In October 2009, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus set a goal for the Navy of deploying a Great Green Fleet by 2016 and operating with at least 50% energy from alternative sources by 2020. Hydroprocessed renewable diesels (HRD-76), catalytic hydrothermal conversion diesel (CHCD-76), and direct sugar to hydrocarbon (DSH), also known as synthesized isoparaffin (SIP), have been produced in sufficient quantity for testing by the US Navy, and have been demonstrated as compatible replacements or blending stocks with marine diesel (NATO F-76). The material compatibility, lubricity and cold-flow properties of these renewable diesels, however, need to be improved for realizing the ultimate goal of using 100% renewable fuel. Aromatics are known to improve O-ring seal swell and low temperature characteristics of fuel, but also increase engine soot emissions. In this study, three commercial aromatic solvents, Aromatic 100, 150 and 200, and 15 pure alkyl aromatics found in petroleum F-76, were added into HRD-76 and DSH in pure form and as mixtures to investigate their impact on biofuel characteristics, such as stability, viscosity, density, and heating value. In addition, both experimental and computational methods were used to study the capacity of different aromatic species to enhance seal-swell characteristics of HRD-76 and DSH. The influence of aromatic additives on biofuel water content and vapor pressure were also investigated.

Potential additives to improve biofuels properties and their effects on fuel characteristics

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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