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Old 12-01-2018, 10:54 AM
rotrex rotrex is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Germany
Posts: 187
Default Re: Nozzle spray angle...

no, unless you leave the reservoir cap off, a 50:50 (wt) mix will last pretty much for ever.
Do not use an aluminium tank for any methanol formulations unless it is coated on the inside with a appropriate coating.
Polymer containers work the best.

Air will slowly oxidises methanol in formaldehyde and formic acid. This in itself won't really bother your injection system.
Formic acid and methanol itself will slowly react into a ester with a distinct smell.
Methanol will react with formaldehyde forming hemiacetals and acetals. These have a distinct smell.
These chemical reactions of "aging" methanol exposed to air are very similar to what happens in raging spirits like whiskey or wine.
Their smell gets more complex over time as the above compounds are formed.
They all burn well and are only formed in rather small quantities with low reaction speeds given you start with high purity methanol.

Very high purity methanol has no intense distinct smell at all. It is almost odourless.

Ph.D chemist here. I have worked in the past with HPLC grade very high purity methanol and had a sniff. Natural curiosity.

The more "technical" grade it gets, the more off a soapy or booze like smell it gets.
As a mix with water, the oder intensity drops even more.

Some of the compounds you can smell are very volatile and easily vent off if you open the container. I'd not be surprised if you sometimes smell something and sometimes not.
Propanol and butanol have a smell that reminds me of technical grade methanol, especially when sprayed or hot.

This could depend of how long it was open before you exposed you nose to vapours, if the reservoir as cold or warm, direction of the wind....

When my car went into storage over winter, I have always drained the water methanol system.

Last edited by rotrex; 12-01-2018 at 11:02 AM.
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