Government energy projections: The expected growth rate of different sources of energy
I realize that looking to our government for future energy pricing and usage projections has less to do with fact and more to do with fiction. However, I perused the 2016 U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook report so that I could see what our administrators are thinking (or not). In typical government
California, GHG Phase 2 and trucking
California’s government, its governor and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) continually amaze me by their apparent lack of logic. California recently passed legislation requiring electricity retailers to purchase at least 125 MW of biomass power within five years. They claim the biomass will be provided by dead or dying trees from high-hazard fire zones. Yet,
Why it’s important to test new engine oils
Last month, I mentioned that the North American Council for Fleet Efficiency (NACFE) recommended that fleets switch to the API FA-4 low viscosity lube oils immediately to save fuel and decrease (GHG) emissions. As stated by the report, viscosity is defined as a measure of a fluid’s internal resistance to flow. In a truck’s engine,
Fuels and oil: Finding truth in the noise
We live in a confusing age. Considerable information is available thanks to the internet, but there is no easy way of assessing its validity. Anyone can make a statement on the internet—and it is up to us to decide the truth of the statement. Let’s take a look at some recent claims that impact your
Where is our national energy policy?
Our lack of a technically based national energy policy has, and will continue to, cost us billions. You and I have financed such ridiculous schemes as corn-based ethanol and solar-powered home devices, and the cash outflow shows no sign of abating. It seems some of our environmental activists (specifically, the Alliance for Green Heating) are
Corn-based ethanol: A case study in fuel follies
When I consider the renewable fuels legislative mess our states have created, I’m appalled. The lack of a coherent national energy policy has provided fuel (pun intended) for institutions as the Renewable Fuels Association, which is still trying to convince us that corn-based ethanol is a viable alternate fuel. We’ve also enabled state environmental agencies,
Three new ways oils will be identified and utilized
This December we get a little extra bonus: Three changes in the way lube oils are identified and utilized. First, the API will discontinue the use of the term “energy conserving” on their SL and SM passenger car motor oils (PCMO). The term is discontinued because the engine parts needed to run the laboratory engine
Driving to maximize fuel economy
While working at Shell Oil Co.’s Wood River Research facilities, my engineering team was tasked with determining relationships between gasoline composition and drivability and fuel economy. This would be much easier today due to the impressive electronic devices available, but in 1969, we had to do things the hard way. I developed a cyclical operational
California’s latest regulating nightmare
Sometimes our states meddle in areas where they shouldn’t be meddling; California has a history, of which they are very proud, of doing just that. One of the proposals of the FAST Act, which was struck down, was to prevent states from writing requirements that preempted applicable federal standards. This proposal didn’t make the cut,
An update on alternate fuels and taxes
Our dedicated federal government has been busy securing transportation’s future by passing new legislation. As you may already know we, after many attempts, thankfully got long-term transportation funding (could an important election be coming up?), but relevant alternate fuels tax legislation was also passed. Natural gas gets a 50 cent per gallon tax credit, for both
What will be the impact of PC-11’s second category?
I just returned from making a presentation at the Advanced Engineering Technology Conference (AETC) associated with the Performance Racing Industry (PRI) show in Indianapolis. This is the biggest event in the world for people who earn their livings racing. The general public is not allowed to attend. There I found that even racers and race engine
Some thoughts on fuel economy
In this column, I want to discuss fuel economy (FE), in the hopes that I might give you a few ideas to experiment within your operation. Note that I said “experiment.” My experience has been that no matter what you hear or read, you need to check new ideas out in your operation. You need