# Renewable Fuel



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

DME

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a potential second generation diesel fuel and propane fuel blending agent that is made by the gasification of coal, natural gas or biomass feedstocks. Production is expanding worldwide, but in the U.S. there is limited interest in DME because of technical and economic concerns. As a diesel fuel, DME exhibits excellent fuel properties. The physical properties of DME are quite similar to propane so the distribution and dispensing infrastructure will be similar. Propane dispensing equipment for on-the-lot refueling is one quarter the cost of E85 and one order of magnitude less than CNG. A propane refueling station for a small fleet can literally be delivered and installed within days of ordering, and the rule of thumb is that a refueling tank will be installed at no charge for a customer using 1,500 to 2,000 gal of propane per month.

As with most technologies, "the devil is in the details". Many alternative or renewable fuels look promising, but details marginalize them in the marketplace. Compared to diesel, or biodiesel, DME is one of those fuels: vastly superior cold starting, literally smokeless, quieter combustion, no fuel waxing in cold climates to clog fuel lines, low NOx emissions, lower well-to-wheel greenhouse gas emissions than diesel fuel, and potentially a CO2 absorber in its production.

Conversion of a diesel engine to DME does not require modifications to diesel engine internal structures or components, e.g. head, block, pistons, cams, valves, manifolds, cooling pumps, turbo - the only modifications required are to the fuel system. However the fuel system modifications are not trivial and although a DME diesel conversion system should be literally retrofittable, so far only one (very expensive) kit is available. The challenges in developing engine fuel systems for DME are mainly associated with its low boiling temperature of -24°C and its low critical temperature of 127°C. Solutions to the fuel temperature problems developed by other researchers are partial and expensive. Simpler, more robust solutions are found in medium-duty SI trucks equipped with liquid propane fuel injection patented by David Bennett a co-PI on the project.

The objectives of the project have evolved to include:
1) A business/economic analysis to demonstrate the viability of a Bio-DME as a transportation fuel in areas with substantial biomass resources like Minnesota;
2) A review of life cycle greenhouse gas emissions associated with Bio-DME;
3) Use of a single cylinder Navistar DME research engine donated by the US EPA to establish baseline performance and emissions of DME;
4) Design, prototype development and evaluation of new fuel system components to improve performance and emissions of the engine when fueled by DME;
5) Conversion of a 1.9 L General Motors diesel engine to operate on DME and the evaluation of performance and emissions;
6) Establishment of links between companies with gasification technology, companies with excess biomass that might benefit from producing DME, and end users that would benefit by fleet conversion;
7) Promotion of Bio-DME as a second generation biofuel for transportation and the economic benefits of producing the fuel in Minnesota.

Objective 4 is ambitious and will require more capital to complete. We plan to develop the DME fuel pump and license this development to raise revenue and demonstrate our capabilities. We are working with the University Foundation to raise additional capital so that we can move ahead with the development of other fuel system components. In particular the development of a new, lubricant free DME fuel injector will require extensive prototyping and testing. Our approach is to prepare a detailed design and protoype of each DME fuel system component and patent the technology. We hope to have a prototype DME fuel system ready for bench level evaluation in about a year. Our new fuel system components (transfer pump, high pressure pump, hoses and couplings, fuel rail and injectors) could be applied to direct injection of DME into CI engines and LPG into SI engines. A true dual fuel (propane or DME) engine then becomes possible.

http://www.me.umn.edu/centers/cdr/cdr_dme.html

http://www.me.umn.edu/centers/cdr/reports/E3_Kittelson.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6YWoGbm58E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3LiV9vviw8


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

DME has the highest well-to-wheel energy efficiency, 25% better than synthetic diesel fuel, and the lowest greenhouse gas emissions of any biomass-based fuel.










Well-to-wheel analysis for energy efficiency and greenhouse gases (Courtesy ***8211; A. Röj, Volvo Technology Corporation).
These estimates include production, transport, and end use GHG emissions.
KEY: DME dimethyl ether; MeOH methanol; CNG compressed natural gas; RME rapeseed methyl ester; GHG greenhouse gas.


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

DME


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Volvo Trucks in North America will commercialize heavy-duty trucks powered by Dimethyl ether (DME) in 2015. DME can be made from a variety of organic sources, including biogas from food and animal waste, wastewater treatment facilities and landfills. When produced from biomass or biogas, DME can reduce CO2 by up to 95 percent compared to diesel. DME can also be produced from North America's abundant supply of natural gas, and therefore has the potential to significantly reduce energy dependency.

Dimethyl ether (DME) holds much promise as a heavy-truck fuel, and could become a viable alternative in North America to compressed or liquefied natural gas when it comes to performance, environmental impact, safety and distribution.

DME is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless compound that can be made from a variety of sustainable domestic sources, as well as from North America's abundant supply of natural gas. DME mirrors the exceptional performance qualities and energy efficiency of diesel, and burns clean without producing any soot so no diesel particulate filter is required. It is non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, degrades rapidly in the atmosphere and is not a global warming agent. DME behaves similar to propane, so it's stored and transported at ambient temperatures in tanks similar to those used in the propane industry.

http://www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/na/en-us/products/alternativefuels/cng/Pages/DME.aspx

http://www.volvotrucks.com/SiteColl...uel/press_kit/Volvo Trucks_DME fact sheet.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8NF9psjg-Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zAUdZQk_M0


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

With numerous alternative fuels in the mix, why DME? It comes down to simplicity.
Simple Fuel.
Simple Engine.
Simple Infrastructure.

DME offers a clean-burning, non-toxic fuel that exhibits diesel-like performance but with propane-like handling properties.

Oberon Fuels is facilitating the growth of the DME transportation industry by converting biogas and other hydrocarbon rich waste streams to higher valued commodities such as DME. Using its proprietary small-scale process, Oberon makes DME and methanol from various methane and carbon dioxide sources. In 2013, Oberon Fuels***8217; pilot plant, in Brawley, California, produced the first fuel-grade DME in North America. This ASTM D7901 compliant fuel is currently being used in North American demonstrations of DME-powered, heavy-duty trucks.

DME (dimethyl ether) is a clean-burning, non-toxic, potentially renewable fuel. Its high cetane value and quiet combustion, as well as its inexpensive propane-like fueling system, make it an excellent, inexpensive diesel alternative that will meet strict emissions standards.

DME has been used for decades as an energy source in China, Japan, Korea, Egypt, and Brazil, and it can be produced domestically from a variety of feedstocks, including biogas and natural gas. Ideal uses in North America are in the transportation, agriculture, and construction industries. Because production is not dependent upon the price of crude oil, Oberon Fuels can offer stable pricing for DME, competitive with that of diesel.

DME is a gas under ambient conditions with properties similar to those of propane. However, because it can be stored as a liquid under moderate pressure, it eliminates the need for the high-pressure containers used for CNG or cryogenic storage of LNG.

The Benefits of DME:
***8226;	Burns with no particulate matter and minimal NOx
***8226;	Sulfur-free
***8226;	Price competitive with that of diesel; not tied to the price of crude oil
***8226;	Meets or exceeds strict emissions standards
***8226;	Simpler engine results in lower maintenance costs
***8226;	No spark plugs required
***8226;	Compression ignited, resulting in higher efficiency diesel engine
***8226;	Safe, rapid dispensing, similar to that of propane
***8226;	Spillage will not contaminate soil

http://www.oberonfuels.com/

Oberon Fuels has developed proprietary skid-mounted, small-scale production units that convert methane and carbon dioxide to DME from various feedstocks, such as biogas and natural gas. This small-scale process circumvents the financial, infrastructure, and permitting challenges that large-scale projects confront. Oberon units have the capacity to produce 3,000***8211;10,000 gallons of DME per day to service regional fuel markets and are therefore ideal for the owner of a fleet of heavy-duty vehicles making closed-loop hauls.

The Oberon units cost-effectively convert inexpensive natural gas, which is abundant in North America, to DME, a higher-valued transportation fuel. The units***8217; modular design makes it easy to deploy to remote stranded-gas locations that are otherwise costly to access, and also to industrial operations where waste CO2 streams can be captured to increase output. Huge reserves of natural gas make efficient conversion to DME a natural next step toward promoting greater energy independence and environmental security for the United States. In addition, feedstocks***8212;such as shale gas and biogas from animal, food, and agricultural waste***8212;can be converted to DME and monetized using the Oberon process.


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Ford Leads Project to Develop Near Zero Particulate Emission Diesel Cars That Could Run on Converted CO2

Ford announced at the 2015 Frankfurt Auto Show a research program in cooperation with the German government and Aachen University to produce a family of diesel-like fuels, which could give an internal combustion engine similar CO2emissions to that of an electric car. If successful, it could help to eliminate carcinogenic particulate soot.

Dimethyl ether (DME), and oxymethylene ether (OME1) can be produced as an offshoot from conventional oil and gas refining processes. The fuels are commonly used by the chemical industry as a non-toxic aerosol propellant and as an industrial solvent. As both burn cleanly, they can eliminate the current challenge of the production of carcinogenic and respiratory problematic particulate soot created by diesel engines. Both liquids can also be created away from the current oil refining system and use atmospheric carbon dioxide to create artificial liquid forms of both fuels.

The project could help deliver vehicles with a reduced carbon dioxide and particulate emissions on the market at affordable costs. The well-to-wheel emissions of DME fuels could be as low as 3g/km compared with the well-to-wheel emissions of an electric car of 60g/km, based on Ireland's mix of coal, gas and wind-generated electricity.

AACHEN, Germany ***8211; Ford is leading a ***8364;3.5 million research project to investigate the use of alternative fuels that could offer customers the power and performance of modern internal combustion engines with environmental benefits comparable to an electric vehicle.

The German government is co-funding the three-year project that will test the first-ever cars to run on dimethyl ether (DME), commonly used as a non-toxic propellant in aerosol spray gas, and oxymethylene ether (OME1), a liquid usually used as a solvent in the chemical industry.

Both ethers, which will power cars based on the Ford Mondeo, offer the potential for extremely low particulate emissions and enhanced fuel efficiency. They can be generated from fossil natural gas or bio-gas or through a sophisticated process called power-to-liquid that uses renewable sources such as solar or wind power together with CO2 captured from the air.

This promising technology is being investigated in a parallel project together with RWTH Aachen University researching the viability of different DME generation methods, looking at conversion efficiency, estimated fuel prices and infrastructure aspects.

"The CO2 produced by a car powered by DME from renewable sources could be comparable to the amount generated by a marathon runner covering the same distance ***8211; but with performance similar to a diesel powered vehicle," said Werner Willems, technical specialist , Powertrain Combustion Systems, Ford of Europe. "This is a project that could help place vehicles with a significantly reduced carbon dioxide and particulate emissions on the market at affordable costs."

Both DME and OME1 produce almost no particulates, and also share characteristics with diesel fuel that are expected to make conversion of diesel engines possible with comparable performance. It is estimated that DME from renewable energy sources could offer well-to-wheel emissions of about 3 g/km CO2.* Like liquefied petroleum gas, DME must be stored in a slightly pressurised tank. OME1 can be stored in a conventional tank system. The DME-powered engines are expected to benefit from almost soot-free combustion, higher thermal efficiency and excellent cold start properties.

For the project Ford European Research & Innovation Center, Aachen, Germany, will work together with RWTH Aachen University, the Technical University of Munich, FVV, TUEV, DENSO, IAV Automotive Engineering, and Oberon Fuels.** Through the FVV ***8211; the leading forum for joint research projects on engine technology in Germany ***8211; the project findings will be shared with key-players within the automotive industry.

"The growth of the world's population is putting ever-increasing demands on energy and especially fossil fuels. Alternative, renewable fuels like methyl ethers will play a pivotal role in the future," said Andreas Schamel, Ford's director Global Powertrain Research & Advanced Engineering. "DME is safe, burns cleaner than conventional diesel, and most importantly is versatile. The energy generated from solar, wind and other renewables can be stored within the fuel itself, and this enables DME and OME1 to be used across a range of applications."

* Comparison based on estimates which factor in the CO2 emissions resulting from fuel production, with the DME-powered vehicle figure calculated from the use of renewable energy to generate the DME fuel, and the electric vehicle figure calculated from electricity generated from renewable resources. The comparative figure for diesel is 113 g CO2/km

** DME from Oberon has received approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a biogas-based fuel under the Renewable Fuel Standard, meaning it can be used as a fuel in the U.S.

https://media.ford.com/content/ford...velop-near-zero-particulate-emission-die.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Internal Combustion Engine vs. Electric

In a recent speech at the North American International Auto Show, Tesla CEO Elon Musk defended electric cars, saying, "electric motors were 'fundamentally' better than gasoline engines in terms of efficiency." I am not sure what Mr. Musk meant, but let's look at some figures.

Do electric motors have less loss converting electricity to mechanical power?
Perhaps Mr. Musk means that electric motors have less loss converting electricity to mechanical power than gasoline engines have converting gasoline into mechanical power? Surely Mr. Musk knows that is a facile argument - electricity is a way to store energy, but it's not the source of energy. The electricity has to be generated first. To calculate the total impact of a vehicle, one must consider both the source of the energy and the impact of manufacturing (and later disposing of) the vehicle. When one considers the total life cycle impact of a vehicle, the picture is murkier.

Are EVs more economically efficient?
Maybe Mr. Musk means an EV is more economically efficient? Tesla's website offers a calculator that is supposed to help determine this. Their base case uses a cost of electricity of $0.12 per kWh and a cost of gasoline of $3.90 per gallon, with the gasoline vehicle getting 22 mpg. Using these figures, the Tesla is indeed more cost effective to operate than a gasoline vehicle. But, the price of gasoline has plummeted since their August 12, 2014 benchmark - the national average is now $2.14 per gallon. And, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the average fuel economy of cars in the U.S. is 36 miles per gallon. Using these figures, the Telsa Model S is still more economically efficient to operate than a gasoline car, $.035 per mile vs. $0.059 per mile.

But we also have to look at the source of the electricity. Across the U.S., 39% of electricity comes from coal. Perhaps the case Mr. Musk is making is that a coal-power car is more economically efficient than a gasoline powered car? That is not something to brag about, is it?

A coal-powered car?
Coal-powered cars are worse for the planet than gasoline powered cars, according to a recent study published by the National Academy of Science. When one considers both air quality and carbon dioxide emissions, the authors actually conclude:

"EVs powered by grid-average electricity &#8230; have greater negative impacts than do vehicles powered by gasoline."

Wait, what? A Tesla Model S usually sells for more than $100,000 or more than three times the average price of a new car in the U.S. and are subsidized by federal and state governments up to $10,000 and they are worse for the planet than a gasoline car? (Related question: Why we are subsidizing expensive cars for rich individuals that save them operating expense while causing more environmental damage?)

Changing the Grid
Well, one might argue, it will all make sense once we change the grid. What if the electricity comes from less carbon-intense sources? California's electricity comes from 60% natural gas, 12% hydroelectric, 9% nuclear, 7% wind, 7% geothermal, 3% biomass and 2% solar. According to the National Academy study, a EV powered from a grid that has 60% of its electricity from natural gas and 40% from "WWS" (wind, water, and solar) has about 61% less harmful impact to the planet than a gasoline car. That's good, right?

Yes, but there is a major problem. It is very expensive to move to a less carbon intense electrical grid. I live in California, so I know. Our electricity at home has a marginal cost of $0.36 per kWh (not the $0.12 Tesla uses in their calculator base case). The Tesla Model S can go 265 miles on 85 kWh, according to Tesla, or $0.115 per mile. A $50,000 BMW 5 series gets 34 miles per gallon, according to BMW. Premium gasoline at my local gas station this morning was $2.49 per gallon so the BMW costs $0.073 per mile to operate. A California Tesla S owner paid twice as much for his car, and pays 58% more to operate it. (In case you are wondering, at $3.92 per gallon, the Tesla S owner breaks even on fuel cost). And the BMW has a range of 629 miles vs. the Tesla's 265 miles and can be refueled in 5 minutes at any of the 168,000 gas stations in the U.S.

The Facts
The fact is that in most places in the U.S., EVs cause more harm to the planet than gasoline cars. If we invest enormous amounts to move to a less carbon intense electric grid (as California has done) AND spend 2x to 3x as much for our vehicles AND spend 58% more to operate those vehicles, than we can significantly reduce the harmful impact of automobile use (for the few that can afford to buy and use them).

Fortunately, there is a better way to reduce the harmful impact of automobiles while maintaining affordability and utility. In a paper we published at the SAE World Congress in April 2014, we reported test results that show we can already meet the fully phased-in 2025 LEV III / Tier 3 emissions standard while improving efficiency vs. a gasoline engine by 86%. Using the data from the National Academy study, this engine will reduce harmful impact of emissions and carbon dioxide by 42% - at about the same costs as today's engines and vehicles, using the same gasoline, and now in a vehicle with a range of over 1000 miles (San Diego to Boston with just two stops!)

If we put this new and better engine into a hybrid vehicle, we can reduce harmful impact of the car by 60% compared to today's gasoline car - virtually the same benefit as the expensive low carbon grid with an expensive EV with expensive electricity. But because of its much greater affordability and utility, this is a vehicle customers will want to buy and drive, without subsidy.

The Future
Petroleum based fuels are a finite resource. At least EVs prepare for a post-petroleum future, don't they? Not so fast.

In a paper recently published by IEEE, Dr. Sebastian Verhelst makes the argument that the ultimate solution for transportation is using solar power to formulate methanol or DME from H20 and CO2 for use in an efficient, clean internal combustion engine. Because DME has no carbon-carbon bonds, it does not generate particulate matter - the main contributor to health impacts cited by the National Academy in their recent study. Because DME is formed from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the net carbon contribution is zero. In other words, rather than electricity carrying energy from where it is produced to where it is used in our vehicles, DME is better suited to be the energy carrier because of the better cost and utility of creating, carrying, and using the energy.

Mass Impact Requires Mass Adoption
So maybe the hundreds of billions of dollars being invested in electric vehicles and infrastructure are misdirected and ill-fated. If an Achates Power engine, running on gasoline initially and DME eventually, can deliver the same or better benefits at much lower cost and much higher utility&#8230;well economic gravity takes over. A better solution that costs about the same as today's engines and vehicles, delivers much better efficiency and much lower environmental impact is a solution that consumers will want to buy and use.

To have mass impact, we have to have mass adoption. To have mass adoption, a solution has to be both environmentally sustainable and economically sustainable. It has to be cost effective for consumers on its own because it is impossible to subsidize at scale. Despite massive subsidies and despite historically high fuel prices until just recently, EVs have had virtually zero impact because they have had virtually zero adoption - according to the Wall Street Journal, just 0.3% of new vehicles registered in the U.S. since the start of 2012 are fully electric powered. We must do better. And we can - with the right solution. Achates Power is that solution.

http://achatespower.com/are-electric-vehicles-the-next-bubble/

http://achatespower.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2014SAE-Congress-Paper1.pdf


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Internal Combustion Engine vs. Electric

This post dives into more detail about the problems of using battery to store energy, particularly for transportation.

In short, batteries are very big, heavy, and expensive compared to gasoline (or diesel, or methanol or biodiesel, or DME or other liquid hydrocarbons) stored in a typical automotive fuel tank.

The article, Has the Battery Bubble Burst, by Fred Schlachter of the American Physical Society sums up the problem:

•	Gravimetric power density: Batteries weigh more than 150 times as much gasoline for the same amount of stored energy, 0.3 MJ / kg to 47.5 MJ / kg.
•	Weight is the enemy of vehicle efficiency, and a heavy battery compounds weight gain as the size of motors, supports, and suspension grow as well.
•	Volumetric power density: Batteries take up more than 80 times as much space as gasoline, 04 MJ / L to 34.6 MJ / L.

In other words, because batteries have about 100 times less energy density than gasoline, EV vehicles all face severe weight and range disadvantages. The weight of a $106,000 Tesla Model S P85D is 5010 pounds - similar to a large SUV.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-tesla-model-s-p85d-10000-mile-update-review

Another problem referred to by Dr. Schlachter is the very high cost of batteries. It is difficult to nail down precise numbers, but this article cites an industry insider and expert as saying it unlikely battery costs will drop below $200/kWh before the end of the decade. If this is the case, the $17,000+ cost of the 85 kWh battery in the Tesla S would, by itself, buy a nice, brand new car.

Moore's Law for Battery? 
We are used to seeing rapid improvements in the price and performance of electronic devices. Why isn't that happening in batteries? Quoting from the IEEE article:

"The essential answer is that electrons do not take up space in a processor, so their size does not limit processing capacity; limits are given by lithographic constraints. Ions in a battery, however, do take up space, and potentials are dictated by the thermodynamics of the relevant chemical reactions, so there only can be significant improvements in battery capacity by changing to a different chemistry."

The challenge of creating a better battery chemistry is very difficult. A battery must be: safe, light, small, cost-effective, disposable (or recyclable), and able to withstand thousands of recharging events while maintaining utility.

Yet another problem for batteries
The resources required to manufacture batteries may not be sustainable. This IEEE article points out that given the world reserves of lithium (28 million tons), the amount of lithium per electric vehicle (20 kg), and the number of car sold each year (60 million) we have enough lithium for only 23 years of an all-electric fleet. The authors note, "Even taking into account the possibility of lithium recycling, the competition for lithium in other applications would escalate price."

This article in Environmental Science & Technology notes that the high demand electric vehicles place on rare earth elements dysprosium (Dy) and neodymium (Nd) "may result in large and disproportionate increases in demand for these two elements."

Modern marvel:
I do not want to sound like a technology skeptic. Perhaps all these problems will be solved, and batteries will become small, light, cost-effective, and sustainable. It is important to note, though, that there is no solution in sight that solves even one of those problems. Meanwhile, we have a practical alternative that has already been largely proven and can achieve our goals of affordable, sustainable, clean transportation.

We are so familiar and comfortable with the internal combustion engine we sometimes lose sight of what amazing machines they are. The gasoline in a fully fueled car has about the same energy content as a thousand sticks of dynamite. The internal combustion engine safely uses this fuel, creating 50 controlled explosions per second, operating reliably for years and hundreds of thousands of miles. They operate at extremes of hot and cold temperature and at high elevation. They are so clean that emissions are now hard to distinguish from ambient air. They are made out of common materials, and therefore are so affordable that over 60,000,000 families each year buy a new one.

Perhaps most remarkable of all is that the Achates Power engine is much more efficient than the highly evolved conventional engines we take for granted today.

http://achatespower.com/the-problem-with-batteries-2/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PCtOXjqOyE


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Oberon Fuels. Ford Motor Company, and FVV have partnered on a 3-year, ***8364;3.5M project to research, analyze and test the potential of dimethyl ether and OME fuel in passenger cars and heavy-duty truck engines, and ultimately build the world's first production passenger car powered by DME for on-road testing.

New car based on the Ford Mondeo
The project will investigate the use of DME and OME as diesel replacements in passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicle engines, respectively. Technical preparations and combustion engine development will span the first two years of the project with the third year focused on building demonstrator cars based on the Ford Mondeo.

More about DME and Oberon's contribution
DME is a clean-burning, non-toxic fuel that can be derived from renewable sources. Its high cetane number and quiet combustion, as well as its inexpensive propane-like fueling system, make it an excellent diesel alternative for both passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles. DME-powered engines are expected to benefit from almost soot-free combustion, higher thermal efficiency and excellent cold start properties.

Oberon Fuels will supply DME for the project from its small-scale pilot plant in Brawley, California, which has a nameplate capacity of 4,500 gallons (~17,000 liters) of DME per day. In 2013, this pilot plant produced the first fuel-grade DME in North America, which is currently being used by Volvo Trucks, a division of The Volvo Group, in its commercial demonstrations of DME-powered, heavy-duty trucks.

Why DME matters now
DME and OME are C1 fuels - the simplest out there, with just the one carbon atom. The world is awash in methane, which is what these fuels are primarily made from, or syngas produced from heating biomass until it breaks into pure carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

Here's the environmental imperative: C1 fuels have no C-C bonds and produce minimal soot during combustion.

The commercial opportunity? Maus and Jabo note that "fuel costs for the DME engine were around 31% lower than diesel mode. Volvo/Mack plan to launch the series production of DME trucks in the US in January 2015."

Meanwhile, diesel generates around 30% more mileage than comparable gasoline-powered cars - put the two together and you have a powerful recipe for delivering value to a custoemr while making major strides toward matching stringent fuel economy standards that the US is moving towards.

OME fuel? Maus and Jacob observe that: "OMEs can be mixed with diesel fuel in any ratio and generally have high cetane numbers, good material compatibility, excellent low-temperature performance, high density and are toxicologically unproblematic."

What you can make DME fuel from
Food waste, syngas produced from heating biomass, stranded methane. Lots of attractive opportunites to acquire the raw materials cheaply for a valuable fuel.

Collaboration partners
In this international collaboration, Oberon will work with Ford, RWTH Aachen University, the Technical University of Munich, FVV, TUEV, DENSO, and IAV Automotive Engineering. Through the FVV, the leading forum for joint research projects on engine technology, all automotive manufacturers will gain access to the results and findings of the project, further building the market for DME as a diesel alternative. This project is partly funded by the German Ministry of Economy.

FVV is a worldwide research network of 170 international member companies across the engine supply chain, including researchers, engine manufacturers, component suppliers, and fuel providers. FVV has become the leading forum for pre-competitive joint research projects, for the exchange of knowledge between industry and science, and for training junior researchers for work in the industry.

Stakeholder reaction
"We must continue to find ways to meet the growing global demand for liquid transportation fuels with lower-carbon fuels and more efficient, cleaner burning engines if we are to ensure the long term sustainability of our planet," said Ralf Thee, project manager with FVV. "This is our most ambitious project yet, and we are pleased to be working with partners who share our commitment to innovation."

"Ford is committed to helping develop the market for alternative fuels, and DME has exciting characteristics," said Werner Willems, Ph.D., a technical specialist for powertrain combustion systems with Ford of Europe, and project leader for this initiative. "Not only does DME offer the efficiency and torque desired in a diesel engine, but it can be made from renewable waste streams and reduce the long-term cost of ownership, all of which are important to our customers."

"By bringing together numerous stakeholders up and down the supply chain, we will be able to accelerate the process of bringing a new, sustainable fuel to a wide range of vehicles," said Rebecca Boudreaux, Ph.D., president of Oberon Fuels. "By converting waste streams into clean-burning DME fuel, we can address global emissions as well as create new economic opportunities through more distributed fuel production and consumption. FVV's and Ford's leadership in this project are recognized and appreciated by all."

Oberon Fuels is launching DME (dimethyl ether) in North America as a clean-burning, alternative to diesel. Using various, domestic feedstocks such as food and green waste and natural gas, Oberon has developed a modular, small-scale process that cost-effectively converts a variety of methane.

DME is a clean-burning, non-toxic fuel that can be derived from renewable sources. Its high cetane number and quiet combustion, as well as its inexpensive propane-like fueling system, make it an excellent, inexpensive diesel alternative.

Oberon has developed proprietary skid-mounted, small-scale production units that convert methane and carbon dioxide to DME from various feedstocks, such as biogas and natural gas. This small-scale process circumvents the financial, infrastructure, and permitting challenges that large-scale projects confront. Oberon units have the capacity to produce 3,000***8211;10,000 gallons of DME per day to service regional fuel markets and are therefore ideal for the owner of a fleet of heavy-duty vehicles making closed-loop hauls.

The Oberon units cost-effectively convert inexpensive natural gas, which is abundant in North America, to DME, a higher-valued transportation fuel. The units' modular design makes it easy to deploy to remote stranded-gas locations that are otherwise costly to access, and also to industrial operations where waste CO2 streams can be captured to increase output. Huge reserves of natural gas make efficient conversion to DME a natural next step toward promoting greater energy independence and environmental security for the United States. In addition, feedstocks-such as shale gas and biogas from animal, food, and agricultural waste-can be converted to DME and monetized using the Oberon process.

The Situation
Last September, Oberon Fuels announced that DME is now approved for use as vehicle fuel in the state of California. This latest approval builds on earlier approvals and ongoing work by other regulatory bodies, including the US Environmental Protection Agency, the California Air Resources Board, and ASTM International, and will help accelerate commercial adoption of this low carbon fuel.

"The use of fuels like DME will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, improve air quality and lead to a positive impact on California and the environment," said Kristin Macey, director of the Division of Measurement Standards at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, which issued the latest approval of DME fuel.

"The State of California's approval builds upon the growing body of certifications that demonstrate DME is a low carbon fuel that meets both industry standards for performance and environmental standards for compliance," said Rebecca Boudreaux, Ph.D., president of Oberon Fuels. "These approvals are a key step in increasing confidence among distributors, engine manufacturers and fleet owners that DME is ready for commercial markets, which will benefit Oberon as we build out a global supply of DME fuel."

The State of California's legalization of DME for use as vehicle fuel is the latest milestone for the growing DME industry. In January 2015, the California Air Resources Board published their Multimedia Assessment Tier 1 report on DME, which evaluates publicly available data on the effect of DME on air, soil, and water.

Business Model
Build, own and operate, and technology licensing.

Competitive Edge
Here's the DME argument: there's no carbon-carbon bond, meaning no soot when burned; it combusts in a diesel engine, it is not tied to the price of crude oil., there are multiple feedstocks (e.g. natgas, biogas), and it handles like propane.

http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdige...irst-production-passenger-car-powered-by-dme/

http://www.ascension-publishing.com/ABLC15/Boudreaux.pdf

http://uploads.bobitexpos.com/Autom...ing_and_Future_Alt._Fuels_and_Powertrains.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7o7sSu9vIk


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

DME

DME is one of the most promising alternative automotive fuel solutions among the various ultra clean, renewable, and low-carbon fuels under consideration worldwide. DME can be used as fuel in diesel engines, gasoline engines (30% DME / 70% LPG), and gas turbines. Only modest modifications are required to convert a diesel engine to run on DME, and engine and vehicle manufacturers, including Volvo, Mack, Isuzu, Nissan, and Shanghai Diesel have developed heavy vehicles running on diesel engines fueled with DME. It is as a replacement for diesel fuel that DME particularly demonstrates its most distinct advantages.

http://www.aboutdme.org/

http://www.aboutdme.org/aboutdme/fi...002506/DME_Fact_Sheet_Transportation_Fuel.pdf

Why DME

• Excellent diesel cycle fuel (high cetane)
• Easy to store and transport (liquefies at low pressure & no venting)
• Clean (near zero soot) combustion (no DPF - Diesel Particulate Filter) 
• Cost Effective
• High well-to-wheel efficiency
• Low Global Warming Potential
• Synthesis from variety bio based feedstocks
• High biomass to fuel conversion efficiency
• Synthesis from natural gas
• Power density for long-haul
• Non toxic

Abundance of natural gas at low cost in US
•	Readily available feedstock for DME
•	DME from NG: cost effective vs. diesel
•	DME as transport fuel in ongoing field test
•	Bio-DME produced from paper mill residue

Why convert from natural gas (NG) to DME

Vehicle
• Low cost fuel tanks
• No DPF
• Longer driving range
• Potentially lower cost than diesel vehicle at high volume

Distribution Infrastructure
• No high pressure gas or cryogenic liquid
• Low cost, stable, long-term storage (no boil-0ff)
• Low cost fueling stations (like LPG)
• Transportation via low-cost tankers
• Potential for smaller, affordable production plants near feedstock and/or users

Total Operating Cost
• Diesel cycle fuel efficiency (potentially better than diesel) 
• Fuel cost potential less than diesel (NG or biogas feedstock)

Environment
• No smoke
• Low Global Warming Potential and No boil-off
• Petroleum use reduction

• DME can be stored indefinitely at ambient temperatures
• DME fills at relatively low pressure
• DME filling requires only a small amount of energy
• Low cost fueling stations (like LPG (propane))
• Transportation via low-cost tankers 
• Potential for smaller, affordable production plants near feedstock and/or users

http://www.methanol.org/getattachme...-845ad8c2b78e/DME_Briefing_Volvo_Alt.pdf.aspx

http://www.volvotrucks.com/SiteColl.../News and Media/publications/Volvo BioDME.pdf

http://www.sae.org/events/gim/presentations/2013/greszler_anthony.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L946kk7_NIE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UrH0KqAp5k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r4AtWk8Pqk


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

SVO

Until recently, vegetable oil was reserved for cooking. Now, a growing trend can have you pouring it in your diesel car. "When fuel prices are high, you can save hundreds of dollars a month," said Justin Carven of Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems.

It's an idea that sounds appetizing to drivers who already feel their wallets are drained. Three years ago, Michael Gudette converted his Mercedes from diesel fuel to vegetable oil. It's cheaper and burns cleaner. "I've saved thousands of dollars and the car has paid for itself," said Michael Gaudette of Woodstock, CT.

Alternative fuel is a trend that is picking up steam with motorists. "To be quite honest, I got into it for the economic reasons first. Then it was just sort of a nice bonus, all the other things that come along with it," remarked Graham Jones of Cooperstown, NY.

At Greasecar, a conversion kit will cost you $1,000. Money well spent according to those who've made the switch. Customers can fill up their tank at the full service shop for $1 less than the average price of diesel fuel. And if you're feeling even more adventurous, there are other "green" options for vegetable oil.

According to Greasecar, you can use pure vegetable oil from your local grocery store or walk into a restaurant ask them for their used vegetable oil. They say that with this option, just make sure you use a filter.

The emissions of regulated air pollutants have, however, a limited bearing on sustainability. Sustainability is a concept, which considers the impact of today's actions on future generations. Most atmospheric pollutants originating from internal combustion engines are short-lived, on the order of hours to weeks, after which they are destroyed during the natural cleaning of the atmosphere.

The emissions that do have a significant bearing on sustainability are not particulate matter emissions, but greenhouse gas emissions, primarily of carbon dioxide. The life of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is estimated to be decades to hundreds of years, which will affect future generations. Burning any fuel releases carbon dioxide. Diesel powered passenger cars typically release less carbon dioxide, per mile, than comparable gasoline cars. The source ***8211; where does your fuel come from ***8211; makes a huge difference. If your fuel is derived from fossil fuels, all carbon contained in the fuel eventually ends up as "excess" carbon dioxide.

If your fuel is derived from a renewable source, like vegetable oil, your engine still emits carbon dioxide, but, the plants from which the oil was made have already absorbed the same amount of carbon dioxide. Thus, with straight vegetable oil, you are emitting CO2 that has already been removed from the atmosphere. The net impact of SVO on levels of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is essentially zero.

SVO's environmental benefits are amazing. Instead of petroleum fuel, you can drive using a truly recycled product. The oil was already used once to make french fries, and now you can use it to get home. Emissions are lower than standard diesel, too.

http://www.greasecar.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndRQt48sTX8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4gEP0VeTOI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Pk38Yofwo


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

SVO

We're often asked what oils are good to use...we recommend Canola. Do not use a "drying" oil such as Flax (Linseed).

Add a "Straight Vegetable Oil" (SVO) System to the engine/vehicle fuel system. This supplies HEATED and therefore THINNED vegetable oil to the engine. The most commonly accepted, practical temperature for this is 70 degrees Celsius which is 158 degrees Fahrenheit. The SVO is heated, in our kits, by a combination of electric heating device(s), and by heat exchangers reliably and efficiently transfer heat from the hot engine coolant ("antifreeze") to the SVO.

In most cases, this is a "two-tank" system. The only exception, at this time, is that we offer a "SingleTank" system, for older Mercedes engines.

So, you start the engine on diesel fuel, or biodiesel, run it a minute or two (perhaps twice as long in winter as in summer), then you switch a dash-mounted fuel selector switch, and STRAIGHT VEGETABLE OIL (pure 100% vegetable oil, not "biodiesel" or vegetable oil/solvent mixture) is fed to the engine from a second tank. At the end of the trip, diesel fuel (the "start/purge") fuel is selected, and a short "purge" is done, to remove vegetable oil from the injection pump and injectors before the engine is shut down for longer periods (e.g. more than an hour, in warm weather, more than half an hour in cold weather). If the engine is shut off without a purge, a buzzer reminds the driver to do so.

We have also been experimenting with using what we call "Single Tank Heated Blend" or "STHB". This has been on a few cars only, using a 1999 VW 1.9 TDI engine. In this case, we use only used Canola cooking oil as the "waste vegetable oil" (WVO), at 50% WVO and 50% diesel fuel.

We are very careful about preheating the engine, using an engine block heater (minimum 20 minutes to maximum 2 hours, depending on ambient temperature), before any "cold" (engine sitting overnight) starts, even in warm weather. A VM2 filter and a Vegtherm Standard are used as heating devices. The lubricating oil is changed at 3000-miles intervals. We are using synthetic oil.

UPDATE as of August, 2015, 60,000 miles. We can only recommend the above practice/conversion to a blend of 50/50 diesel/Canola WVO, based on injector coking potential and emissions, etc. Otherwise, a 2-tank system is best.

http://plantdrive.com/

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53406526/PlantDrive Links/TDI_Emissions_FINAL-2.pdf

http://www.canolacouncil.org/canola-biodiesel/

http://www.canolacouncil.org/media/509083/1foodandfuel.pdf

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u...all the boxes being a better agro-biofuel.pdf

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/53406526/ebeggsthesis.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXv8mBrOkjk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xb039xHBcrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SaPfYXY57Q


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

SVO

The Escape from Berkeley gasless race, hosted by Shipyard Labs, traversed Death Valley and the Sierra Nevada, showing people across the country the diversity of options for running a car petroleum free.

The cars raced included a Dodge Dakota run on wood scrap with a dash of cow dung, a Mercedes Benz 300SD powered by veggie oil, and the race winner, a canola oil powered high mileage sports car. The winning car hit speeds up to 72 mph during the trip and made the 800 miles journey on only 12 gallons of top-shelf canola oil.

Average Fuel Economy _ 65 mpg
Average Speed _ 55 mph

http://www.kineticvehicles.com/XPrizeIntro.html#EFB

http://www.treehugger.com/corporate...red-car-wins-race-from-berkeley-to-vegas.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

SVO

Jack drove his Diesel car from the West Coast to the Vetter Challenge in Ohio, arriving late the night before.

Jack says:
I was quite surprised when the pump clicked off with less than three dollars on the clock, and it took me some careful squeezing to get it all the way up to $3.14, which was significantly better than I'd expected--better by about 50 cents, better by about a pint. I'd hoped to break 100mpg by a decent margin, but 127mpg was incredible.

This result at the Vetter Challenge was about 20% better than expected, and my ego won't allow me to jump up and cheer when I'm that far wrong, even when the error is in my favor.

I suspect the problem is fuel expansion with temperature. The day warmed up a lot between morning and noon, and compensating for one pint of fuel expansion gives a more credible 110mpg.

Of course, the main reason I broke 100mpg is that MAX (that's my car, Mother's Automotive eXperiment) is designed for efficiency.

The car is light, streamlined, and powered by an appropriate engine; a 32 horsepower three cylinder 1100cc turbocharged engine from Kubota's industrial line. MAX has adequate performance and excellent efficiency for what it is, but for the Vetter Fuel Efficiency Challenges, it's bigger than it needs to be and it has more weight, more power, and even more wheels than it needs. I think a similarly developed motorcycle should be able to beat MAX's temperature corrected mileage by about 50%...as demonstrated by Charly's and Fred's bikes.

We went a trifle over 100 miles, so if MAX took less than a gallon, then we'd beaten 100 mpg. The surprise was, it wasn't even close to a gallon, it was 0.818 gallon, $3.14, and when the official results were released, my score was 127.38 miles per gallon.

http://www.craigvetter.com/pages/2011- Fuel Economy Contests/2011-Mid-Ohio-results.html

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/100-mpg-incredibly-good-mileage-127-mpg.aspx

http://www.kubotaengine.com/products/engines/kubota-engine-line-up


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

SVO

What started in the summer of 2008 as an ambitious project to create a do-it-yourself, 100 miles-per-gallon sports car within a budget of $10,000 has come full circle. MAX (Mother***8217;s Automotive eXperiment) now has more than 100,000 miles in its logbook and consistently achieves 100 mpg at speeds from 45 to 55 mph.

The project proves triple-digit fuel efficiency is feasible ***8212; even on a tight budget, and especially if you build your own car. If I can make a 100-mpg car in my Oregon garage, what could the major automakers be giving us?

That said, it***8217;s important to understand upfront that MAX is not comparable to a modern sedan, with all of the creature comforts most drivers expect. But it doesn***8217;t need to be.

MAX is marvelously practical as a second car, or as a primary car for those who rarely need more space than a two-seater provides. You can use MAX to get groceries or go to work. It won***8217;t replace the minivan when you need to get your kid***8217;s soccer team to practice, but you likely don***8217;t need a minivan for most of your drives.

Fortunately, you won***8217;t have to stop at gas stations often. This 100-mpg car can run on diesel, biodiesel or straight vegetable oil. The engine is a 32-horsepower turbocharged diesel ***8212; specifically, a Kubota D1105T, which normally powers anything from RV generators to heavy-duty lawn mowers.

There are two major reasons MAX met its 100-mpg goal. First, its guiding design was to keep it simple. I wanted MAX to be small, light and streamlined, so I chose an efficient engine with the least amount of horsepower needed. Second, MAX doesn***8217;t reinvent the wheel: It uses the Locost chassis, a 32-horsepower Kubota diesel engine, and running gear (transmission, axle, brakes) from a Toyota Corolla.

I drove MAX for two years with an off-the-shelf Locost body because I had it in stock at my shop, Kinetic Vehicles. All that time, I knew I***8217;d have to make a better body to achieve 100 mpg. But over the course of thousands of test miles, I learned volumes about engine, drivetrain and chassis compatibility. At that stage, my only invention had been an adapter to fit the Kubota engine to the Toyota transmission.

This keep-it-simple principle paid off in 2008 during the Escape From Berkeley, a three-day road rally for alternative fuel vehicles. To qualify, I converted MAX***8217;s fuel system to run on vegetable oil, and I didn***8217;t even have to invent that ***8212; Plant Drive makes a conversion kit. Our only close competition during the 800-plus-mile Berkeley-to-Vegas race was Wayne Keith, who also takes the keep-it-simple approach with his wood gas truck (read about it in Wood Gas Wizard). MAX beat Keith***8217;s truck by a nose, and the pair of us finished a day ahead of third place.

MAX got 70 mpg on veggie oil during Escape From Berkeley. After that, it was time to find a better body design in order to get closer to 100 miles per gallon.

There were two vintage race car bodies streamlined enough to do the trick ***8212; the Lotus 11 and the Lola Mk1 ***8212; and I chose the Lola because race results showed it had a slight edge. By widening the Lola nose and stretching everything else, I made a close-enough-for-the-DMV ***8220;replica***8221; body that boosted MAX to 90-plus mpg. Adding a couple of bumps to the dashboard to deflect the wind took away the cockpit turbulence so my passengers could actually read maps while we drove.

The last few miles per gallon to 100 mpg took lots of attention to detail and optimization: Goodyear Fuel Max tires reduced rolling resistance; Drag DR-9 wheels decreased rotational inertia; and Lucas Synthetic lubricants minimized engine, transmission and wheel-bearing drag. I switched out all of the incandescent lights (including headlights) for Truck-Lite LEDs and covered most of the radiator air inlet with duct tape. The clincher was streamlining the belly by mounting a thin plywood sheet on the bottom of the car, from cockpit to taillight. That brought MAX to 100 mpg on the highway.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/gree...vehicles/build-your-own-car-zm0z13amzmar.aspx

Like most diesel engines, the Kubota D1105T that powers MAX doesn't have a throttle. Instead, it controls power by limiting the stroke of the fuel pumps (there's a tiny little fuel pump for each cylinder); less fuel = less power.

Since this ***8220;throttle***8221; controls a small amount of fuel instead of a large amount of air, it doesn't have to move very much.

In fact at full travel, that fuel pump controller only turns about 30 degrees. Compare this with the 90 degrees of a butterfly throttle and you see the problem: if we use the throttle pedal, cable, and cable cam that came out of the donor car (an ancient Toyota Corolla, in MAX's case) the pedal will only move 1/3 as far and be three times more sensitive than it ought to be.

My solution was to cut a quarter circle's worth of cable-attachment-and-guide off the Toyota's cable cam, weld it to a strip of steel, and bolt the assembly to the ***8220;throttle***8221; lever on the engine. Of course I had to figure out how long to make that strip and where to put the bolt holes. I needed four inches from pivot point to cable to get the Toyota's throttle pedal in synch with the Kubota's fuel pump lever.

I decided to get a baseline exhaust emissions reading for MAX. The probe went up the tailpipe, and out came the results: no detectable smoke, no unusual or excessive noise, no detectable carbon monoxide (CO), and a CO2 reading of 2.2 out of an allowable 6 for CO and CO2 combined.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/100-mpg-throttle-management.aspx

http://www.motherearthnews.com/green-transportation/100-mpg-max-gets-smogged.aspx


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Kubota Clean Diesel Solution (K-CDS)
Kubota engines offer clean performance that exceeds even the latest emissions standards, thanks to the latest advances in clean-engine technology. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) sprays the hot exhaust from the engine with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), which transforms the exhaust into harmless water vapor and nitrogen. The Common Rail System (CRS) electronically controls the timing and amount of high-pressure injected fuel in stages for optimal combustion, which results in greater efficiency, better fuel economy, and less engine noise. The combination of these two systems with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) muffler and an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system ensure the engine meet the Tier 4 Final emissions regulations.

Kubota has been executing emissions reductions for more than a decade. However, the biggest challenge took place with the introduction of Tier 4 Final which requires engine manufacturers to lower both PM (Particulate Matter) and NOx (Nitrogen Oxide) to a "near zero" level. Kubota's K-CDS meets those standards.

Kubota D1803-CR-TE4B Specs:
Direct Injection
Inline-3 cylinder Turbo
Common Rail
DOC
DPF
1826 cc
50 hp @ 2700 rpm
432 lb

http://www.kubota.com/product/Tier4Emissions.aspx

http://www.kubota.com/product/MSeries/M6101.aspx

http://www.kubotaengine.com/products/engines/vertical-diesel/kubota-03-m-series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5OfMh6u-K4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gmuHXQvXI8


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Yanmar TNV

Since creating the world***8217;s first practical compact diesel engine, Yanmar has been at the forefront of the evolution of diesel engines. Environmental performance is no exception.

Commencing in 2013, Tier 4 (19 < kW < 56) is the fourth stage of emissions standards set by the U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Compared to stage 3 it was a significant regulatory tightening, being referred to amongst some in the field as requiring emissions to be "cleaner than the air we breathe". The only way for engineers to succeed in meeting Tier 4 standards was an unhesitating willingness to venture into unchartered territory.

The most important characteristic of our Tier 4 compliant engines are the electronic control systems. Electronic control has been closely integrated into the engine and the difference is much greater than it first appears. To produce this engine, both the design and the production method of the engine had to be altered. It is no exaggeration to say we created a new diesel engine: a diesel engine for the future.

The diesel engine of tomorrow is in the making today. These innovations aren't limited to the engine's electronic control unit and R&D, but extend to other areas as well, such as a complete revamp of the production lines that make the engines.

Combining innovative technology and determination as a diesel engine maker, Yanmar's was the first engine to be certified by CARB (California Air Resources Board) for full compliance of Tier 4 standards.

This was followed by U.S. EPA Tier 4 certification, and now the engine is receiving high praise from customers all over the world.

TNV Common Rail Series (29 ***8211; 72 hp)
***8226;	Advanced TNV common rail series engines comply with EPA Tier4 and EU Stage IIIB non-road diesel engine emissions regulations, effective from 2013.
Yanmar Clean Diesel Technologies
***8226;	Direct injection to create clean-burning power
***8226;	Common rail system to allow fine-tuned electronic control of fuel injection
***8226;	Cooled EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx)
***8226;	Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) to catch particulate matter (PM) in the exhaust gas
***8226;	Fully-electronic control to provide total intelligent engine control

Yanmar 3TNV86CT Specs:
Direct Injection
Inline-3 cylinder Turbo
Common Rail
Cooled EGR
DPF
1568 cc
43 hp @ 3000 rpm
386 lb

https://www.yanmar.com/global/technology/tier4.html

https://www.yanmar.com/media/global...CooledDieselEngine/TNV_Common_Rail_Series.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lPa1DWEx-A

The new TNV engine series was developed to satisfy customer demand while complying with strict emission regulations. Yanmar***8217;s advanced combustion technology using a common rail injection system and cooled exhaust gas recirculation, which is controlled by a unique correction method, are used to achieve better engine performance. An exhaust after-treatment system is adopted for cleaner emissions. A total engine management system using Yanmar***8217;s original software maintains optimal engine performance by itself, by adjusting the engine operating parameters automatically based on physical models. It also helps to achieve reliable DPF regeneration using a unique regeneration strategy without changing the feel of engine operation. It also has the advantage of enabling very flexible designs.

Because diesel engines have low fuel consumption and excellent durability and reliability, they are widely used as a power source for industrial machinery. On the other hand, as concern for the global environment increases worldwide, emission regulations have become gradually stricter even for industrial diesel engines. Table 1 shows emission regulations in different countries. Tier 4 regulations (USA) and Stage 3B regulations (EU) have been enforced since 2013, and Tier 3 regulations for non-road special motor vehicles (Japan) have been enforced since 2014. These regulations reduce the emission of particulate matter (PM) to one tenth of the previous regulation values. Also, in Switzerland, regulations have been introduced for particulate number (PN), the number of PM. This is part of a trend of strengthening regulation of PM in particular. Fig. 1 shows the test cycle that has been added from the Tier 4 regulations in the USA. Tier4 engines must meet not only the previous steady state test cycle but also transient test cycle (NRTC). In addition, engines must also meet not-to-exceed (NTE) standards that limit emission under various work and environmental conditions. In this way, regulations are becoming more complex. To comply with such regulations, more advanced technology and completely new technology must be developed.

Yanmar has been working collectively as a company and utilizing its diesel combustion technologies cultivated over the years. The result was the market launch in 2013 of the new TNV engine series, which complies with the strict emission regulations described above and is the optimum power source for industrial machinery, enabling easy use regardless of the operating environment or operation methods. This article describes the technologies for compliance with emission regulations and the product strengths of the new TNV engine series.


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Yanmar TNV

The new TNV engine series is comprised of products developed to be even cleaner than before, without impairing the fuel consumption, power, reliability, and low noise performance that were characteristic of the previous models. Innovations have been introduced not only to hardware, but also to software, achieving high performance suitable for the engine operating conditions and environment. The selection of optimum devices and maintaining the same engine sizes as previous models provides flexibility for installation in a wide range of operating machines, and replacing previous model engines with the new one is also easy.










Fig. 4 shows an overview of devices used in the new TNV engines. New devices such as a common rail system and cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) are used to comply with the strict Tier 4 regulations. Also, a diesel particulate filter (DPF) is used as an exhaust after-treatment system to maintain clean emission and good operability in high load ranges, at which PM emissions from the engine increase. However, when the DPF accumulates PM from the exhaust gas, the exhaust pressure rises and excessive EGR is performed, causing the PM amount to increase. For this reason, the EGR ratio must be controlled to an appropriate level to reduce the risk of DPF clogging and the frequency of DPF regeneration. Also, because the allowable time to stop operations for DPF regeneration are limited in industrial machinery, there is a need to perform reliable regeneration while the engine is in use. Further, as an industrial engine, the same flexibility as previous models is required to enable installation in a wide range of operating machines with different layouts.

To meet these requirements, Yanmar adopted new devices and an innovative control software. Yanmar's original total engine management system calculates the conditions of engine and components based on a physical model to perform the optimum engine control according to the operating conditions. Installing this control system in the engine control unit (ECU) has reduced the risk of DPF clogging and the regeneration frequency as well as emissions. Also, Yanmar has developed its original regeneration control system to achieve reliable DPF regeneration in a wide variety of operating machines and work patterns. Further, the adoption of a control system that does not use an air flow sensor eliminates the man-hours required for making adjustments for each layout, making it easy to install the engine in operating machines.

By using new technologies in both hardware and software, as described above, Yanmar achieved the subjects to make the engines complying with Tier 4 regulations, resulting in strong product appeal.










Exhaust Emissions
Fig. 5 shows evaluation results of PM and NOx+NMHC emissions. 4TNV88-B engine, which is certified by EPA for Tier 3 regulations, emissions exceed the Tier4 regulation limit in NOx + NMHC and PM emissions. NOx+NMHC emission is reduced with using common rail injection system and cooled EGR without increase in PM emission with 4TNV88C. PM is reduced to one tenth of the previous level with employing DPF system. As a result, the new TNV engine series have achieved the strict Tier 4 regulation values.










Fig. 6 shows the measured results for PN. The new TNV engines use a DPF to greatly reduce the PN and achieve the regulation values. As a result, in the 19 to 37 kW output range, this engine is the first in the world to acquire certification for complying with the PN regulations enacted by Switzerland. It should be noted that PN regulations are under discussion in Europe to be introduced in the Stage V regulations that are currently set to go into effect from 2019. As of 2013, Yanmar's new TNV engine series had the potential to comply with these regulations.










DPF Clogging Risk Reduced by Yanmar's EGR Control
In engines equipped with a DPF, when the exhaust pressure rises due to PM accumulation as previously described, or when atmospheric conditions change, the EGR gas amount must be controlled to an appropriate level to maintain DPF quality. Fig. 7 shows the results of an evaluation of the EGR ratio, NOx, and smoke in the case of high exhaust pressure and low atmospheric pressure (high altitude conditions). As the exhaust pressure and atmospheric pressure change, the EGR gas flow is controlled to an appropriate level by Yanmar's original engine control, and by restricting the increase of smoke, the DPF clogging risk and regeneration frequency are reduced.










Work Efficiency Improved by Yanmar's DPF Regeneration Control
Periodic regeneration of the DPF is needed to remove the PM accumulated in the filter. Fig. 8 shows an overview of Yanmar's DPF regeneration control. Yanmar has independently developed a "three-step regeneration control" system. This is comprised of (1) "Assist regeneration" that does not use post injection (2) "Reset regeneration" that uses post injection, and (3) "Stationary regeneration" that stops work to perform complete regeneration. This control enables regeneration even in low-speed low-load operations where DPF regeneration has usually been difficult, as shown in Fig. 9. This achieves perfect regeneration regardless of the operating machine or work pattern. In addition, the adoption in this control of assist regeneration that does not use post injection achieves regeneration with low fuel consumption.

These controls result in a highly reliable system that achieves both reliable regeneration and low fuel consumption, which increases the work efficiency of customers.



















In the control described above, it is important to control the EGR to an appropriate level, and measure the air intake flow in order to perform reliable regeneration. Air intake flow measurement is usually performed in automobile engines with an air flow sensor. However, the air flow sensor tends to be affected by the air intake layout, requiring adjustments to be made for each layout. In an industrial engine that requires installation in a wide variety of operating machines, these adjustments require many man-hours, resulting in a major obstacle to installation.

Yanmar has created a control system that does not use an air flow sensor. This eliminates the adjustment man-hours required for installation, providing flexibility that can be easily installed in various types of operating machines.

Yanmar has developed the new TNV engine series to comply with strict emission regulations while also satisfying customer demand for performance such as power, fuel consumption, and work efficiency. These are summarized below.

•	Advanced combustion technology, and a common rail system and a cooled EGR system controlled by an original method are combined to achieve high performance for various operating machines and work conditions.
•	DPF, an exhaust after-treatment system, has been adopted to achieve strict PM regulations, and this engine is the first in the world to acquire certification for complying with the PN regulations enacted by Switzerland.
•	Yanmar's original DPF regeneration control results in a highly reliable system that achieves both reliable regeneration and low fuel consumption, which increases the work efficiency of customers.
•	The adoption of a control system that does not use an air flow sensor eliminates the man-hours required for making adjustments for each layout, making it easy to install the engine into operating machines.

https://www.yanmar.com/global/technology/technical_review/2015/1027_1.html


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Gemini

Whether it is for aviation, marine, industrial or land vehicles, the world needs to transition to more environmentally friendly, more fuel-efficient and more cost-effective engines.

The engine type of choice, of course, is the diesel.

Modern diesel power provides a number of significant advantages over gasoline engines:
•	New-generation diesel engines typically deliver much better fuel economy for the same horsepower output
•	New-generation diesel engines provide far more torque to the driveshaft at lower RPMs
•	Diesel-type fuels are some of the most efficient and energy dense fuels available delivering more power for each ignition cycle
•	New-generation diesel engines can run on diesel and bio-diesel fuels
•	Diesels have no spark plugs or distributors, so they never need ignition tune-ups
•	Diesel engines are built more ruggedly to withstand the stresses of higher, more efficient compression
•	New-generation diesel engines produce far fewer harmful emissions

Since the mid-1960's, Superior Air Parts has built a legacy as a leader in making general aviation engines greener, more attainable and more affordable.

Now, with the development of the Gemini Diesel we are bringing that same commitment to innovation to a new-generation of greener, more flexible and more economical engines.

Gemini's unique two-opposed-pistons-per-cylinder design offers a number of advantages over current diesel designs including:
•	Smaller size for greater installation flexibility
•	High power-to-weight ratio
•	Mechanically simpler design with fewer moving parts (no cylinder heads, camshafts, valves)
•	Highly-efficient two-stroke operation
•	Green operation with much lower emissions
•	Runs on available Jet A, diesel or bio-diesel fuels
•	Up to 20% lower fuel burn than avgas-burning piston engines
•	Retrofittable with many current piston engine designs
•	Horsepower ranging from 100 to 550

Gemini 100 Specs:
1.6L Flat-6
Supercharger
100 hp
160 lb
23 in Width x 16 in Height x 22 in Length

Gemini 125 Specs:
1.6L Flat-6
Turbo
125 hp
175 lb
23 in Width x 16 in Height x 23 in Length

We call it the Gemini because its unique design is based on twos:
•	Two-stroke power
•	Two crankshafts
•	Two-pistons-per-cylinder

The elegance of the Gemini's design concept can be found in the simplicity of its design and operation:
•	The cylinder's combustion chamber is formed between the crowns of the two opposing pistons
•	The cylinders are ported on each end for intake and exhaust
•	Gas flow through the cylinder is in one direction (uniflow), which produces more efficient scavenging
•	Design eliminates the need for cylinder heads, camshafts and associated valves
•	Design replaces the typical single crankshaft with two half-length cranks delivering greater torsional stiffness
•	Single-lever operation without an expensive and complex Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system

The new Gemini is a water cooled, two-crankshaft, opposed piston 3-cylinder 2-stroke. That means three cylinder bores, each with two pistons reciprocating towards each other. The dual crankshafts live at the outer ends of the engine where the valves and rocker arms normally found in typical horizontally-opposed aircraft engines.

The two crankshafts are mated through a geartrain terminating at the prop shaft in the engine's center. With the engine mounted in a flat configuration Superior says the packaging and weight are favorable.

http://www.geminidiesel.aero/

http://www.geminidiesel.aero/application/files/5014/2828/3029/GEMINI_GenInfoSht_LowRez.pdf

http://www.geminidiesel.aero/application/files/8314/2828/3030/GEMINI_100SeriesSht_LowRez.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhNbVaewhPI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNHWXq6PiEk


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Gemini

Superior Air Parts is taking direct aim at the market turf dominated by the Rotax 912 series piston engine with a 100 horsepower compression ignition diesel for experimental and light-sport aircraft called the Gemini 100.

The engine is a unique design adopted from a British-born aero diesel that's been in development for more than a decade by a now-defunct UK company called Powerplant Developments. Development engines have accumulated more than 10,000 flight hours on airships.

Each Gemini cylinder includes two pistons that work together to create the compression necessary for diesel combustion. Direct fuel injection is via a simple common rail system. The Gemini 100 engine is digitally controlled and includes a supercharger.

The engine is about 30 percent smaller than comparable avgas engines and contains fewer parts. Displacement equals about 100 cubic inches with a 20-to-1 compression ratio. Superior officials claim an LSA with 35 gallons of fuel can fly more than 1,000 nautical miles with a Gemini engine. A Rotax-powered airplane with the same fuel would be have a range of less than 800 miles, and Lycoming and Continental engines would have shorter ranges yet.

The ultra simplistic configuration features six horizontally opposed pistons housed in three cylinders, each sharing a common fuel injector and glow plug. Intended as a bolt-on replacement for the Rotax 912, the two-stroke, supercharged liquid-cooled engine weighs about 160 pounds with a projected 4.5 gallon an hour fuel burn at 75 percent power (running at 4,000 rpm with a reduction gear to 2,100 rpm at the prop).

The dual-crankshaft engine is a unique layout for the traditional aircraft engine market, but they are confident that the technology will be a viable replacement for the similar-sized Rotax 912, offering better specific fuel consumption and increased range on the same amount of fuel.

Featuring a cast aluminum block and iron piston sleeves, the engines will be produced at Superior's headquarters in Dallas, Texas. Superior says the engine will be just the first in a family of diesel products all the way to 550 horsepower for new OEM airplanes and aftermarket applications.

Superior plans to offer the Gemini 100 first for the experimental market, followed by ASTM approval for LSAs and finally Part 33 certification if a large enough OEM market emerges. TBO is projected to be 2,000 hours. Price for the aftermarket version of the Gemini 100 is targeted at $24,900.

Although the Gemini is a totally new engine, its two-opposing-pistons-per-cylinder design is actually based on the six-cylinder, 12-piston Junkers Jumo 205 engine. This was a well-established engine design that has been well proven through tens-of-thousands of hours aboard World-War-II era multi-engine German bombers and commercial aircraft.

Superior has taken the established concept of those engines and is working with a leading engine developer to improve on the basic design and create the new Gemini series diesel engines. And because it has been created for today's aviation needs, Gemini's unique design eliminates many of the drawbacks of current aircraft diesel engines.

Superior has worked with Weslake, a UK consultancy, on the Gemini. Advantages of the design are:
•	Tight packaging
•	Rigid block
•	Short, lightweight and stiff crankshafts
•	Smooth running
•	Low noise

Superior says the engine will be built in their Coppell, Texas facility with parts sourced from best-case suppliers (German forgings, U.S. machining).

http://www.geminidiesel.aero/

http://kitplanes2.com/blog/2015/04/superior-engines-announces-100-hp-diesel-program/

http://kitplanes2.com/blog/2015/07/24900-diesel-announced-by-superior-legend-cub/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZQVnKurel8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bAR5tjNWOk


----------



## Saintor (Dec 14, 2002)

There are many other options.

Audi is surprising very aggressive in research as well.
http://time.com/3837814/audi-environmental-protection-green-energy-climate-change-cars/
http://www.jouleunlimited.com/
http://www.global-bioenergies.com/?lang=en

There are like 40 companies in the world working on processes that will synthetize fuel from algae.
http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2014/02/25/the-10-hottest-trends-in-algae/


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Continental CD-155

Glasair Aircraft Production Manager, Benjamin Rauk, explained that Glasair is well aware of the challenges being imposed by the need to find alternative fuels. To face this challenge, they have chosen the Continental Centurion 2.0s diesel engine.

Rauk said they are expecting performance numbers to be similar to the 180 H.P. Lycoming powered versions of the airplane with the big difference being in lower fuel consumption. They are expecting the fuel burn to decrease by 3 gallons per hour. Industry leaders say that diesel will be the technology of the future.

Continental CD-155 is the former Thielert Centurion 2.0, which is a conversion of a Mercedes-Benz automotive diesel engine.

The newly rebranded CD-155 is certified in 57 countries. Other than the Skyhawk, several STC installations have been approved for the CD-155 engine, including Piper***8217;s PA-28 Cherokee and Diamond***8217;s DA40 and DA42. Continental says there are more than 4,000 Continental diesel engines in operation that have flown more than 4 million flight hours.

Rauk walked me through the start-up, which is a breeze with the CD-155. The engine has glow plugs instead of spark plugs. All you need to do is watch for an annunciator called a glow light to illuminate and then push the start button. Rauk said that hot starts and starts at high altitudes are just as easy.

The takeoff is equally as simple. There is no mixture control to worry about. The FADEC optimizes the amount of jet-A going into the engine. All you need to do is push the load selector (the diesel***8217;s version of a throttle) to the wall and go!

The engine spins at a maximum of 3,890 rpm, but a gearbox reduces it to 2,300 rpm for the propeller. The engine runs smoothly as I felt no vibrations in my feet or back during my flight.

The diesel also appears to use less oil. Rauk said he has added only one quart in 70 hours of flying.

Turbo Diesel vs. NA Gasoline

***8226; Fuel Economy: The CD-155 consumes anywhere from half to three-fourths (depending upon leaning technique and altitude) as much fuel as the Lycoming O-360 at the same power output.

***8226; Installed Weight: The Lycoming parallel valve O-360 installation is approximately 110 pounds lighter than the CD-155.

***8226; Performance: At altitudes below 6000 feet, the Lycoming O-360 can produce more power than the CD-155 (albeit at a disproportionally higher fuel burn). When operating above 6000 feet, however, the CD-155 is not only able to produce more power than the O-360, but consume less fuel while doing it.

***8226; Cost: The O-360 is less expensive to purchase than the CD-155.

***8226; Operational Simplicity: The CD-155's single-lever power management has the clear advantage over the Lycoming's manually controlled prop and mixture. With the CD-155, the pilot simply selects the desired load and the FADEC automatically meters fuel and controls prop rpm.

Continental CD-155 Specs:
2.0L Inline-4
Turbo
155 hp
349 lb-ft
295 lb
31 in Width x 25 in Height x 32 in Length
Specific fuel consumption at 97 hp _ 0.355 lb/hphr

http://www.continentaldiesel.com/

http://www.continentaldiesel.com/typo3/fileadmin/_centurion/pdf/Datenblaetter/DS_CMG_2_CD-155.pdf

http://www.glasairaviation.com/sportsman-td.html

http://www.kitplanes.com/issues/32_6/builder_spotlight/Gas-Vs-Diesel-Glasair-Sportsman_21270-1.html

http://www.kitplanes.com/issues/31_11/flight_reports/diesel_sportsman_21111-1.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzDKmbJCsFk


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel-Powered Non-stop Trans-Atlantic Flight

On Monday August 16th 2004, Diamond test pilot Gerard Guillaumaud ferried the Oshkosh display DA42 Twin Star back to Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to continue optional equipment certification. Remarkably, the twin diesel engine DA42 was flown from London Ontario to Porto Portugal with only one stop, in St. John***8217;s Newfoundland, Canada. The leg from London to St. John***8217;s (1300 nm), took Guillaumaud 7.5 hrs. The trans atlantic leg of 1900 nm, from St. John***8217;s to Porto Portugal, was completed in 12.5 hrs.

Had it not been for adverse weather conditions in Europe, the remaining 5 hrs of fuel upon landing in Porto would have been sufficient to reach Guillaumaud***8217;s planned destination of Toulouse France, a planned non stop distance of over 2500 nm. Average combined fuel burn for the crossing, flown at 11,000 ft, was an incredible 5.74 gph (2.87 gph per engine)! Guillaumaud set engine power at a fuel conserving 42% and achieved an average ground speed of 152 kts.

The Diamond Star***8217;s optional 78 gallon long range fuel tanks were supplemented with a 26 gallon ferry tank. The total amount of jet fuel consumed for the crossing, 72 gallons, cost less than $200! The point to point travel time was considerably faster than any available commercial flight combination, illustrating the Twin Star***8217;s practicality as a personal or business transportation alternative.

This flight represents the first transatlantic non-stop crossing by a diesel engine powered aircraft and underlines the efficiency and reliability of the DA42 Twin Star TDI.

Distance _ 1900 nautical miles or 2187 miles

Time _ 12.5 hours

Fuel Consumed _ 72 gal

Average Fuel Economy = 2187 miles / 72 gal = 30.4 mpg

Average Speed = 2187 miles / 12.5 hours = 175 mph

http://www.diamondaircraft.com/news/news-article.php?id=93



















https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX6A86NKXQI


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Austro

The AE300 (E4-series) is a four cylinder two liter piston engine which uses Jet A1 or diesel fuel to produce 170 horsepower. With this new AE300 (E4-series), Austro Engine GmbH has launched the leading Jet A1 piston engine in General Aviation. Numerous testing hours have proved its endurance and reliability, highest performance and higher efficiency compared to similar products on the market.

Diesel engines are far more efficient than avgas powerplants, offering a specific fuel consumption on the order of .37 pounds/hp/hour versus .42 pounds/hp/hour, but they achieve their efficiency at the cost of extra weight. In the DA42's case, the Austro diesels add over 170 pounds/engine to empty weight. Diesels generate extremely high compression ratios and temperatures, and the engines must be built to withstand those conditions.

In order to replicate the efficiency of the Thielerts, Diamond initiated its own diesel design in 2007. These were improvements derived from the same Mercedes turbo-diesel technology eployed by Thielert, but produced at Diamond's Wiener Neustadt factory in Austria. The resulting 2.0 liter Austro AE300 is a geared, FADEC-managed, turbo diesel with single-lever control, rated for 168 hp. R&D and EASA certification demanded two additional years, and at this writing, the engines have been certified in Europe, Russia, South Africa, Canada, the U.S., Brazil, Ukraine, South Korea and China. The new airplane was dubbed the DA42-NG (for Next Generation), and it was introduced in mid-2009.

Austro Engine, a company of the Diamond Aircraft Group, is celebrating the completion of the 1000th AE300 turbo charged diesel aircraft engine. Said Jürgen Heinrich, CEO Austro Engine: ***8220;The 1,000th AE300 symbolizes a significant milestone, reflecting the engine series***8217; quality and reliability. With a Time between Overhaul of currently 1,500 hours our customers benefit tremendously from lower downtimes and reduced total operational costs. For 2015 we are working on an extended power version delivering 180 hp.***8221; With the 170 hp AE300 more than 480,000 flight hours have been logged and proved the power plant***8217;s reliability and endurance. ***8220;At equal power the engine has a 45 % lower fuel burn than conventional piston aircraft engines running on AvGas. It produces significantly less exhaust emissions and is exceptionally silent.***8221;

Said Christian Dries, CEO, Diamond Aircraft: ***8220;2014 was a successful year for Diamond Aircraft and Austro Engine. This is mainly because of our innovative and reliable propulsion system. I expect the AE300***8217;s Time between Overhaul to be increased to 1,800 hours.***8221;

The Austro AE300 has been receiving rave reviews as a car engine that has made the successful leap to aviation. It is approved to use a variety of fuels including jet-A, jet-A-1 and even straight diesel fuel. Of course, when it***8217;s cold, diesel fuel can turn to Jell-O. Without a fuel preheater or recirculation system, that could pose problems at extremely low temperatures. If you***8217;re going to be flying where it***8217;s really cold with an aero diesel, it***8217;s probably best to go with jet-A mixed with Prist anti-ice additive ***8212; as long as it***8217;s approved for use in your engine. In the AE300, it is.

The original Lycoming-powered DA42 cruises at about 162 knots. Thanks to the 168 hp Austro diesels and a number of aerodynamic improvements in the latest VI version, the max cruise speed is right around 190 knots. That***8217;s still short of the original target, but it will get you to your destination surprisingly fast while burning surprisingly little fuel. Even with the power levers shoved forward for high-speed cruise, fuel burn is an economical 18 gallons per hour total.

The pilot of a jet-A fuel sipping diesel airplane will know the truth: He can fly a lot farther on the same amount of fuel or, if he chooses, fly the same trip carrying less fuel while bringing aboard more passengers and payload. Once you start crunching the numbers this way, diesels start looking more and more like the smart choice for the future.

Austro AE300 Specs:
2.0L Inline-4
Turbo
168 hp @ 3880 rpm
414 lb

http://austroengine.at/

http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/diesel-aircraft-engines-revolution

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRL-2033lok


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Lycoming DEL120

Lycoming appears to be much further along in aircraft diesel engine development than many in the industry realize. Using the booming unmanned aircraft sector as a launching pad, Lycoming told us that it has leveraged automotive technology to develop what's essentially a diesel near-equivalent of its popular IO-360 gasoline engine.

The DEL-120-with 120 representing the displacement-is a 200-HP, four-cylinder turbocharged water-cooled diesel of the same general class as the Thielert-developed Centurion engines, albeit with higher power output and claimed greater durability. We weren't able to get weight specifics, but Lycoming's Michael Kraft told us these are comparable to the Centurion.

Like the Centurion engine, the DEL-120 has electronic engine controls and common rail, high-pressure fuel injection. Its primary material is cast aluminum, with four valves per cylinder and a clutchless geared reduction unit that doesn't require pre-TBO replacement.

Although Kraft declined to say if the DEL-120 was a clean sheet Lycoming project, he did say it was developed using state-the-art automotive technology and based on years of diesel research Lycoming has had underway since the 1980s.

Lycoming has had heavy fuel engine development agreements with John Deere and Detroit Diesel, to name two. "We had a stratified charge project with John Deere and there was a project with an undisclosed partner that post-dates both of those. Everyone of those was a technology development platform and in every one we learned a little more as to what the technology was about," Kraft said. Whatever the engine base is, Kraft said "there's not a lot of the automotive engine left" in the DEL-120.

Improved Gray Eagle (IGE) is a next-generation advanced derivative of the battle-proven Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft System. IGE is engineered with a Max Gross Takeoff Weight (MGTOW) of 4,200 pounds, utilizing a high-performance diesel engine. In October 2013, IGE flew nearly two days straight during endurance flight testing at GA-ASI's El Mirage Flight Operations Facility in Adelanto, California.

http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Lycoming-Diesel-Details-221664-1.html

http://lycoming.com/Lycoming.aspx

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-or2dQTaJWM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZBRN8uFXJA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-cmKt6v6Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUTzJGo694Y


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Austro TEOS

AUSTRO ENGINE is proud to announce the maiden flight of the HIPE AE 440 High compression engine (HCE) successfully performed by Airbus Helicopters on November 6th 2015 in Marignane France. The AE440 has evolved from a joint development endeavor as part of the European Union***8217;s Clean Sky Program in the category Green Rotor Craft led by AIRBUS Helicopters and its partners TEOS Powertrain Engineering and AUSTRO ENGINE.

Jürgen Heinrich, CEO Austro Engine: ***8220;Airbus Helicopters***8217; maiden flight of the AE 440 marks a significant milestone for the aviation industry as introducing the advantageous heavy fuel engine technology to the domain of helicopters for the first time. Once on the market, the heavy fuel technology***8217;s substantial advantages related to fuel economics paired with the excellent product features of Airbus Helicopters are to set entirely new market standards providing the rotary wing industry with an unrivalled experience of operational efficiency.***8221;

As leading manufacturer of Jet A1 piston engines, Austro Engine has already brought more than 1.200 heavy fuel engines on the market and accumulated around 650,000 flight hours in General Aviation since 2008, emphasizing the power plant***8217;s reliability and endurance.

At equal power the engine has a 45 % lower fuel burn than conventional piston aircraft engines running on AvGas, significantly increasing operational endurance. Moreover, fuel saving and technology results in substantially less exhaust and noise emissions.

Airbus Helicopters is flying an H120 powered by a diesel engine in place of its usual Turbomeca Arrius 2F turboshaft. The main benefit of the effort, part of Europe***8217;s Clean Sky joint technology initiative, is expected to be significantly lower fuel consumption.

The 30-minute first flight on November 6 started with a hover and various low-speed maneuvers, before the helicopter transitioned to 60 knots. The engine is a 4.6-liter V8, featuring high-pressure (1,800 bar) common-rail direct injection and one turbocharger per cylinder bank. The cylinders have a 90-degree V. To reduce weight, designers looked to racecar design for inspiration, evident in the construction of the cylinder heads (aluminum) and connecting rods (titanium). The high-compression engine, as Airbus Helicopters prefers to call it, runs on kerosene/jet-A.

The Fadec***8217;s performance has been particularly satisfactory, according to Tomasz Krysinski, Airbus Helicopters***8217; head of research and innovation. When the pilot increases the collective pitch, the Fadec injects more fuel into the combustor for more power. ***8220;As a result, the rotor***8217;s speed changes by a maximum of three rpm, less than one percent of the nominal 406 rpm,***8221; Krysinski.

Fuel burn has already proved to be much lower than with the Arrius 2F, 143 pph versus 220 pph in hover, a reduction of 35 percent. The companies involved in the project expect specific fuel consumption to be cut by half at economy cruise speed. ***8220;It is interesting for those cycles that include a long portion of relatively slow forward flight, like the police do,***8221; Krysinski suggested.

Aerial work operations could also benefit from the piston engine. Unlike a turbine, a turbocharged piston engine retains its power at altitude and in hot temperature. In the mountains, this can be felt from around 3,500 feet, according to project manager Alexandre Gierczynski.

The engine produces 442 hp compared with the Arrius 2F turbine***8217;s 504 shp. However, ***8220;we use the same power for takeoff and the high-compression piston engine will be better in hot-and-high conditions,***8221; Gierczynski said.

Other objectives include a 30-percent improvement in direct operating cost and a 2,000-hour TBO. Asked about emissions other than CO2, Krysinski said there is no standard for comparing turboshafts and piston engines. ***8220;Burning less fuel cuts pollutant emissions,***8221; Krysinski noted. There is no plan on the diesel engine for a NOx-reduction device or a particulate filter, like those now mandatory on cars. One reason is weight: after further development, the flight-tested piston engine will tip the scales at 530 pounds***8211;twice the weight of a turbine of equivalent power.

In addition to Airbus Helicopters, the project involves Teos Powertrain Engineering and Austro Engine. The former company, which has experience in car racing, designed and manufactured the prototype engine. The latter firm, a specialist in diesel engines for fixed-wing aircraft, has been in charge of the FADEC and fuel system.

Airbus Helicopters has successfully completed the first flight test of the high-compression engine demonstrator aircraft at around 3pm on Friday, November 6th, at Marignane Airport. The development and flight test of this new technology demonstrator is part of the European Clean Sky initiative***8217;s Green Rotorcraft Integrated Technology Demonstrator (ITD) program, with support for these flight tests provided by the consortium of TEOS Powertrain Engineering and Austro Engine GmbH.

***8220;The first result of the 30 minutes flight confirms the advantages of new-technology high-compression piston engines for rotorcraft in offering reduced emissions; up to 50% lower fuel consumption depending on duty cycle, nearly doubled range and enhanced operations in hot and high conditions***8221;, said Tomasz Krysinski, Head of Research and Innovation at Airbus Helicopters.

In addition to confirming improvements in eco-efficiency, Airbus Helicopters***8217; in-flight evaluations in the upcoming months will also focus on the right power-to-weight ratios that would make high-compression engines sustainable alternatives to the turbine powerplants typically used in the helicopter industry. The flight test campaign will enable to establish the engine installation at Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL 6).

Integrated into an H120, the 4.6-liter high-compression piston engine incorporates numerous technologies already applied on advanced compression-ignition engines, and runs on the widely-available kerosene fuel used in aviation engines. Its V8 design has the two sets of cylinders oriented at a 90 deg. angle to each other, with a high-pressure (1800 bar) common-rail direct injection and one turbocharger per cylinder bank.

Other features include fully-machined aluminum blocks and titanium connecting rods, pistons and liners made of steel, liquid-cooling and a dry sump management method for the lubricating motor oil as used on aerobatic aircraft and race cars.

The Green Rotorcraft ITD program that supported Airbus Helicopters***8217; research project is part of the Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative, which is Europe***8217;s most ambitious aeronautical research program ever. Clean Sky***8217;s goal is to develop breakthrough technologies that significantly increase environmental performance of the air transport sector, resulting in quieter and more fuel efficient aircraft and rotorcraft. Environmental targets of Clean Sky are to reduce specific fuel consumption by 30 percent, CO2 emissions by 40 percent and NOx by 53 percent.

Airbus Helicopters***8217; high-compression piston engine activity began in 2011, followed by company bench tests and system simulations, including Iron Bird successful tests in February 2014. Ground runs with the H120-equipped helicopter were performed during February and March of this year, leading to the first flight.

HIPE AE440 Specs
4.6L V8
Turbo
442 hp
530 lb
BSFC _ 200 g/kWh

http://www.airbushelicopters.com/we...t-and-higher-performance-rotorcraft_1859.html

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...airbus-flies-diesel-powered-h120-light-single

http://www.teos-engineering.com/experience/jet-a1-aircraft-engine/

http://www.cleansky.eu/content/interview/grc4-integration-diesel-engine-light-helicopter

http://www.cleansky.eu/content/page/high-compression-engine-light-helicopter-technology-streams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtHANCDqeB4


----------



## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel Hybrid

Mercedes E300 BlueTec Hybrid

A Mercedes-Benz E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID has travelled the 1968 kilometres from Tangier in North Africa to Goodwood in England without having to refuel - and on reaching its destination still had enough fuel left for a further 160 kilometres (99 miles).

"Is it possible to drive a Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan from North Africa to the UK on just a single tank of fuel?" British journalist Andrew Frankel discovered the answer this question by conducting a very challenging experiment of his own. He and his co-driver set off from Tangier in Morocco in a standard E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID, crossed through Spain and France and reached their destination in Goodwood in England after driving for 27 hours.

On arrival the speedometer showed that a distance of 1968 kilometres had been covered - and the fuel gauge still showed that there was enough fuel left over for around a further 160 kilometres. The total range of the hybrid vehicle, which is available as an option with an 80-litre (21 US gal) diesel tank, can therefore be calculated at some 2129 kilometres (1323 miles).

Admittedly, on their journey across two continents, four countries and through three time zones, the adventurous journalist and his companion made sure that they adopted a fuel-efficient driving style. However at times their progress was made difficult by heavy rain, high temperatures, big differences in altitude and also heavy rush-hour traffic. Nevertheless they ultimately posted an average consumption of just 3.8 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres -combined consumption figures of 3.8 to 4.1 litres (corresponding to 99 to 109 grams of CO2 per kilometre) indicated by the manufacturer. As a result, the 27-hour long-distance journey is not only proof of the outstanding practical qualities of the innovative hybrid technology of Mercedes-Benz, but also demonstrates that the consumption figures indicated by the Stuttgart-based premium brand are both realistic and applicable in everyday use.

Despite its frugal use of fuel, the Mercedes-Benz E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID boasts spirited driving pleasure. Its four-cylinder diesel engine (150 kW / 204 hp), which is combined with an electric motor (20 kW / 27 hp), accelerates the sedan from a standing start to 62mph in 7.1 seconds and takes it to a top speed of 150mph. The E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID therefore justifiably occupies a leading position among the most economical models in the upper medium-size category in every respect.

Distance _ 1968 km or 1223 miles

Time _ 27 hours

Average Fuel Economy _ 3.9 liter/100 km or 62.14 miles / 1.03 US gal = 60.3 mpg

Average Speed = 1223 miles / 27 hours = 45.3 mph

https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/mercedes-benz/innovation/e-class-hybrid/

http://wardsauto.com/miscellaneous/mercedes-hybrid-goes-africa-uk-one-tank

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1yUON4zaU8


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Across America on one tank of Renewable Diesel

CLP Motorsports LLC, the SF Bay Area's premier performance shop, and Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable diesel, proved driving across the USA on one tank of fuel is entirely possible with NEXBTL Renewable Diesel, when they successfully crossed the finish line of the over 2,500-mile drive on June 24, 2015.

"I am extremely pleased with the outcome of the drive across the USA. The CLP Motorsports team fought through unimaginable adversity in preparation for this epic journey," said Pat O'Keefe, CLP Motorsports President and CEO. "A few pre-trip difficulties caused us to only get a few hundred miles of road testing on the SLC. The fact that we were able to cross the country flawlessly in record-breaking heat with zero issues is a true testament to the skill level and professionalism of the CLP motorsports crew. Using 100% NEXBTL, an extremely high quality renewable diesel fuel, only added to our success."

"When it comes to low emissions in racing or driving on the street, good quality fuel is the key. With renewable diesel you will get more power, and cleaner burning, and it's also more efficient and renewable. Those things typically don't mix. That's why I think Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel is a very special product. When I saw the race car and the concept, I saw the opportunity to balance the carbon footprint as I am used to burning tires. I was not sponsored by Neste and honestly this is why I decided to be part of this amazing project," said Foust of the fuel.

The Superlite SLC traveled a total of 2,507 miles leaving from Jacksonville, FL, on June 21, at 8:06 am EST after filling up the 48.6-gallon tank and heading west on Interstate 10. The route saw the team through eight US states, 16 support crew pit stops, and on to their destination, Dockweiler Beach in Santa Monica, CA, on June 24, at 3:57 pm PST. When they reached the Pacific Ocean, calculations showed the Superlite SLC racecar used a total of 37.6 gallons of NEXBTL Renewable Diesel giving the drive an average of 66.7 miles per gallon. The drivers kept an average speed of 67.6 mph, reaching a top speed of 91.1 mph. All with zero hypermiling effort.

Owner of CLP Motorsports Patrick O'Keefe, General Manager, Luke Lonberger, and Lead Mechanic/Experience Driver Michael von Disterlo traveled three and a half days, weathered storms and in record high heat. O'Keefe came up with the Across USA concept after beginning distribution of NEXBTL in the California market in 2013. After seeing his fleet customers' response to the high quality fuel, he wanted to actively bring awareness to the consumer market about this new, alternative fuel with a chemical structure identical to traditional diesel but made from renewable resources. CLP engineered and developed the SLC racecar with a custom Volkswagen 1.9-liter TDI diesel engine and the necessary aerodynamics for maximum efficiency at speed, enhanced with a monocoque chassis and fiberglass body. The result was a car that maintained all of its power and handling of a racecar, yet, was still street legal.

Neste's NEXBTL renewable diesel is a premium low-carbon fuel made out of 100% renewable and sustainable raw materials. It is a clean and powerful renewable diesel, reducing emissions while increasing the car's performance. NEXBTL renewable diesel meets the petroleum diesel specification (ASTM D975) for use in all diesel engines. Golden Gate Petroleum, CLP Motorsports' sister company, became one of the first US distributors for NEXBTL in early 2013, and has seen tremendous success with its customer base. Late summer 2015 O'Keefe is launching NEXGEN Fuel, which is a next generational renewable fuel brand. Their first fuel headed to market, NEXdiesel, is powered by NEXBTL and will be made available at retail stations in California. When you want to shrink your carbon footprint and keep moving forward, fill up with NEXBTL renewable diesel.

Distance _ 2507 miles

Time _ 37 hours

Fuel Consumed _ 37.6 gal

Average Fuel Economy = 2507 miles / 37.6 gal = 66.7 mpg

Average Speed = 2507 miles / 37 hours = 67.8 mph

http://www.nexgenfuel.com/across-usa/

http://nestekampanja.fi/across/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRTkJURh9Bc


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Renewable Diesel

Propel Fuels (propelfuels.com) has launched California's most advanced diesel fuel: Diesel HPR (High Performance Renewable) at Propel locations across California. Propel's Diesel HPR uses Neste Oil's (nesteoil.com) NEXBTL renewable diesel, a low-carbon renewable fuel that meets petroleum diesel specifications for use in diesel engines while realizing the benefits of better performance and lower emissions. Diesel HPR is available at Propel locations in Sacramento, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Fresno, LA and San Diego.

"Diesel HPR exceeds conventional diesel in power, performance and value," said Rob Elam, CEO and CoFounder of Propel. "Propel is committed to offering Californians the most advanced low carbon fuels that meet our high standards for quality and value." Incorporating diesel refined from renewable biomass through Neste Oil's advanced hydrotreating technology called NEXBTL, Diesel HPR meets the toughest specifications required by automotive and engine manufacturers, enabling the fuel to be used by any diesel vehicle.

Diesel HPR is designated as ASTM D-975, the standard for all ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel in the U.S., and is recognized as "CARB diesel" by the California Air Resources Board. Diesel HPR provides increased engine power and torque, as well as significant reduction in harmful tailpipe emissions, NOx emissions and particulates (PM).

"This renewable diesel joins a growing suite of new, cleaner transportation fuels in California thanks to our Low Carbon Fuel Standard and forward thinking companies like Propel," said California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols. "We are pleased to see the introduction of a low carbon fuel at California retail fueling stations," said Tim Olson, Energy Resources Manager for the California Energy Commission. "Our state needs several options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and this cooperation between Propel Fuels and Neste Oil provides a tremendous opportunity to de-carbonize diesel fuel and help achieve our climate change goals."

According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center, renewable diesel's high combustion quality results in similar or better vehicle performance compared to conventional diesel, while California Air Resources Board studies show that renewable diesel can reach up to 70 percent greenhouse gas reduction compared to petroleum diesel.

"As California continues to lead the world in clean fuels, we need to insure that the benefits are shared by everyone. Renewable diesel provides significant immediate reductions in emissions that damage our health and change our climate, providing lasting health benefits for the disadvantaged communities that currently suffer the most from petroleum diesel pollution," says Bill Magavern Policy Director for the Coalition for Clean Air.

"We congratulate Propel Fuels on their initiative to introduce Diesel HPR to consumers in California and are excited to be their supplier of choice with our NEXBTL renewable diesel," said Kaisa Hietala, Neste Oil's Executive Vice President of Renewable Products Business Area. "NEXBTL renewable diesel reduces emissions as well as enhances engine performance leading to lower maintenance and service costs. It also has excellent low-temperature properties which result in better vehicle reliability during the winter," continues Hietala.

http://dieselhpr.com/

http://dieselhpr.com/locations

http://dieselhpr.com/testimonials

http://dieselhpr.com/assets/media/DieselHPR_Fuel_Specification.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PecizbNmwUE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEKdwmg4ePo


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel vs. Hybrid

2014 Mercedes E250 BlueTec vs. 2013 Toyota Prius

The Mercedes-Benz E250 Bluetec is a proper mid-size luxury sedan. It makes no sacrifice to fuel economy, really, but it gets an EPA-rated 45 mpg on the highway. That's spitting distance from the best-performer Prius's 48***8212;and in our experience, diesels usually outperform their EPA numbers, while hybrids underperform in the real world. So my hypothesis was that, when driven like a normal person, the Mercedes had a good chance of beating the Prius. Wouldn't that be something?

To test the theory, I got a rear-wheel-drive Mercedes E250 Bluetec (4MATIC all-wheel-drive is an option) and a loaded Prius Five. (This is, confusingly, the model name for the loaded Prius, and not a Prius v, which is an entirely different vehicle.)

I planned out a 430-mile route that both cars should be able to make without refueling, and chose a mix of Interstate and rural back roads that passed through small towns. To minimize the effects of the constant westerly wind we have on the West Coast, I chose a route that's as close to a circle as possible. And to be fair to the Prius, I eliminated any of California's enormous elevation changes. The route started and ended at sea level, climbing once to 1800 feet, twice to 1000, and remained free of very steep climbs.

I roped my friend Mike into helping me, and the first thing we did was warm up the cars by driving them for a half-hour. We then set the tires to the manufacturer-recommended pressures before filling both cars with fuel.

Measuring actual fuel used is much more difficult than you'd think***8212;in all honesty, it's nearly impossible***8212;so we did our best to minimize any chance of error. That meant filling each car to the top of its filler neck and then weighing the cars. We'd weigh them again at the end of the test to ensure there was no discrepancy in weight (caused, for example, by a one-gallon air bubble in a filler neck.)

We set out with only two rules: don't get separated, and drive like a reasonable human being. That meant we should keep up with traffic***8212;no hypermiling***8212;and with each other. Every 20 miles, we would swap positions so that neither car was in the lead more often. And every 40 miles, we would swap drivers. This, we hoped, would minimize the effects of our differing driving styles. In constant radio contact, we would report our trip computer's displayed odometer reading and average MPG every 10 miles.

THE TRIP
The trip departs from Brisbane, California, just south of San Francisco, and we merge right onto the highway. Heading south with traffic at about 80 mph, the trip computers are in lockstep, both showing 42.8 mpg at the 50-mile mark. As we begin to climb to the highest elevation on the route, the Mercedes starts to pull a big advantage.

And by big, I mean 0.5 mpg. Nearing the top of the hill, the Benz shows 40.6 mpg to the Prius's 40.1. I radio Mike when, at the 68-mile mark, the Mercedes downshifts out of top gear for the first time in the test. The engine is turning all of 1800 rpm. "Wow, I still can't hear this engine. How's the Prius doing?"

From the car in front of me, via radio: "The Prius is about to code."
Laughing, I ask, "What do you mean?"
"Cardiac arrest. My foot's on the floor. Has been for miles. Engine's screaming, some fan in the back seat just kicked on. But hey, we're just keeping up with traffic."

At that point, the Mercedes shifts down another gear, into fifth, and the tachometer finally meanders past 2000 rpm. I still can't hear the engine. What a difference torque makes.

When we pull into the first town at 84 miles, we're disappointed that the Mercedes's auto stop/start doesn't always shut the engine off at lights. Perhaps the A/C is at fault***8212;we left it on in both cars for the sake of fairness***8212;but it's very disconcerting given that, in traffic, the Prius's engine is off more often than it's on.

By the 110-mile mark, we've cruised through a few towns, where the hybrid system's advantage pays dividends, and the Prius has pulled a massive 1.0-mpg displayed advantage***8212;44.6 versus the Mercedes's 43.6 mpg.

Mike and I are both impressed that the two cars' odometers are reading so closely***8212;they're within 0.1 mile at the 120-mile marker. Equally as impressive, for the Prius, is that they're also able to maintain the same brisk pace on a twisty section of road. There's little doubt that the Mercedes would outrun the Toyota in an all-out back-road race, but the cars are similar in terms of overall grip. And the Prius exhibits pretty commendable body control over the bumps. Anyone driving this car at wheelchair speeds has no reason to do so.

At 150 miles, I boast over the radio that the Prius's computer is showing 313 miles of remaining fuel range. Mike radios back, "Uh, the Mercedes can do another 771 miles.***8221;

Somewhere around the 200-mile mark, we find ourselves on a deserted stretch of perfectly straight road with no one around. I nudge the Prius up to 90 mph. Then 100. Then 112. Then 114. Mike announces that the Mercedes speedo is showing 115 mph.

I announce that the Prius won't go any faster.

Mike announces that the Mercedes, yet again, hasn't bothered to downshift out of top gear. And the unbelievably quiet diesel still hasn't once spun past 2500 rpm. I announce that I can barely hear him over the wind noise, the screaming engine noise, and what sounds like an Electrolux in the back seat. (It's the battery pack's cooling fan, which has kicked on again.) Hitting a buck-ten is, for the record, within the realm of what "reasonable people" would do driving on this abandoned road. But we don't expect most people to stay at a their Prius's top speed for long, so the fun lasts only a few short seconds.

And so it's back to a reasonable 65 mph. There are a few points on the two-lane roads where we pass slow-moving vehicles. Any time the Mercedes is in front, there's the invariable call from the Prius: "Slow down, I can't keep up." And then the response, "Ugh, fine. Still in seventh gear, at like one-quarter throttle."

The difference in accelerative capability between the Prius (0-60 in 10 seconds) and the E250 (0-60 in 7.3 seconds) is far greater than those numbers suggest, thanks to the diesel's torque. In an outright drag race through the quarter-mile, sure, the Prius is "only" 1.9 seconds behind, and if you have a look at the 5-60 mph acceleration times, you can see how much the Mercedes's turbo lag gets in the way of instant response. But in the real world, the difference between the low-revving turbodiesel's 369 lb-ft of torque and the Prius's torque-deprived Atkinson-cycle gas engine feels like 10 times what it is.

As we head west into the headwind, our hope for a close race starts to fade faster than the daylight. The Prius has been pulling an ever-increasing advantage. We're both eagle-eyeing the odometers for the 10-mile-interval updates, and each time, the Prius has gained a bigger lead. By the 250-mile mark, the trip computer shows the Prius winning by a solid 0.6 mpg. I consoled Mike, "These displays are so wildly inaccurate that this is all meaningless. One of the cars could actually be winning by 3 or 4 mpg."

What wasn't helping our optimism was that the Mercedes's instantaneous-mpg gauge only goes to 40 mpg. So it's been pegged nearly the whole drive and we can't see what sort of mileage we're actually getting. Meanwhile, the optimistic Prius has a 100-mpg scale, and it's hovering just below the halfway mark.

At 290 miles, Mike radios from the Prius that he's down to one quarter of a tank. Meanwhile, the E250 still has two-thirds of a tank remaining, a fact that amuses us both. Until I take a few minutes to look at the map and realize that we're not going to make it.

At this rate, the Prius will run out of gas 50 miles before the planned end of the test. We make an emergency adjustment to the route and cut out Sacramento entirely, making a beeline for Marin County and, if the range indicator is accurate, having at least a half-gallon of fuel left.

At 391 miles, the Prius's low-fuel light comes on. Which is fine, except that range has dropped to 19 miles and our new, closer finish line is still 20 miles away.

"Worst case, we hop in the Benz and bring the Prius a gallon of gas."
"It'll need more than one gallon. It might need a couple. Range just dropped to 14 miles, 19.6 remaining on the nav." And at 402.3 miles, the Prius's range drops to zero.

I suggest we keep going, since the range was dropping so much more quickly than the odometer was climbing. My suspicion is that Toyota built this logic in to help prevent its owners from running the tank dry. The unintended side effect is that Mike's blood pressure has just gone through the roof. He's stuck in the Prius, as we decide not to do another driver change.

Mike: "The last remaining bar on the fuel gauge has been blinking ever since the light went on. And I swear it's blinking twice as fast now. This thing is pissed. It wants gas. Now."

"You tell me when you're not comfortable continuing on," I answer. But Mike never gives up. We coast into the gas station in darkness, with 410.4 miles on the Prius's trip odometer. Its computer is showing 43.3 mpg, 1.1 mpg higher than the Mercedes's 42.8.

The E250's range indicator says we haven't even used half of its cruising ability: 534 miles remaining. How insane.

We roll the cars onto the scales at the pump after emptying their cabins of trail-mix wrappers and empty water bottles. And fill their tanks with our backs to the pump displays so we couldn't see how much was going in.

The Prius goes first. Once we're confident that the tank is at the same level it had been in the morning, we turn around and see only 10.218 gallons on the pump's display. Talk about infuriating: The tank is rated at 11.9 gallons, meaning the Prius actually had nearly 80 miles of fuel left when its range indicator dropped to zero. Had the gauge been accurate, we wouldn't have needed to cut the trip short. Demerit points for the Toyota.

Next is the Mercedes. Once the tank is full, we look down at the digital scales, and once again the E250 is precisely 1001 lbs heavier than the Prius. And then we look at the pump: 10.139 gallons of diesel.

The Mercedes wins, having used 0.079 gallons less - 0.079 gallons is about 10 fluid ounces. As in, less than a can of soda. Which is, of course, a small enough amount that it's entirely insignificant. Since the difference is within the margin of error, we can't actually say the Mercedes won. In fairness, the two cars tied.

But that itself is a huge win for the Mercedes. The Prius is a car single-mindedly focused on efficiency. Every part of it, from its shape to its low-rolling-resistance tires to the hybrid transmission to its blended-regeneration brake system, has been chosen to minimize its consumption of fuel.

The Prius is a tremendously efficient package, too, with a bigger backseat than the E-class and a usable hatchback for cargo. It's reasonably quiet, quick, and smooth. And it returns unbeatable fuel mileage, even on the open road when the big benefits of its hybrid system are minimized.

Unbeatable fuel mileage, yes, but not unmatchable. The Mercedes E250 Bluetec returned effectively the same mileage as the Prius, and yet it's not focused on fuel economy at all. It's a big (15.7 inches longer than the Prius), massively overweight rear-wheel-drive luxury sedan. Save perhaps carrying cargo and rear-seat passengers***8212;and pissing off everyone else on the road***8212;it does everything better than the Toyota. It's different-league fast, relaxing, comfortable, and luxurious.

To us, all that is more than enough to easily break the tie. On the open road, the Mercedes E250 Bluetec is the winner of our fuel-economy challenge.

We're not picking on the Prius (it's a technological marvel), but it's a car created solely for efficiency, and that shows in its road manners. The E250 is a luxury car that just happens to get unbelievable mileage. It's 1001 pounds heavier than the Toyota but feels as if every ounce of that went toward noise cancellation and luxury. And torque: The Mercedes is 2.7 seconds quicker to 60 mph, and it easily climbed mountain passes in top gear with the engine almost completely silent, while the Prius's mooing four-banger was a screaming stress case. Although the fuel economy was effectively tied, the driving experience was anything but.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cul...uel-efficient-car-in-america-is-a-luxury-car/

http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-car...fuel-efficient-new-car-is-not-a-toyota-prius/


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Renewable Diesel

Neste***8217;s renewable diesel will be used for the electricity production at Super Bowl City by the San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Neste***8217;s renewable diesel powering Super Bowl City is produced from waste and residues and will reduce the fuel carbon footprint by 50%. The Super Bowl Host Committee's Fan Express transporting fans to and from Super Bowl Sunday will also be fuelled by Neste's renewable diesel.

As part of one of the world's biggest sporting spectacles, The Super Bowl City fan village has been planned as a "Net Positive" event. This Net Positive commitment recognises that as well as reducing negative environmental impacts the whole event should also pay more attention to enhancing the environmental, social and economic positive effects of both individual and collective activity.

Arranged between Jan 30th - Feb 7th in the San Francisco Bay Area, Super Bowl City, a free public event aims to reduce its impact on climate change by delivering a low emissions event with a focus on transportation and temporary power.

"It's great that Neste can help the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee to create a sustainable event of spectacular size. We hope that the cleaner air and transport will make the event even more enjoyable for fans," says Kaisa Hietala, Neste's Executive Vice President of Renewable Products.

Neste is the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee's official Sustainability Partner and supplier of renewable diesel for running the power generators at Super Bowl City. In addition, a Fan Express charter bus system will run on Neste's renewable diesel.

Greener electricity and cleaner air
Outdoor events often require building a temporary power grid and bringing in heavy diesel generators. As an alternative for producing greener electricity, Neste's renewable diesel is the perfect solution. All generators used in Super Bowl City will run on Neste's 100% sustainable, renewable diesel, reducing emissions and improving air quality. EPA Tier 4 generators will be used in the fan village to reduce emissions and noise.

Produced from wastes and residues, Neste's renewable diesel will help to reduce the fuel carbon footprint of Super Bowl City by approximately 50% compared to petroleum diesel. Also, renewable diesel is a more pleasing alternative to people attending the event since it does not produce any of the unpleasant exhaust fumes generated by ordinary diesel.

Fan Express reduces traffic emissions
The Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has set up a Fan Express charter bus system to transport fans from the Bay Area to Levi's stadium in Santa Clara on Super Bowl Sunday on February 7. The 100 buses are Google's G-buses running on Neste's renewable diesel.

Operating between pick-up points spread throughout the Bay Area, the Fan Express is expected to remove some 2,000 cars from the road on Super Bowl Sunday.

The widely attended fan festivals and transportation to this week***8217;s championship football game in San Francisco are the latest in a long line of entities to recognize advanced biofuels - including biodiesel and renewable diesel fuel - in meeting climate, clean air and sustainability goals. These advance biofuels, when used in diesel engines, can reduce carbon emissions by at least 50 percent, improving air quality and contributing to a sustainable energy future.

San Francisco***8217;s host committee is seeking to create a ***8220;Net Positive***8221; for the Bay Area from the numerous events associated with the game, including environmental factors. The fan festival events throughout the week will be powered by Neste NEXBTL renewable diesel fuel, Tier 4 diesel generators, and transportation to Sunday***8217;s championship game will include renewable diesel fuel and modern clean diesel buses.

***8220;In California and throughout the world, clean diesel power and fuels are already meeting the mutual demands of sustainability and reliability in the most demanding and high-profile applications,***8221; said Allen Schaeffer, the Executive Director of the Diesel Technology Forum.

***8220;New technology diesel engines coupled with advanced biofuels, including biodiesel and renewable diesel fuel, are already scoring major points with municipalities and leading industries alike. Diesel generators provide the unique combination of power, performance, portability and efficiency. And, with the use of renewable diesel fuels these generators deliver the reliability that major sporting events require while improving air quality and contributing to a sustainable future that benefits everyone.

***8220;New technology clean diesel engines are helping California achieve its goals of improved air quality, better fuel efficiency and expanded use of alternative fuel sources. And this commitment to clean diesel technology and renewable diesel fuels goes well beyond the game***8217;s activities. The City of San Francisco and Oakland, for example, have adopted new policies to use only renewable diesel fuel for their municipal fleets, which will result in significant and immediate improvements in air quality.

***8220;The growing emphasis on addressing climate change and meeting more stringent clean air requirements through the use of advanced fuels and technology are priorities being adopted by communities around the world,***8221; Schaeffer said. ***8220;While there are a growing number of choices of fuels and technologies, clean diesel power and renewable fuels stand out as ready to meet tomorrow***8217;s challenges today.***8221;

http://www.nestekampanja.fi/sb50/

http://www.dieselforum.org/news/pro...th-clean-diesel-technology-and-renewable-fuel

http://www.sfbaysuperbowl.com/super-bowl-50-to-develop-green-legacy-for-san-francisco-bay-area


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel vs. Hybrid

2015 EcoRun

A fleet of 2015 model year vehicles showcasing the latest eco-friendly and fuel-efficient technologies was assembled for the fourth annual AJAC EcoRun, which starts at the Vancouver International Auto Show with a media conference at the Jack Poole Plaza. Thirteen manufacturers are participating in this year's two-day drive from Vancouver to Nanaimo, via BC Ferry, then south to Victoria and returning by ferry to the mainland and host city.

The 20 vehicles participating represent a range of models, from subcompacts, compacts, family sedans and sport utility vehicles to sport coupes and pickups. The powertrains include pure electric, plug-in and conventional hybrid, diesel fuelled, high-efficiency gasoline and, new to the consumer market, hydrogen fuel cell.

The EcoRun is not a competition ***8211; it's a demonstration of the most eco-friendly and fuel-efficient vehicles automakers are offering to consumers. A team of highly respected automotive journalists ***8211; all members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) ***8211; will drive these vehicles over a route comprised of the same roads and terrain drivers face routinely. Throughout the drive, each vehicle and driver will be constantly monitored in real time, with the data accumulated by the Waterloo, ON.-based firm, Fleetcarma. The results are posted on the AJAC website (www.ajac.ca) as a resource for consumers, so anyone contemplating the purchase of a new vehicle will be able to compare the fuel efficiency of the product they're considering with the EcoRun vehicles and make an informed decision based on their individual needs and priorities.

With more than 6 different driving legs over the course of the two days, the 21 journalists swapped cars at each leg, selected at random, so that everyone was able to drive a variety of vehicle entrants over the course of the two-day event. This way, your fuel efficient driving techniques had to change according to the vehicle you were selected to drive, not allowing for journalists to become 'comfortable' in one particular vehicle.

Our fleet included:
Gas-electric hybrids (Acura RLX, Chevrolet Volt, Infiniti Q50, Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid)
Electric vehicles (Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV)
Diesel (BMW X3, Chevrolet Cruze, Volkswagen Golf, Jeep Grand Cherokee)
Gasoline - pickup trucks (Ford F-150 EcoBoost, Chevrolet Colorado), sports car (Ford Mustang EcoBoost), family sedans (Subaru Legacy, Mazda 6), crossover (Mazda CX-5), compact cars (Ford Focus 1.0, Mazda 3, Nissan Micra)

One cool surprise was the presence of the Hyundai Tucson fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) that derives its electricity from hydrogen, though a technicality rendered it an unofficial 20th vehicle that didn***8217;t count toward the drivers***8217; rankings.

The 2015 Volkswagen Golf TDI received the lowest combined rating of non-electric cars at 5.06L/100 km, down from its regular highway rating of 5.5. Its EcoRun number surpasses other fuel-efficient models, such as the Chevrolet Cruze Diesel and Ford Focus 1.0-litre. More significant findings were gathered from the 2015 Nissan Micra and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee EcoDiesel that shattered its own highway ratings by 1.06L/100 km and 1.01L/100 km, respectively.

Other major movers and shakers were the 2015 Mazda 3 Sport GT in manual mode that lessened its highway rating by 0.85L/100 km clocking in with a combined total of 5.75; and the 2015 Chevrolet Colorado that ended up with an average fuel rating of 8.69L/100 km, an impressive number for a mid-size pickup truck.

Average Fuel Economy

Chevrolet Volt Plug-in Hybrid _ 3.81 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.01 gal = 61.5 mpg

VW Golf TDI Diesel _ 5.06 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.34 gal = 46.4 mpg

Nissan Micra _ 5.54 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.46 gal = 42.6 mpg

Mazda 3 2.5L _ 5.75 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.52 gal = 40.9 mpg

Mazda 6 2.5L i-Eloop _ 6.14 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.62 gal = 38.4 mpg

Ford Focus 1.0L _ 6.16 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.63 gal = 38.1 mpg

Chevrolet Cruze Diesel _ 6.70 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.77 gal = 35.1 mpg

BMW X3 xDrive 28d Diesel _ 6.85 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.81 gal = 34.3 mpg

Subaru Legacy _ 6.85 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.81 gal = 34.3 mpg

Infiniti Q50 Hybrid _ 7.05 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.86 gal = 33.4 mpg

Acura RLX Hybrid _ 7.17 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.89 gal = 32.9 mpg

Jeep Grand Cherokee Diesel _ 7.39 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 1.95 gal = 31.9 mpg

Mazda CX-5 2.5L _ 7.86 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 2.08 gal = 29.9 mpg

Chevrolet Colorado 2.5L _ 8.54 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 2.25 gal = 27.6 mpg

Ford Mustang 2.3L _ 8.69 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 2.29 gal = 27.1 mpg

Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid _ 10.63 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 2.81 gal = 22.1 mpg

Ford F-150 2.7L _ 10.67 L/100km = 62.14 miles / 2.82 gal = 22.0 mpg

http://www.ajac.ca/eco-run/

http://www.autofocus.ca/news-events/features/2015-ajac-eco-run-how-to-win-at-driving-efficiently

http://www.theautonet.com/en/2015/05/01/ecorun-vehicles-shatter-fuel-economy-ratings

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/efficiency/transportation/cars-light-trucks/buying/16767

http://www.ajac.ca/eco-run/Summary_2015_B.pdf

http://www.ajac.ca/eco-run/Summary_2015_A.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_7NIlf_gcQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKjbUreKpQQ


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel vs. Hybrid

CleanMPG Northwest Rally, where a group of like-minded hypermiling enthusiasts led by Wayne Gerdes attempts to drive from Los Angeles, CA, to Bend, OR, on one tank of fuel.

The trip will challenge both car and driver, while putting the latest fuel-efficient tech to the test. Wayne is piloting the Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen TDI, Sefton drives the Audi A3 TDI, and Winger attempts the trek in a Honda Accord Hybrid.

VW Golf Sportwagen TDI Diesel _ 69.7 mpg

Audi A3 TDI Diesel _ 64.3 mpg

Honda Accord Hybrid _ 61.5 mpg

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/19/cleanmpg-northwest-hypermiling-rally-car-club-usa/

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/index.php?threads/51999/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohG2S0gJf4I


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Mercedes OM 654

We've had a tour around the Mercedes engine test plant in Stuttgart, to see where some of the ***8364;2.6 billion spent on its new diesel engine has been splashed.
The OM654 engine is the new backbone of Mercedes. From A-class to S-class, from GLA to GLS, it'll be everywhere.

We'll find out just how good when we drive the new Mercedes E-class in a few weeks. That's the first car to get the new four-cylinder turbodiesel, in 192bhp 'E220d' form.
There'll be an E200d with around 150bhp soon after too. And then lots more engines after that.

Like BMW, Mercedes has settled on a modular idea. Think of the engine as a family of 500cc cylinders, which can be linked together however Mercedes fancies.
Four cylinders = a 2.0-litre engine, ideal for the C-class, E-class, and hybrid or entry-level CLS, S-class and SUV models.
Lop a pot off and you get a 1.5-litre 3-cyl, handy for smaller cars like the A-class and CLA.

Thanks to an aluminum block (usually diesels are cast iron, to cope with the immense pressure of combustion), the entire engine only weighs 168kg.
It's got steel pistons instead to cope with the force inside the engine, but they're a unique shape to reduce soot build-up, and run in a motorsport-spec 'nanoslide' cylinder coating.

The OM654 has 24 per cent less friction than the old 2.1-litre engine it replaces. It's also 17kg lighter, and emits 13% less CO2 and a massive 80% less NOx.
Meanwhile, power output is up by 24bhp, and the engine itself spins up 11% more quickly.
It's 40% thermal efficient, which means Toyota's record for the new Prius' engine lasted about twenty minutes.

Typical diesel engines like this run their cylinders at a 15-degree angle, but in the Benz they're standing straight up, so there's room down the side of the engine for a lot of exhaust cleaning components.

Once the engine has burned the fuel as cleanly as possible, what with its lower internal friction, the exhaust gases go through a sort of assault course of cleaning measures.
After spooling up the turbo, the gases are mixed with AdBlue additive. You can buy this stuff from highway service stations, or your dealer will top up the AdBlue tank at every service.
It's already common in diesel cars, but rather than getting to work as the gases are already on their way down the tailpipe, the new engine crams all the cleaning gear right into the engine architecture itself.

This means that the AdBlue evaporates faster and more evenly, so your diesel particulate filter (which catches the microscopies particles) doesn't get clogged and stop working properly.
Then there are two stages of nitrogen oxide filtration, and after the gases have passed that, they enter the regular exhaust system and travel down the tailpipe to the catalytic converter and out of the car itself.

Mercedes was already in the final stages of signing off the OM654 powerplant, running engines on the company's 72-bay testbed (which is relentlessly online 24/7, 365 days a year, and has lights powered by the dyno'ed engines) when the incredible news started to break in America that VW's engines weren't as green as officially stated. At this point, the engines had been on the dynos for a combined 25,000 hours.

Mercedes is already forecasting this unit will only pass EU regulations for the next decade, and then it'll need a rethink, and replacing.
"The idea is to make the engine less sensitive to your driving style", Lückert explains, envisioning a future where there isn't a major difference between hypermiling your car - feathering the throttle, or driving normally.

http://www.topgear.com/car-news/insider/qa-can-mercedes-new-engine-save-diesel#1


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Clean Diesel Engine

Mercedes OM 654

2L Inline-4 Turbo
192 hp
295 lb-ft
371 lb

Mercedes diesels are pretty much indestructible. Now, Mercedes has released a new-generation of its venerable four-cylinder diesel.

The latest OM 654 2.0-liter turbo-diesel four-cylinder debuts in the Euro-spec 2017 E220d this spring, and sometime later in the U.S. (with a higher numeral). It replaces the OM 651 2.1-liter diesel in service worldwide since 2008, although our time with it was considerably shorter; it arrived here in 2013, first in the GLK250, and then in the E250 and ML250 BlueTec models. Of that engine***8217;s three strengths offered in Europe (250, 220, and 200), we received only the most powerful.

The new engine ***8212; in 220 strength ***8212; makes 192 horsepower at 3800 rpm and 295 lb-ft of torque between 1600 and 2400 rpm. Compared to our current 2.1-liter engine, it achieves the same horsepower but nowhere near the 369 lb-ft that made our 2014 E250 sedan sneaky fast. Mercedes hasn***8217;t confirmed U.S. specifications yet, but we***8217;ll bet our version will produce more torque.

More so than output, the big news is the OM 654***8217;s cast aluminum block, as Mercedes is waving goodbye to the trusty cast iron block for four-cylinder diesels. This helps the new engine save a claimed 101 pounds (with all mounted accessories) versus the OM 651 220-spec diesel. Mercedes also used aluminum for the oil pan, reduced cylinder spacing by 0.16 inch, removed the second series turbocharger in favor of a single setup, and switched to plastic engine mounts, which reduce both weight and vibration. Each of the cylinders displaces 0.5 liters***8212;many manufacturers believe this volume provides max power and efficiency***8212;and is lined with slippery Nanoslide, an iron-carbon coating on the cylinder walls that cuts friction.

For the pistons, Mercedes engineers chose steel instead of aluminum, leveraging the metal***8217;s lower conductivity to improve combustion at higher temperatures and reduce friction between 40 and 50 percent. This is possible since aluminum, when hot, expands at a higher rate than steel, so the more tightly controlled clearance between the steel piston and the aluminum cylinder wall becomes especially advantageous, according to Mercedes.

In the wake of the VW TDI scandal, we can***8217;t talk about a diesel engine without bringing up exhaust emissions. Here, Mercedes installed all of the after-treatment components within the engine compartment. Instead of particulate filters and a trunk-mounted urea tank located downstream, these parts are installed on the engine itself. Even both catalytic converters***8212;one for oxidation, the other a selective catalyst reduction (SCR) that reduces nitrogen oxides***8212;are mounted as close to the engine as possible so that it won***8217;t require the lengthy cold-start warm-up procedures that have gotten VW into more trouble with the feds. This should also make it easier to install diesel powertrains across multiple vehicles.

We don***8217;t yet know how efficient the new engine is, or when it***8217;ll appear in the new E-, GLC-, and GLE-class models. The brawnier 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6 currently in the full-size GLS350d isn***8217;t going away. And thankfully, neither is Benz***8217;s commitment to any of these hardy, long-lasting oil-burning engines.

http://blog.caranddriver.com/mercedes-benz-debuts-new-four-cylinder-diesel/

http://paultan.org/2016/02/17/merce...tailed-14-hp-up-13-more-efficient-17-lighter/


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

VW & Mercedes Diesel vs. Toyota Hybrid

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/index.php?threads/49683/


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Diesel vs. Hybrid

2016 Toyota Prius Hybrid

Range _ over 700 miles per tank

Real World Fuel Economy _ 725 miles / 10.571 gal = 68.6 mpg










http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/prius/2016/krmcg/411575

http://priuschat.com/threads/16-real-mpg.160690/page-5

2015 VW Golf TDI Diesel

Range _ over 700 miles per tank

Real World Fuel Economy _ 719 miles / 12.217 gal = 58.9 mpg










http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/golf/2015/TurnOne/319407

http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/golf/2015/baybug59/380467



















http://www.fuelly.com/car/volkswagen/golf/2015/TDrIver/310158

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=421919&page=28


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

VW Passat TDI Sets World Record for Fuel Economy Around the Lower 48 U.S. States -- at 77.99 MPG on 6 tanks of Shell diesel fuel

Range _ over 1400 miles per tank

Fuel Capacity _ 18.5 gal

Real World Fuel Economy _ 8122 miles / 104 gal = 78 mpg

Volkswagen of America announced that it has set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS achievement for the "lowest fuel consumption-48 U.S. states for a non-hybrid car" category with a stellar 77.99 mpg -- more than 10 mpg better than the previous mark of 67.9 mpg. The achievement also beats the hybrid vehicle record of 64.6 mpg by more than 13 mpg.

The Passat TDI departed from Volkswagen of America's headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, on June 7,2013 and arrived back on June 24th, having covered 8122 miles and visited all 48 states.

Wayne Gerdes, founder of cleanmpg.com was the primary driver. Automotive journalist Gerdes has made a career out of hypermiling and has set mileage records in more than 100 vehicles, as well as achieving the record for lowest fuel consumption in the lower 48 U.S. states with a hybrid vehicle at 64.6 mpg. His co-driver was Bob Winger, an electronics engineer long involved in energy and conservation projects.

"We felt we had a good chance of beating the existing record with the Passat TDI," Gerdes said, "but to smash it by averaging 77.99 mpg is really impressive and a testament to the potential of Volkswagen's TDI Diesel vehicles. Obviously, we employ some specialized techniques to achieve such figures, but there's no reason why owners of TDI vehicles shouldn't be able to achieve great mileage with a few simple pointers." Gerdes suggests:

The team used Shell ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel. The Passat was shod with Continental PureContact with EcoPlus Technology tires, designed to improve fuel economy by reducing rolling resistance. It was also equipped with a ScanGauge II performance and mileage monitor by Linear-Logic and a Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx HD smartphone to meet Guinness's tracking requirements.

The 2013 Passat TDI with manual transmission and VW's direct-injected, turbocharged clean diesel engine is EPA rated at 43 mpg on the highway.
So, other than aftermarket tires and a high-tech mileage checker, how do you get almost 78 mpg out of that same Volkswagen?

Hypermiling is a somewhat complicated issue. In general it begins with some commonsense principles like keeping tires inflated, driving smoothly, not idling unnecessarily, maintaining a steady speed, and turning off the air-conditioning. Other techniques include looking well ahead to plan in advance, using downhill momentum to crest an uphill section of road, and coasting between city stoplights.

In our experience, the 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque 2.0L TDI I4 equipped with the six-speed manual easily delivers its EPA-estimated 31/43 mpg city/highway rating. Its fuel economy prowess is enhanced further thanks to the use of a Selective Catalytic Reduction System (SCR) system that not only fulfills emissions requirements in all 50 states but does not consume excess diesel fuel to reduce NOx.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-news/2013-volkswagen-passat-tdi-sets-guinness-fuel-economy-record.html

http://www.cleanmpg.com/community/index.php?threads/47780/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0M6TmeXzGk



















A Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is an emission control device designed to remove particulate (soot) from the exhaust of a diesel engine. With a post injection of fuel, the fuel combusts at the filter to soot combustion temperatures. This is known as a DPF "regeneration".

The process occurs at road speeds above 40 mph so it is imperative to allow them to complete ASAP after the warning light arrives. We were on the highway so it was short. It took about 4 minutes to complete, but cost us 0.5 mpg on this segment.


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## L-F-C (Jan 31, 2016)

I used to work for this biotech company in Emeryville CA called Amyris. They started out as an alternative fuel company and they had a good thing going until it came to production. Not cost effective. However, the formulas they came up with turned out to be great in many other products, such as tires, degreasers, hand cleaners and a few other things.


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

Renewable Diesel

Neste's record-breaking year in 2015 was also record-breaking from an environmental excellence viewpoint. Globally, Neste renewable diesel reduced greenhouse gas emissions by about 6.4 million metric tons. This corresponds to the greenhouse gas emissions of about 1.3 million cars, or over 50% of the greenhouse gas emissions of Finnish road traffic. Compared to 2014, the reduction increased by about one million metric tons, especially due to more extensive use of waste and residue raw materials.

"Our vision is to create responsible choices every day, and that really is what we do, as we provide customers and society with solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We are the world's largest company that produces renewable fuel from waste and residue raw materials, and our goal is to further increase their use because they result in the highest greenhouse gas emission reductions", says Kaisa Hietala, Executive Vice President, Renewable Products at Neste.

The amount of waste and residue used in Neste renewable fuel refining increased to almost 2 million metric tons in 2015. They were used for refining almost 2 billion liters of Neste Renewable Diesel, which is enough to power about 2 million diesel cars for 12 months if used as 100% blend.

Using Neste Renewable Diesel results in 40-90% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil diesel. Using waste and residues as raw material the greenhouse gas emissions can be up to 90% lower than those of fossil diesel.

In practice, Neste is capable of refining renewable diesel from almost any fat-containing raw material. Suitable waste and residues are created as the by-products of the food and vegetable oil industry, for example. Neste has substantially increased its waste and residue use in recent years. In 2015, they accounted for 68% of the raw materials of renewable diesel produced by Neste. The share of crude palm oil has decreased to 31%.

Waste, residue and research are the paths to meeting the emission reduction goal for 2017
The goal of Neste is to annually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a total of 7 million metric tons with renewable fuels by 2017.

The goal will be met by sales growth in renewable fuels and by increasing the use of waste and residue raw materials. Utilizing fat-containing waste of an increasingly lower quality is a main priority for research conducted by Neste. Neste also performs research to find totally new raw materials for renewable fuel production, such as wood-based raw material and algal oil. About 1,000 of Neste's 5,000 employees work with R&D and engineering.

https://www.neste.com/en/emission-r...reenhouse-gas-emissions-about-13-million-cars

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gikW18kZhNo


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

VW Golf TDI Sets World Record for Fuel Economy Around the Lower 48 U.S. States -- at 81.17 MPG

Real World Fuel Economy _ 8233.5 miles / 101.43 gal = 81 mpg

$294.98. That's how much it cost the Volkswagen team to drive across all 48 contiguous states in the union. Which is pretty impressive, but it's only part of the story.

In an effort to demonstrate just how economical a conventional diesel engine can be, VW sent a team out from its US headquarters in Herndon, VA, in a Golf TDI. Their mission was to visit all the Lower 48 on as little fuel as possible. Over the course of 16 days, they traveled 8,233.5 miles, burned through 101.43 gallons of fuel, and marked a frankly astonishing average of 81.17 miles per gallon. As a result, the team - made up of hypermiling automotive journalist Wayne Gerdes and electronics engineer Bob Winger - picked up a new Guinness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption achieved in a non-hybrid car across the 48 contiguous states.

The previous record, it's worth noting, had also been set by VW and Gerdes, who piloted a 2013 Passat TDI at just a hair under 80 mpg. But here's the kicker: in raising the diesel economy bar even higher, the team also beat the record for the same achievement in a hybrid vehicle by over six mpg. So the next time someone tries to tell you a hybrid is more efficient than a diesel (at least on the highway), you can point them towards this record.

Volkswagen of America, Inc., is pleased to announce that the 2015 Golf TDI, part of the family of vehicles that won the 2015 North American Car of the Year, has set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS achievement for the "lowest fuel consumption-48 U.S. contiguous States for a non-hybrid car" with a remarkable 81.17 mpg. Traveling 8,233.5 miles around America in 16 days on $294.98 of Shell Diesel fuel, the Golf beat the previous mark of 77.99 mpg by more than 3 mpg, and also beat the hybrid vehicle record of 74.34 mpg by more than 6 mpg.

"Covering 8,233.5 miles on just 101.43 gallons of Clean Diesel fuel is a remarkable accomplishment, and solid proof of the efficiency and fuel economy of Volkswagen's TDI vehicles," said Michael Horn, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. "Whether on a long road trip, or even in daily commuting, the great mileage and long range of our TDI models is a pure convenience factor that few other vehicles on sale can match. It's a simple formula: Less Stop, More Go!"

The record-setting Golf TDI, sporting Volkswagen of America's 60th anniversary emblem, as well as logos from sponsors Shell, Goodyear, LG, Garmin and Linear-Logic, departed from Volkswagen of America's headquarters in Herndon, Va., on June 22. It returned on July 7, having visited all 48 contiguous states.

Wayne Gerdes, automotive journalist and founder of cleanmpg.com, was the primary driver. His co-driver was Bob Winger, an electronics engineer long involved in energy and conservation projects. Gerdes is an expert hypermiler who has set mileage records in more than 100 vehicles. In 2013, Gerdes set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title for "lowest fuel consumption-48 U.S. states for a non-hybrid car" in a 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI, with an outstanding 77.99 mpg.

"Volkswagen's TDI engines are just amazing," said Wayne Gerdes. "I don't think people realize the potential mileage you can get from them. In our experience, it is possible to get truly impressive mileage results by using just a few simple fuel-saving techniques."

The 2015 Golf TDI uses Volkswagen's advanced turbocharged and direct-injection engine to achieve an EPA estimated highway fuel economy of 45 miles per gallon when equipped with the six-speed manual transmission. The Golf TDI joins five other models in Volkswagen's TDI lineup that achieve an EPA estimated fuel economy rating of 40 mpg or better on the highway.

For the attempt, the Golf TDI used Shell ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel, available at nearly 8,000 Shell stations nationwide, and Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max tires which feature a fuel-saving tread compound to help increase fuel efficiency and offer confident all-season traction. The record-setting Golf TDI was also equipped with a Linear Logic ScanGauge II to precisely measure fuel economy, G4 smartphones by LG and a Garmin 57 LM GPS navigator to meet GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS tracking requirements.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/08/vw-golf-tdi-circles-us-less-than-300-dollars-diesel/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijf1wlTzWg0


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## MCSL (Jan 30, 2005)

VW TDI Cars

2015-2016 Golf TDI, Golf SportWagen TDI
2015-2016 Audi A3 TDI
2015-2016 Jetta TDI, Passat TDI, Beetle TDI

All 2015 and 2016 TDI four-cylinder models have a brand-new 2.0-Liter EA288 engine and will be the easiest to fix.

That's because they are fitted with a Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) exhaust aftertreatment system using urea injection, which will likely need only updated software to come into compliance with emission regulations.

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...x-my-diesel-car-and-when-a-list-of-all-models

The group that discovered the VW scandal ***8211; WVU ***8211; tested old TDI cars.

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=448336

Gen 3: the EA288
In 2014, Volkswagen of America announced a major technology change. The strategically important new 2.0-liter EA288 diesel engine would replace the old 2.0L TDI, and would power the 2015 Golf, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, and Jetta. The EA288 is based on the Volkswagen MDB, its modular diesel engine toolkit (Modularen Diesel Baukasten).

The new EA288 engine was to replace all the 2.0-liter diesels then fitted in Audi and Volkswagen TDI Clean Diesel models. This turbocharged, common-rail, direct-injection four-cylinder engine produced 150 hp - an increase of 10 hp over the outgoing engine-and 236 lb-ft of torque. This powerplant shares only the bore spacing with the previous diesel engine that had the same designation.

As part of this major redesign, the engine also features an entirely new exhaust aftertreatment system-a compact unit close-mounted to the engine, helping to lower heat and pressure losses. The system is modular. It can use an SCR system, or NOx storage, or oxy cat-essentially whatever the engine needs, without affecting the rest of the engine. At the time, Volkswagen said that the flexibility of the MDB would allow the engines to meet the coming EPA Tier 3, California LEV III emissions standards.

The EA288 TDI engine with the BIN 5 rating uses a low-pressure EGR system to reduce engine-out NOx emissions. The EA 288 aftertreatment system combines an oxidizing catalytic converter and a diesel particulate filter into a single module. This close arrangement allows the oxidizing catalytic converter and the diesel particulate filter to heat up quickly, and the operating temperatures of the catalytic converter can be reached faster.

In its Bin 5 design with SCR, the diesel particulate filter has an SCR coating.

In addition, the exhaust flap control unit has a throttle valve with an electric motor drive located downstream of the diesel particulate filter. The exhaust flap control unit can slow exhaust gas flow, helping to regulate EGR. The exhaust flap control unit is actuated by the ECM.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2015/09/20150921-vw2l.html


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