Co-Optima determines predictor of fuel performance, develops roadmap for biofuels design

In Tennessee, Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers working alongside Co-Optima collaborators from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory, determined it’s not so much the chemistry of a fuel that predicts performance, but rather its properties that hold the key to identifying a candidate with the potential for success, which will help the biofuels industry quickly identify viable candidates for high-performance, bio-based fuels.

The research team identified research octane number, octane sensitivity, and heat of vaporization as having the most significant impact on turbocharged SI engine efficiency.

As Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s fuel properties technical lead for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Co-Optimization of Fuel and Engines, or Co-Optima, initiative, Jim Szybist has been on a quest for the past few years to identify the most significant indicators for predicting how a fuel will perform in engines designed for light-duty vehicles such as passenger cars and pickup trucks.

“Our hope is that this journal article will help the research community and industry quickly identify viable candidates for high-performance, bio-based fuels,” Szybist said. “Historically, biofuel developers have already had the fuel chemistry or composition in mind before considering what their properties are. But the fact is, we should let the fuel properties of the biofuel candidates guide us. That’s what will make the best fuel.”