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Biofuels in Light-Duty Vehicles

Project Summary

Full Title: Mobility Chains Analysis of Technologies for Passenger Cars and Light-Duty Vehicles Fueled with Biofuels: Application of the GREET Model to the Role of Biomass in America’s Energy Future (RBAEF) Project
Project ID: 82
Principal Investigator: Michael Wang
Brief Description: The mobility chains analysis estimated the energy consumption and emissions associated with the use of various biofuels in light-duty vehicles.
Keywords: Well-to-wheels (WTW); ethanol; biofuels; Fischer Tropsch diesel; hybrid electric vehicles (HEV)

Purpose

The project was a multi-organization, multi-sponsor project to examine the potential of biofuels in the U.S. Argonne was responsible for the well-to-wheels analysis of biofuel production and use.

Performer

Principal Investigator: Michael Wang
Organization:Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Address:EDS362/G216, 9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439
Telephone:630-252-2819
Email:mqwang@anl.gov

Sponsor(s)

Name:Tien Nguyen
Organization:DOE/EERE
Telephone:202-586-7387
Email:Tien.Nguyen@ee.doe.gov

Period of Performance

Start: February 2003
End: June 2005

Project Description

Type of Project: Analysis
Category: Energy Infrastructure, Vehicle Options, Well-to-Wheels
Objectives: The Role of Biomass in America’s Energy Future (RBAEF) is a multi-institution, multiple-sponsor research project. The primary focus of the project is to analyze and assess the potential of transportation fuels derived from cellulosic biomass in the years 2015 to 2030. For this project, researchers at Dartmouth College and Princeton University designed and simulated an advanced fermentation process to produce fuel ethanol/protein, a thermochemical process to produce Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FTD) and dimethyl ether (DME), and a combined heat and power plant to co-produce steam and electricity using the ASPEN Plus™ model. With support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted, for the RBAEF project, a mobility chains or well-to-wheels (WTW) analysis using the Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation (GREET) model developed at ANL. The mobility chains analysis was intended to estimate the energy consumption and emissions associated with the use of different production biofuels in light-duty vehicle technologies.
Technologies Considered:

Fuel Production Options

  1. Bio-EtOH (bio-ethanol) with cogeneration of power by means of gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC) (bio-EtOH/GTCC)
  2. Bio-EtOH with cogeneration of power by means of steam Rankine cycle (bio-EtOH/Rankine)
  3. Bio-EtOH and bio-FTD (Fischer Tropsch diesel) with cogeneration of power by means of GTCC (bio-EtOH/bio-FTD/GTCC)
  4. Bio-EtOH and protein with cogeneration of power by means of steam Rankine cycle (bio-EtOH/protein/Rankine)
  5. Bio-DME (dimethyl ether) with cogeneration of power by means of GTCC (bio-DME/GTCC)
  6. Bio-FTD with cogeneration of power by means of GTCC (bio-FTD/GTCC)

Baseline Fuels

  • Gasoline and diesel

Vehicle/Fuel Combinations

  • Spark-ignition (SI) vehicles fueled with reformulated gasoline (RFG) or a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline by volume (E85)
  • SI hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) fueled with RFG or E85
  • Compression-ignition, direct-injection (CIDI) vehicles fueled with low-sulfur diesel (LSD), DME, or FTD
  • CIDI HEVs fueled with LSD, DME, or FTD
Inputs:
  • Description: Performance parameters were chosen, based on the most likely estimates by experts, to achieve optimal energy efficiencies and conversion yields and to control all emissions to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements.

    Factors considered for the farming process include energy use during farming and biomass transportation, fertilizer and pesticide use (energy and emissions embedded in them), nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from farms, and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions/sequestrations that occur at the farms. Chemical and physical properties of switchgrass are used in analysis.
Methodology/Approach: Linear algebraic calculations; Monte Carlo estimates of variations
Models Used: GREET
Outputs: Life-cycle total energy use, fossil energy use, and petroleum use; greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and emissions of criteria pollutants (on a per mile driven basis)
Timeframe Studied: 2015 - 2030

Products/Deliverables

 

  • Description: Report
    Publication Title: Mobility Chains Analysis of Technologies for Passenger Cars and Light-Duty Vehicles Fueled with Biofuels: Application of the GREET Model to the Role of Biomass in America’s Energy Future (RBAEF) Project
    Publisher: Argonne National Laboratory
    Author Name(s): Wu, May; Wu, Ye; Wang, Michael
    (PDF 386 KB) Download Adobe Reader.
    Publication Date: May 2005


Date Last Updated: 10/05/2006