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Steam Reforming of Ethanol at Elevated Pressures for Distributed Hydrogen Production
1/1/2006
Ethanol is an attractive renewable fuel because, as a liquid fuel, it has a high energy density, it is easy to transport, and it is environmentally more benign than petroleum-derived fuels. The hydrogen produced by reforming needs to be purified and compressed to the appropriate storage and dispensing pressures. Compressing hydrogen is energy intensive and can consume a significant fraction of the fuel's heating value. A promising option for producing hydrogen from ethanol is by conducting the ethanol steam reforming reaction at an elevated pressure, since injecting liquid feeds (ethanol and water) into a pressurized reactor requires very little energy.
Authors: Lee, S.; Papadias, D.; Ahluwalia, R.; Ahmed, S.
Operating Experience and Teardown Analysis for Engines Operated on Biodiesel Blends (B20)
11/1/2005
The work described in this paper provides quantitative in-use data on the operating cost and engine durability impacts of B20 use in U.S. Postal Service (USPS) vehicles. This was accomplished through teardown analysis of engines and fuel systems removed from these vehicles and comparisons of wear characteristics to standard diesel vehicles operated in the same service. Engine- and fuel-related maintenance costs were also compared.
Authors: Fraer, R.; Dinh, H.; Proc, K.; McCormick, R.; Chandler, K.; Buchholz, B.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - September 2005
9/1/2005
The September 2005 issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report is a quarterly report designed to keep you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels and conventional fuels in the U.S. This issue summarizes prices that were collected in the month of September 2005 from Clean Cities Coordinators, fuel providers, and other Clean Cities stakeholders.
Authors: Laughlin, M.
Energy Policy Act of 2005
8/8/2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT 2005) included measuring governing energy efficiency, renewable energy, oil and gas use, clean coal power, nuclear energy, and vehicles and fuels including the use of alternative fuels, hybrid vehicles, fuel cell buses, clean fuel school buses, automobile efficiency, and diesel emissions reduction.
Authors: Public Law 109-58, 109th Congress
Yosemite Waters Vehicle Evaluation Report: Final Results
8/1/2005
This study was a joint effort between the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The overall goal of the project was to evaluate the use of gas-to-liquid (GTL) fuel in combination with passive catalytic regenerative particle filters in real-world service and characterize regulated and unregulated exhaust pollutant emissions from GTL fuel in comparison to petroleum-derived diesel fuel.
Authors: Eudy, L.; Barnitt, R.; Alleman, T.
RTD Biodiesel (B20) Transit Bus Evaluation: Interim Review Summary
8/1/2005
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been working with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) of Denver, Blue Sun Biodiesel, and Power Service Products to evaluate the in-use performance of buses operating on B20 (20% biodiesel and 80% conventional diesel fuel). Nine mechanically identical 40-foot transit buses (five operated on B20, four on conventional diesel) are being compared over the same duty cycle, the 'Skip' route in Boulder, Colorado. In addition, laboratory tests compared the buses for fuel economy and emissions. This report summarizes the interim results for the period August 2004 through February 2005.
Authors: Proc, K.; Barnitt, R.; McCormick, R.L.
Overview of Advanced Technology Transportation, 2005 Update
8/1/2005
This overview of the 2005 transportation market includes hybrid, fuel cell, hydrogen, and alternative fuel vehicles. It covers vehicle sales, emissions, potential partners, advanced technology vehicle availability, and other factors. It also offers a "snapshot" of current vehicle technologies and trends.
Authors: Barnitt, R.; Eudy, L.
Biomethane from Dairy Waste: A Sourcebook for the Production and Use of Renewable Natural Gas in California
7/1/2005
This report examines the feasibility of producing biomethane from dairy manure. We investigated a number of possible technologies for producing renewable forms of energy and fuel from dairy wastes as well as applications and markets for these products. Although some of the applications proved to be technically or economically infeasible at this time, we believe that the information gathered could prove useful for other investigators or future studies. With this in mind, we designed this sourcebook for readers and investigators interested in exploring alternate uses of biogas created from dairy wastes.
Authors: Krich, K.; Augenstein, D.; Batmale, J.P.; Benemann, J.; Rutledge, B.; Salour, D.; Wright, J., Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, California State University, Fresno, CA
Well-to-Wheels Analysis of Advanced Fuel/Vehicle Systems - A North American Study of Energy Use, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Criteria Pollutant Emissions
5/30/2005
An accurate assessment of future fuel/propulsion system options requires a complete vehicle fuel-cycle analysis, commonly called a well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis. In this WTW study, we analyzed energy use and emissions associated with fuel production (or well-to-tank [WTT]) activities and energy use andemissions associated with vehicle operation (or tank-to-wheels [TTW])activities. Energy resources, such as petroleum, natural gas (NG), coal, and biomass, as well as the energy carrier, electricity, are considered as feedstocks to produce various transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel fuel, hydrogen (H2), ethanol (EtOH), compressed natural gas (CNG), methanol (MeOH), and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) diesel. The propulsion systems evaluated were spark-ignition (SI) engines, compression-ignition (CI) engines, hydrogen fuel cells, and fuel processor fuel cells, all in non-hybrid and hybrid electric configurations.This study updates and supplements a previous (2001) North American study, conducted by GM and others (General Motors [GM] et al. 2001), of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with advanced vehicle/fuel systems (GM Phase 1 North American study). The primary purposeof this Phase 2 study is to address criteria pollutant emissions, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 10 microns (PM10), and sulfur oxide emissions (SOx). We also updated the vehicle modeling for energyconsumption with the latest powertrain maps and added some additional propulsion systems, such as hydrogen internal combustion engines (ICEs).As in the previous study, the vehicle modeled was a 2010-model-year, full-sized GM pickup truck. The truck was selected because it is a high seller among light-duty vehicles (cars and trucks) in the U.S. market, and light-duty trucks account for a large proportion of the fuel used in the U.S. vehicle fleet. In our study, we attempted
Authors: Brinkman, Norman; Wang, Michael; Weber, Trudy; Darlington, Thomas
Quantifying Cradle-to-Farm Gate Life Cycle Impacts Associated with Fertilizer used for Corn, Soybean, and Stover Production
5/30/2005
Fertilizers used to increase the yield of crops used for food or bio-based products can migrate through the environment and potentially cause adverse environmental impacts. Nitrogen fertilizers have a complex biogeochemical cycle. Through their transformations and partitioning among environmental compartments, they can contribute to eutrophication of surface waters at local and regional scales, groundwater degradation, acid rain, and climate change. Phosphate fertilizers have a simpler fate in the environment, although leaching of soluble and bound phosphorus is an important contributor to eutrophication.
Authors: Powers, Susan E.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 28, 2005
3/28/2005
This is the fourteenth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between March 8 and March 22, 2005, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in November, 2004. The changes in prices from one reporting period to the next can be attributed not only to price volatility, but also to an inconsistent set of respondents. Thus, differences from one report to the next should not be assumed to reflect trends.
Authors: Lott, M.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - November 26, 2004
11/26/2004
This is the thirteenth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the prices of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between November 8 and November 19, 2004, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in June, 2004.
Authors: Lott, M.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - June 29, 2004
6/29/2004
This is the twelfth issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between June 14 and June 25, 2004, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in March, 2004.
Authors: Lott, M.
Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report - March 23, 2004
3/23/2004
This is the eleventh issue of the Clean Cities Alternative Fuel Price Report, a quarterly newsletter keeping you up to date on the price of alternative fuels in the U.S. and their relation to gasoline and diesel prices. This issue discusses prices that were gathered from Clean Cities coordinators and stakeholders between March 3 and March 17, 2004, with comparisons to the prices in the previous Price Report, which were collected in December, 2003.
Authors: Lott, M.