New York City Transit Hybrid and CNG Transit Buses: Interim Evaluation Results
1/2/2006
This report focuses on compressed natural gas (CNG) and diesel hybrid electric bus propulsion systems in New York City Transit buses. Both of these propulsion systems are alternatives to standard diesel buses and allow for reductions in petroleum use and emissions (usually focused on reductions of particulate matter and oxides of nitrogen). CNG propulsion is an alternative to diesel fuel use, and diesel hybrid propulsion allows for increased fuel economy, which, in turn, is a reduction in petroleum use.
Authors: Chandler, K.;Eberts, E.;Eudy, L.
Hydrogen Infrastructure Transition Analysis
1/1/2006
The analysis done in fiscal year (FY) 2005 built upon the FY 2004 work described in the March 2005 report, Analysis of the Hydrogen Infrastructure Needed to Enable Commercial Introduction of Hydrogen-Fueled Vehicles1. The FY 2005 project: Identified existing hydrogen production facilities and alternative fuel stations; Identified highway traffic volumes throughout the U.S. interstate system; Selected specific north/south and east/west routes as a focus for the project; Incorporated existing hydrogen production facilities, hydrogen and natural gas fueling stations, railroads, traffic volume, and county population data; Placed stations on the U.S. interstate network according to population density and station distances; and identified a significant potential to co-locate refueling with federal government partners. In FY 2005, analysis focused on using the basic refueling station network proposed in FY 2004 to evaluate various scenarios for transition. These strategies and analyses are described in this report.
Authors: Melendez, M.; Milbrandt, A.
FAA Inherently Low Emission Airport Vehicle Pilot Program
1/1/2006
This document is the Federal Aviation Administration's final report for the Inherently Low Emissions Airport Vehicle Pilot Program (ILEAV). The report describes the current level of ILEAV project activity based on information provided by participating airport sponsors in their progress reports of Sept. 30, 2005. The ILEAV program produced a total investment of over $14 million in airport low-emission technology, including federal grant and local matching contributions. The lessons learned from the ILEAV program have been valuable to the FAA and its development of new air quality initiatives.
Emission Testing of Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Natural Gas and Diesel Transit Buses
12/1/2005
In 2004, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory led an evaluation of the emissions of transit buses operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The goal of this project was to evaluate the emissions of natural gas transit buses and the improving baseline emissions of comparable diesel buses with advanced emission control technologies. The buses were tested for numerous regulated and unregulated emissions, including hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter, and various toxic emissions. The analysis demonstrated the emissions advantage of CNG buses as well as promising fuel economy results for the CNG buses compared with the diesel buses.
Authors: Melendez, M.; Taylor, J.; Zuboy, J.; Wayne, W.S.; Smith, D.
Development and Demonstration of Hydrogen and Compressed Natural Gas (H/CNG) Blend Transit Buses
11/1/2005
One approach being put forth for the advancement of hydrogen fueled vehicles is to blend hydrogen with compressed natural gas (H/CNG) for use in state-of-the-art internal combustion engine vehicles. Current natural gas engines and vehicles can be modified to operate on H/CNG with available technology. This report reviews a small-scale study of this concept. The project demonstrated that with minor engine and vehicle modifications, the 20/80 hydrogen/CNG blend can be used in revenue service fleets with similar operational performance as CNG. However, additional optimization of the H/CNG engine calibration is necessary to attain equivalent fuel economy, or alternatively increased fuel economy at equivalent NOx emissions.
Authors: Del Toro, A.; Frailey, M.; Lynch, F.; Munshi, S.; Wayne, S.
Heavy-Duty Waste Hauler with Chemically Correct Natural Gas Engine Diluted with EGR and Using a Three-Way Catalyst
9/1/2005
NREL and the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) through separate agreements are funding a program with Mack Trucks Inc. to develop the next generation heavy-duty natural gas engine to be installed in a refuse hauler. Mack and Southwest Research Institute developed the E7G 12-liter lean burn natural gas engine to operate with stoichiometric (chemically correct) combustion and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). This engine was coupled to a three-way catalyst for reducing emissions. The objective of the project is to develop a natural gas engine with nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions of 0.5 g/bhp-hr and 0.01 g/bhp-hr respectively with the use of a three-way catalyst.
Authors: Reppert, T.; Chiu, J.
Alternative Fuel Driver Training Companion Manual
9/1/2005
In the summer of 2004, EPAct and Clean Cities worked together to develop a course to teach trainers how to educate fleet drivers on the use of alternative fuels and vehicles. This manual features the information presented in the classes, including the safe use of four alternative fuels: biodiesel, compressed natural gas, (CNG), E85, (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), and propane.
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.
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.
Development of a Cummins ISL Natural Gas Engine at 1.4 g/bhp-hr NOx + NMHC Using PLUS Technology
7/1/2005
The initial project discussed in this report was to develop an 8.9L natural gas engine capable of meeting increased power ratings and reduced exhaust emissions. The power target was achieved, and the torque and emissions targets were surpassed. Because of the high torque and low NOx requirements, the engine design required increased levels of turbocharging and lean combustion operation. This created challenges related to the ignition system and mixing of the fuel and air to provide a homogeneous mixture and stable combustion, which resulted in a new spark plug design. Hardware revisions to the engine control module (ECM) were necessary to accommodate the new system requirements for sensors and ignition system interface.
Authors: Kamel, M.M.
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
Alternative Fuels Commercialization in Support of the 2005 Integrated Energy Policy Report
5/1/2005
California's demand for transportation fuels has increased 53 percent in the last 20 years and in the next 20 years, gasoline and diesel demand will increase another 36 percent. California refineries rely increasingly on imported petroleum products to meet this demand. In 2003, the California Energy Commission and the California Air Resources Board adopted a two-pronged strategy to reduce petroleum demand: promoting improved vehicle efficiency, and increasing use of alternative fuels. This report discusses those alternative fuels used in transportation, including biodiesel, electricity, ethanol, gas to liquid fuels, hydrogen, liquefied petroleum gas (propane), and natural gas.
Authors: California Energy Commission Staff