US Navy tests biofuels on Riverine Command Boats
In Virginia, the US Navy conducted a full power demonstration of a Riverine Command Boat powered by alternative fuel, at Naval Station Norfolk, in a demonstration dubbed “the Mean Green Riverine Machine” by HamptonRoads.com.
Testing and evaluation of alternative fuels from the 49-foot fast and agile RCB-X boat supports the Secretary of the Navy’s efforts to reduce the fleet’s reliance on fossil fuels and is part of a series of progressively complex tests and evaluations scheduled through 2012.
These exhibitions will culminate in 2012 with a Green Strike Group of U.S. Navy ships operating locally and by 2016 deploying a Great Green Fleet powered entirely by alternative fuels. The fuel, produced by Solazyme in partnership with UOP, is 50 percent algae-based and 50 percent NATO F-76 fuel, which forms a 50/50 blend of hydro-processed renewable diesel, also known in industry as “HR-D.”
Category: Fuels
