Posted on 09/18/2008 4:58:57 AM PDT by shove_it
[...] "We tested the crap out of the B-52 engines before we flew it," explains Jeff Braun, director of the Alternative Fuels Certification Office. "We did component tests on the engines, ground tests, engine install ground tests and then single-engine flight tests. We then stair-stepped from one, to four, to all engines, which provided a component of risk mitigation." The testing process has trickled across the entire Air Force fleet, with future efforts encompassing UAVs, helicopters, ground-support equipment and each variant of the F-35 Lightning II. "We're really just trying to establish a market," insists Betty Rodriguez, subsystems technical advisor for the Air Force's Flight Systems Engineering Division. "We're the consumers, not the producers."
Though the process of validating and testing synthetic-fuel blends continues within Air Force and civilian circles, its future is fraught with question marks. At least for the time being, the Air Force has been sourcing its natural gas-derived fuel from the Shell Corporation in Bintulu, Malaysia. (The U.S.-based Syntroleum Corporation, which supplied fuel for the B-52 flight, has closed down because its primary customer was the Air Force and, given the Pentagon's limited-volume needs for testing, the company couldn't sustain profitability.) The Air Force will also be sourcing 5000 gal. of synfuel from Rentech in Colorado.
Prices currently hover at around $3.04 per gallon, which is roughly the same price as standard JP-8, although transportation fees of roughly $4.60 are added to either fuel. "You have to realize we're talking about relatively small research and development quantities," Braun explains. "I'm buying a couple hundred thousand gallons. Who knows what kind of price I'd get if I were buying a couple hundred million gallons?"
(Excerpt) Read more at popularmechanics.com ...
Not sure about the green jet fuel but i enjoyed the video, thanks.
"We're going to replace the long-chain hydrocarbon fuel we get from petroleum with long-chain hydrocarbon fuel we get from natural gas. It goes without saying, of course, that we'll have to subject this radically new fuel to 85,000,000 hours of flight testing. Sure it's a tough job, and our pilots hate every minute of it, but hey, it has to be done."
Natural Gas.
That’s too bad.
I had visions of bumper stickers that read “Support the Military - Eat More Fries”
ANother plus - the go juice can be made from US sourced gas - as it should be.
In addition to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve we need a Strategic Fuel Consumption program. It should buy a million gallons of fuel per month from coal, natural gas, and saltwater algae sources. Initially the price could be anything, the military can afford $100/gallon, but mandate price reductions as time goes on. Our massive military spending is the reason we are the technology leader of the world and the military has always been the origin of our future wealth and prosperity. It's important to recognize the key role the military plays in pushing the development of strategic technologies.
I've got my eye on this stock ~ up 20% today:
RTK is up strongly again Friday. Good pick. It’s an interesting small company that has some smart people working for them. The salaries they are paying themselves seem high. I’d rather they were more motivated by stock appreciation.
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