Next Generation Fuels and Vehicles

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Next Generation Fuels and Vehicles

• David KittelsonCenter for Diesel
  ResearchDepartment of Mechanical
  EngineeringUniversity of Minnesota
• NextGen Technical Advisory Workshop on Bioenergy
• Minnesota Department of Commerce
• September 12, 2007

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Outline

• Introduction
• Ethanol
• Biodiesel
• DME
• Plug-in Hybrid

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Alternative transportation fuels

• Non petroleum fossil fuels
• CNG
• LPG
• Coal and natural gas based synthetic fuels
  (Fischer-Tropsch)
• Biofuels
• Near term
• Long term
• Conservation
• Energy carriers
• Electricity (high grade, already work)
• Hydrogen (low grade, must be converted to work)

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Alternative transportation fuels

• Biofuels
• Near term
• Ethanol (corn, wheat, sugar,..)
• Biodiesel FAME (soy, canola, rapeseed, palm,..)
• Biogas (plant and animal waste)
• Long term
• Biological conversion process
• Ethanol (cellulose, sorghum, cassava,..)
• Biodiesel (camelina, algae, jatropha, castor,..)
• Butanol (beet sugar, cellulose,..)
• Thermochemical conversion process (cellulosic
  materials, wood, grasses, etc.)
• Fischer-Tropsch liquids
• NExBTL biodiesel (from plant and animal oils)
• Dimethyl Ether
• Methanol
• Mixed alcohols

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Renewable Fuels for Engines

• Gasoline engine fuels
• Ethanol
• Works well in standard automotive engines in
  blends up to 20, any blend to E85 works in
  flexible fuel engines
• Potential efficiency gains in dedicated E85
  engines
• Recent emission concerns
• Non fungible
• Butanol
• Promoted by BP, Dupont and British Sugar
• Similar to gasoline in performance and emissions
• Fungible
• Biogas
• Requires engine modifications for gaseous fuel
• Mainly used in stationary engines but sold in
  service stations in Sweden
• Some power reduction
• Methanol
• Toxic and corrosive but excellent racing fuel
• Has been considered seriously in the past

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Renewable Fuels for Engines

• Diesel engine fuels
• Biodiesel (FAME fatty acid methyl ester)
• Compatible with most engines in blends up to 20
• Reduced CO, HC, and PM emissions
• Oxidative stability
• Cold weather issues
• Fischer-Tropsch liquids
• Very high grade synthetic diesel fuel
• Reduced emissions
• NexBTL
• Developed by Neste Oil, Finland
• Very similar to Fischer-Tropsch liquids
• Dimethyl Ether (DME)
• Promoted by Volvo, Mitsubishi, Nissan
• LP gas
• Very low emissions
• Requires modified engine and fuel system

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Ethanol

• E10 (10 ethanol, 90 gasoline) is well
  established and works well in modern vehicles
• Minnesota already produces enough ethanol for
  statewide E20
• E20 has been mandated for Minnesota in 2013 but
  must be demonstrated to be suitable for current
  and future vehicles
• Programs here and in Mankato examines many E20
  issues
• Cold starting, driveability
• Engine wear
• Corrosion, elastomer deterioration
• Emissions
• E85 and any other blend works well in flexible
  fuel vehicles (FFV)
• Gaseous emission similar to gasoline although
  some studies suggest increased emissions
• Lower particle emissions
• Slight increase in engine efficiency but 15 to
  25 fuel consumption penalty due to lower energy
  content of fuel
• Energy balance is a concern
• Current corn based ethanol is only 20 renewable,
  80 fossil
• Cellulosic ethanol much better, roughly 80
  renewable, 20 fossil
• Cellulosic ethanol could be made from corn
  stover, prairie grass, etc.

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Biodiesel may also be made from animal fat,
restaurant grease, canola, rapeseed, palm, etc.
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Comparison between biodiesel and petroleum diesel

• Little fuel consumption penalty
• Considerable engine to engine variation in
  emissions
• Reduced emissions of HC, CO, and air toxics
• NOx emissions vary
• Sharply decreased soot emissions but increased
  volatile particle emissions
• Minnesota law mandates most diesel fuels are B2,
  but the state currently produces enough biodiesel
  to replace 8 of diesel fuel
• Most manufacturers dont recommend use of blends
  higher than B5 to B20
• Solvency
• Cold flow
• Oxidative stability
• Quality control and filter plugging still issues
• Energy balance for soy based biodiesel about 50
  renewable, 50 fossil
• New feedstocks being considered
• False Flax (Camelina)
• Algae
• Genetic modifications of seed plants

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DME properties

• Physical properties similar to propane LP gas
• Nontoxic
• DME is a gas at ambient conditions and unlike
  MTBE is not a groundwater pollution threat
• Uses
• Aerosol propellant in the cosmetic industry to
  replace CFC propellants
• Diesel fuel
• High efficiency
• Soot free combustion
• Fuel system modifications required
• Fuel cell fuel
• Propane replacement
• May be produced from natural gas or biomass
  including wood waste, corn stover, prairie grass

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Well-to-wheel analysis (Volvo study)Energy
efficiency and Greenhouse gasesCourtesy - Anders
Röj, Volvo Technology Corporation, Fuels and
Lubricants
These figure include production, transport, and
end use. Ethanol figures are based on European
practice from wood or wheat
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Improving vehicle efficiency - conservation is
effectively a renewable fuel

• Hybrid vehicles (energy storage and second
  propulsion system)
• Electric hybrid
• Battery storage high energy density, low power
  density
• Electric motor/generator
• Hydraulic hybrid
• Hydraulic accumulator storage low energy
  density, high power density
• Hydraulic motor/pump
• Plug in hybrid
• Battery storage to allow electric only range of
  10 to 60 miles
• Larger electric motor, smaller engine
• Batteries are limiting technology
• Very large potential reduction in petroleum use
• Hybrids offer largest benefit for around town
  driving 25-70
• Diesel engines 30 fuel saving at same
  performance level

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Electricity as a transportation energy carrier
the plug in hybrid

• The efficiency of delivery of renewable energy to
  the wheels is 3 4 times higher for electricity
  than for hydrogen
• The plug in hybrid avoids most of the range and
  battery problems associated with conventional
  electric vehicles
• What is a plug in hybrid?
• Electric hybrid with larger battery and facility
  to plug in and charge from utility power
• A plug in with an all electric range of 40 miles
  could do 80 of all of the daily trips made by a
  typical driver on electricity alone
• This could lead to reductions in petroleum use of
  the same order about 80
• Many aftermarket conversion kits are available
  but the only current prototype from a large
  company is the Daimler-Chrysler Sprinter van with
  an electric only range of about 18 miles and fuel
  savings of up to 50
• Toyota and GM have both announced plans for plug
  in hybrids
• Batteries are the key limiting technology

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Hybrid systems some examples

• Parallel electric hybrid up to 30 fuel saving
• Honda Insight, Civic
• Allison transit buses
• Series / parallel electric hybrid up to 30
  fuel saving
• Toyota Prius
• Ford Escape
• Series electric hybrid up to 50 fuel saving
• DARPA HMMWV
• Parallel hydraulic hybrid up to 35 fuel saving
• EPA / Eaton / International collaboration
  developed new UPS (50) . FedEx (75) delivery vans
• Eaton / Peterbilt refuse trucks
• Series hydraulic hybrid up to 70 fuel saving
• EPA / Eaton UPS delivery van

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Conclusions

• Corn based ethanol and soy based biodiesel are
  the are the primary renewable fuels used in the
  US today
• Energy balance an issue
• Competition between food and fuel
• Cellulosic ethanol and biodiesel based on other
  oil seeds and algae offer future promise
• DME offers future promise as a second generation
  biomass to liquid diesel fuel that could be
  produced from many different feedstocks
• The plug-in hybrid offers potential for dramatic
  reductions in petroleum use

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Biodiesel Blends and Emissions
SME
SME
RME
FAME
Data from USEPA 2002
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Black liquor to engine fuels - Ideal use of low
grade biomassCourtesy - Anders Röj, Volvo
Technology Corporation, Fuels and Lubricants
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DME/Methanol Production Potential

• From black liquor gasification using existing
  pulp mills
• Total use of black liquor in the mill
• Finland 50 transportation fuels
• Sweden 30 transportation fuels
• Minnesota 4 7 transportation fuels
• Adding a small booster plant to existing
  Minnesota mill
• 7 million gallons per year DME enough for about
  700 urban buses (MSP metro fleet 900)
• Or 7 million gallons per year methanol enough
  to supply all the methanol needed by all
  Minnesotas biodiesel plants (6.3 million
  gallons) with some left over
• Estimated cost 2.20-2.30 / gallon gasoline
  equivalent with no subsidies
• Chemrec are talking to mill owners in the MN / WI
  region about building such a plant. They are
  carrying out a conceptual study for one of them.

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DME/Methanol Production Potential

• Using not just pulp mills but all readily
  available biomass sources
• NREL estimates that Minnesota has available
  biomass streams the could produce the equivalent
  of 100-200 current gasoline use via gasification
• This would require a number of large gasification
  plants but could be a very long term sustainable
  solution
• It is likely that different states will have a
  different mix of long term renewable energy
  solutions. We will no longer have monolithic
  petroleum
• A likely path to DME introduction will be initial
  use as a propane replacement followed by gradual
  introduction of DME vehicles
• Production of green methanol for use in
  biodiesel production and for fuel cells may also
  play a role

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Hybrid configurations

• A parallel hybrid uses power from an IC engine
  and an electric motor to drive the wheels
• A series hybrid uses power from the IC engine to
  drive a generator that supplies electricity for
  the electric motor to drive the wheels
• Plug-In hybrids use larger batteries to extend
  the range of the car minimizing the uses of the
  IC engine
• A series hybrid designs optimize engine
  performance but reduce vehicle performance