AFRL exceeds goals in renewable fuel development effort

  • Published
  • By Holly Jordan
  • Aerospace Systems Directorate
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Air Force Research Laboratory's Assured Aerospace Fuels Research Facility (AAFRF) recently completed its first externally-funded fuel development effort, exceeding project goals and finishing ahead of schedule and within budget.

As part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Applied Research Associates Inc., (ARA), the goal of the program was to produce renewable diesel fuel, renewable specification Jet A, and renewable naphtha. These fuels were produced using the Biofuels ISOCONVERSIONTM (BIC) process, developed by ARA and Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) to convert any renewable oil into 100 percent drop-in fuels, nearly identical to their petroleum counterparts.

Fuels produced by the BIC Process, which contain aromatic and cycloparaffin compounds, are unique relative to renewable fuels produced by other processes in that they meet petroleum specifications without blending. AAFRF performed hydrotreating and fractionating steps on crude oil, produced from distillers grain corn oil from Blue Sun Energy at ARA's Panama City, Fla., facility. The proprietary catalyst used in the AAFRF hydrotreater was provided by CLG. On Nov. 25, AFRL scientists and engineers completed the effort, producing a combined 2,500 gallons of naphtha, specification jet, and specification diesel products.

Other partners on the project included Battelle Memorial Institute (BMI), which executed the day-to-day hydrotreating and fractionating operations, the University of Dayton Research Institute and the Air Force Petroleum Agency (AFPA), which provided analytical and materials management services.

"This project and the people behind it showcase our ability to positively contribute to fuel technology while keeping to a program plan and budget under tight schedule constraints," said Robert Morris, AAFRF manager.

"AFRL's Assured Aerospace Fuels Research Facility provided state-of-the-art equipment and an outstanding staff of professionals to deliver high quality fuels, meeting all specification requirements on time and on budget," said Chuck Red, ARA's Vice President of Fuels Development, "We look forward to our next project with their excellent team."

The AAFRF fills a much-needed gap in fuels research and development efforts. It can produce the quantities of fuels needed to perform research, development, and certification testing. The facility is capable of producing between 10 and 50 gallons of specification fuels per day, and is available for use by government, industry, and academia.