holleman, College Station, Texas 409/693-6716 At the VIKING ABUTMENTS Fantastic Prices & Locations Efficiencies-$250. 00 2 Bedroom-$350. 00 & up All bills paid except electricity — No utility deposit with city * Shuttle Bus * Tennis & Basketball * Crystal Clear Courts Pool * Exercise Room w/Saunas Huge Apartments-Lots of Closet Space Plantation Oaks Apartments Mo.-Fr. 8-5 Sat. 10-5 Sun.2-5 1501 Harvey Rd. Across from the new Post Oak Mall ''IfYI'l Professionally Managed 0570“ IUII by Lewis Roberts Co. IJVTERURBAJV Join usWednesday nights for frozen margaritas! Only ONE DOLLAR from 9:00 pm until closing. The IHTERURBAN 505 University Dr. "an aggie tradition" mN0C0NA BOOTS THE BOOT BA Largest Selection Lowest Prices in The Brazos Valley HOURS: M-SAT. 9:30-6 2.5 Miles east of the Brazos Center on FM 1179 (Briarcrest Dr.) In Bryan, Tx. 822-0247 AC MSC GROVE ^fr At-A-Glance August 7-13 Children (7-12) 1.25 Children (6 and under) ....FREE Showtime 8:45pm SESSION PASS 12.00 Gate Opens :...8:00pm SUMMER PASS 20.00