METEO 497A

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METEO 497A

• Reformulated Gas
• March 27, 2008

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Where Is it Required
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RFG

• Reformulated gasoline (known as "RFG") is gas
  blended to burn cleaner by reducing smog-forming
  and toxic pollutants. The Clean Air Act requires
  that RFG be used in cities with the worst smog
  pollution to reduce emissions that form
  ground-level ozone.
• MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) and ethanol
  are the two most commonly used substances that
  add oxygen to gasoline.

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Oxygenated Gasoline

• The idea of oxygenated gasoline is to promote
  fuller combustion, with more production of carbon
  dioxide and less production of carbon monoxide.
• This will not make much difference in the
  emissions from newer cars, whose tailpipe sensors
  will measure the fuel-air ratio and adjust
  accordingly. But it will cut emissions from older
  cars.
• Oxygenated gas may cut mileage slightly on order
  of 1.5-2 (EPA) or more?

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Volatility

• Volatility is cut by reducing the content of two
  chemicals that tend to boil away first, butane
  and isopentane, and some other chemicals that are
  slow to vaporize will have to be removed from
  fuel, he said, and slightly lighter ones
  substituted.
• Carbureted cars are the most sensitive to fuel
  volatility reductions and may tend to hesitate or
  stall. Cars with fuel injection will be affected
  less.

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Other Implications

• RFG must have detergents to clean fuel injectors.
  Impurities can plug a fuel port, throwing off the
  air-fuel ratio. Late-model cars have exhaust
  sensors connected to a computer processor that
  will try to correct the problem by injecting more
  fuel into all the cylinders, but this will throw
  off the balance in all the other cylinders,
  defeating the car's antipollution system.
• Another advantage of the reformulated fuel, is a
  lower level of sulfur.

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Cost

• When the new fuel regulations take effect,
  refineries will be so strained meeting the
  standards that they will not have the equipment
  to produce as much high-octane fuel Oil companies
  prefer to sell high-octane gasoline, Mr. Berman
  William R. Berman, the chief environmental
  affairs lobbyist of the American Automobile
  Association said, because the companies make a
  bigger profit margin on that grade
• Estimates vary on how much more the new gas will
  cost to produce. An additional 25 cents a gallon
  or so would not surprise many refiners and
  regulators.