DoD Can Enter Synfuel Contracts With Long Terms If Low GHG | Coal Gasification News
This is potentially a huge help for our industry. One of the best things the government can do to help speed development of clean domestic fuel sources is to be a strong “consumer of first resort”.
There was a nice article on our project in this weekend’s edition of the Portland Business Journal:
If you are like me and grew up reading every copy of Popular Mechanics you could get your hands on, then you might be as excited as I was this morning to find synthetic fuels being featured.
Article:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4283188.html
Video:
http://video.popularmechanics.com/services/link/bcpid1797019200/bctid1799204032
“Consumption levels of synthetic fuel are identical to standard fuel, but synthetics burn more cleanly, as their sulphurless composition produces less soot and particulate matter. Maintenance is reduced because combusted fuel leaves fewer engine deposits. The fuel leaves thinner contrails, offering visual evidence of the fuel’s cleaner burn characteristics.”
Hat tip to the Air Force for their continuing pivotal role in testing and certifying the fuel. We would love to sell you some clean SPK Jet Fuel starting in 2013.
The Air Force’s testing and certification program is continuing to move along without any hitches.
http://blog.wired.com/defense/2008/08/fighter-jet-hit.html
“Ryan Mead, an F-15 fuels engineer, said that for all practical purposes, the aircraft functioned in the same range it would have with the JP-8 jet fuel. He expects the jet to be certified on the fuel as a result of the test flights. ”
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/08/airforce_f15_syntheticfuel_082208w/
There has been some more recent coverage of synthetic aviation fuels on the Discovery Channel’s Powrtalk blog.
http://blogs.discovery.com/news_powrtalk/2008/08/airlines-need-a.html#trackback
They also had a cool posting about a new concept being kicked around here in Portland for implementation of a congestion charge in lieu of the typical gas tax.
http://blogs.discovery.com/news_powrtalk/2008/08/perfectly-shape.html#trackback
Synthetic fuels for autos and airlines may arrive sooner than people think, with CNBC’s Melissa Lee.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=827851286
Hat tip to Hunt from Rentech for providing some nice sound bites.
There is a new Associated Press article by Chris Kahn on alternative aviation fuels that prominently features synthetic fuels.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ic0mnVmu2Lx9_yVdaGp46ysGo3ZwD92IT2J01
Good to see the word starting to get out there.
As the article mentioned, we probably wont be able to drop the price of jet fuel, but we can certainly do our part to help keep it from going up more, and we can DEFINITELY make it a lot cleaner.
We are looking forward to working with the airlines at the upcoming CAAFI meeting in September.
