Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 4:30 PM
6-07
Increasing ethanol utilization in the United States
Brian West, Tim Theiss, and Ron Graves. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, P.O. Box 2008 MS6472, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6472
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 calls on the nation to significantly increase its use of renewable fuels to meet its transportation energy needs. Ethanol, already the most widely used renewable fuel in the U.S., is seen as a key component to compliance with this law.
The Department of Energy is heavily involved in several aspects of addressing increased ethanol utilization in the United States. Two paths to increased utilization are 1) increasing the legal limit of ethanol in regular gasoline from 10 to 15%, and 2) increasing flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) penetration and ethanol utilization. Extensive test programs are underway to investigate the effects of so-called mid-level blends on the existing legacy fleet of vehicles, engines, and infrastructure. Growth Energy filed a waiver petition in 2009 requesting that EPA legalize E15. EPA plans to make a decision in mid-2010, with their decision based heavily on the DOE test programs. For the longer term, DOE is investing in FFV optimization. Current FFVs are “ethanol tolerant” in that they perform adequately and with clean emissions with E85 fuel, however the engines typically do not take advantage of ethanol’s properties for improved performance in the area of fuel economy or engine power. The presentation will highlight ongoing DOE work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore the effects of mid-level ethanol blends on vehicles, small engines and infrastructure as well as research focused on improving FFV vehicle fuel economy and performance.
The Department of Energy is heavily involved in several aspects of addressing increased ethanol utilization in the United States. Two paths to increased utilization are 1) increasing the legal limit of ethanol in regular gasoline from 10 to 15%, and 2) increasing flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) penetration and ethanol utilization. Extensive test programs are underway to investigate the effects of so-called mid-level blends on the existing legacy fleet of vehicles, engines, and infrastructure. Growth Energy filed a waiver petition in 2009 requesting that EPA legalize E15. EPA plans to make a decision in mid-2010, with their decision based heavily on the DOE test programs. For the longer term, DOE is investing in FFV optimization. Current FFVs are “ethanol tolerant” in that they perform adequately and with clean emissions with E85 fuel, however the engines typically do not take advantage of ethanol’s properties for improved performance in the area of fuel economy or engine power. The presentation will highlight ongoing DOE work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory to explore the effects of mid-level ethanol blends on vehicles, small engines and infrastructure as well as research focused on improving FFV vehicle fuel economy and performance.