<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Dean</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">Coke has alot of lactic acid that corrodes
aluminum, but does not affect most plastics. In a previous life (NOT the
one when I served in Her Majesty's army in India) I formulated epoxy floorings
and coatings, which led me to the beer factories. The fab cost of beer
breaks down as this..</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">#1 cost = Taxes, which are determined
by the amount of alcohol. Hence light beer has 1/2 the alcohol, 1/2 the
taxes, and they charge the consumer the same price (not me or you no doubt).</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">#2 The container! Hence the reason for
the 3 types of coating you mentioned, which are by the way, is regular
epoxy, and the expensive is novolac epoxy.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">#3 Labor-after all they are Union. Once
had to work at Miller's over Thanksgiving. The plant was 100% shut down.
A group of workers came in everyday, clocked in and then proceeded to sleep
in the locker room or play dominoes in the cafeteria...after all the plant
was shut down, but their union contract said they had the right to work
that day.</font>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif">#4-ingedients, which is SUPPOSED to
be water, hops, yeast, barley NOT rice like Bud, Coors, etc. </font>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"> </font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
<br>
<br>
Gray Fowler<br>
Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Composites Engineering</font>
<br>
<br>
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<td width=40%><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><b>"Dean Pappas"
<d.pappas@kodeos.com></b> </font>
<br><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Sent by: discussion-request@nsrca.org</font>
<p><font size=1 face="sans-serif">07/26/2005 08:48 AM</font>
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<div align=center><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Please respond to<br>
discussion@nsrca.org</font></div></table>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">To</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif"><discussion@nsrca.org></font>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">cc</font></div>
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<div align=right><font size=1 face="sans-serif">Subject</font></div>
<td><font size=1 face="sans-serif">RE: Coke Bottle Fuel Tank</font></table>
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<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">Right-o Gray.</font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">PET is not good for either methanol
or nitro. Nitro will even swell Plexiglass.</font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">A word about BEER, though. Why
not?</font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">I used to design electro-chemical
corrosion rate monitoring equipment. The technical marketting guys had
a lab that would do experiments for customers, to prove the viability of
using E-C methods for their needs. When your standard product cost the
same as a Chevy Caprice, you do things like that for customers: kinda like
a test drive.</font><font size=3> </font><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">Yes,
we talked to a beer can mannufacturer. Turns out that all drink cans have
one of three coatings: 1) cheap, 2) good, and 3) better. Almost all beer
that comes in aluminum cans is internally coated with the cheap stuff.
All soda cans are coated with the best stuff. Back then, Keystone beer
advertised that their aluminum cans didn't taint the beer, and it was coating
#2. We proved it in the lab. Coke corroded the aluminum, through both coatings
#1 and #2, in no time. It does a pretty good job on the fancy coating,
too.</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">If you wanted to use an aluminum
can for a tank, you'd have to first take the coating out, with some solvent.
That sure would be light, though!</font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial">later,</font>
<br><font size=2 color=blue face="Arial"> Dean</font><font size=3>
</font>
<br><font size=3> </font>
<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman">Dean Pappas</font><font size=3>
</font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
Sr. Design Engineer</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
Kodeos Communications</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
111 Corporate Blvd.</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
South Plainfield, N.J. 07080</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
(908) 222-7817 phone</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
(908) 222-2392 fax</font><font size=3> </font><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><br>
d.pappas@kodeos.com</font><font size=3> </font>
<p><font size=2 face="Tahoma">-----Original Message-----<b><br>
From:</b> discussion-request@nsrca.org [mailto:discussion-request@nsrca.org]<b>On
Behalf Of </b>Gray E Fowler<b><br>
Sent:</b> Tuesday, July 26, 2005 9:25 AM<b><br>
To:</b> discussion@nsrca.org<b><br>
Subject:</b> Re: Coke Bottle Fuel Tank<br>
</font>
<br><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Wayne-o</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Are you crazy-mon? First, the bottles are Polyethyl tera phthalate....and
are NOT chemical resistant. Let me provide and example that I know
you can understand....BEER.</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Whether you realize it or not, beer has alcohol in it. Alcohol is deemed
in some parts of my industry as a "solvent". Other view it as
"essential", but thats another story. Until very recently, did
you ever notice that beer NEVER came in plastic bottles? Even now only
beer without any real taste (its raining beer!) comes in plastic, so they
can sell the stuff up north where the football fans like to throw things
at the Dallas Cowboys. Shrinkage comes from one of two things, first
you swam in the cold water way too long, or second you leached out what
is reffered to as a "plasticizer". A plasticizer is an additive
that allows the grocery store idiot to drop that bottle of coke without
explosion. It also is the stuff that you just ran thru your engine. When
it croaks, or when your glow plug croaks you will now have an obvious reason.</font><font size=3>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
Beer uses ethyl alcohol, we use Methyl, which is much more aggressive as
a solvent. Our real fuel tanks are made from polypropylene, which is VERY
chemical resistant in is un-plasticized form. As a matter of fact, if you
buy Methyl alcohol, it comes in polypropylene drum, because it will corrode
steel. As a matter of fact most fuel comes in polypropylene containers.....ones
with steel cans have an epoxy coating in them.</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
And now to debunk another myth........the above plastics are "thermoplastic"
epoxy is "thermoset". Epoxy (thermosets) does not get brittle
with age, unless you the user add some crap to it. 5 minute stuff
WILL as it is accidently plasticized by all the stuff used to jack up the
reaction.</font><font size=3> <br>
</font><font size=2 face="sans-serif"><br>
And one last thing.......... Beer + Plastic = bad taste, and as my Chemistry
101 professor so diligently demonstrated in mathimatical terms, you should
never drink light beer.....Instead, drink a real beer, followed by 10.52
ounces of water, then a real beer and another 10.52 ounces of water. Your
caloric intake will be the same as 4 light beers, but at least you got
to drink 2 real beers. <br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
Gray Fowler<br>
Principal Chemical Engineer<br>
Composites Engineering</font><font size=3> <br>
</font>
<br>