by Steve Frazer | Nov 1, 2018 | Biofuel, Industry News
Written by: Steve Frazer While ETC has operations in 19 US states and 37 foreign nations, we are based out of southern Nevada. The definition of “hot” in our local area has come to mean any temperature over 100F. Historically, we experience 100+F highs everyday for 6 months of the year and during the summer months, it is common for the temperature to remain above 100F day and night. In such heat, the simple task of refueling a vehicle can be quite uncomfortable. So you have your Sweetie in your car beside you headed out shopping or going to dinner and a movie. Maybe you have your client in the car and you have to stop for fuel. If you have a “Baby on Board”, everyone at the filling station anticipates 2-3 minutes after you turn off your engine that cute happy baby becomes an unhappy screaming bundle of discontent due to the discomfort of the extreme heat. If your vehicle runs E85/Flex-Fuel or E10/Regular/Premium Gasohol (10% Ethanol/90% gasoline), then you are legislatively required to turn off your engine while refueling. This law typically includes a $2,500 fine for non-compliance and is active in all 50 states for good reason. The vapors of Ethanol and gasoline are easily ignited from static electricity, any random spark, your own engine combustion/electronics or the 1,500F catalytic converter, cell phone static and a long list of other sources. If you do not turn off your engine, you may indeed experience a fiery death from a “refueling fire” (over 1,000 incidents per year in the U.S. alone). Since Flex-Fuel vehicles are on the rise...
by Steve Frazer | Aug 29, 2015 | Biofuel
For 20 years there have been rumors about Cadillac releasing a new diesel engine, but with the hiring of Johan De Nysschen as their President (he was the President of Audi-USA and was responsible for bringing diesel Audi’s to the states many years ago) and the recent formal announcement, it looks like it will finally happen. This is a major statement about the status of drive trains for U.S. car makers. For nearly 100 years, Cadillac has lead the industry for innovations and technology selection and while they have been ever so slow – they have finally selected the best all-around drive train solution. Finally, Cadillacs that are responsible regarding fuel consumption (compared with gasoline versions), have lower emissions (than gasoline versions) and will be far safer from fires and explosions (than gasoline, hybrid and EV versions). This announcement is a major milestone in the U.S. Migration to diesel powered vehicles. Edmunds has published several articles over the past 3 years with the statistics for vehicle price recovery between diesel, hybrid and EV technologies over the traditional gasoline powered version of the same or similar vehicle. Typically, the purchase price of a diesel powered vehicle will be recouped in 2.5 years over a gasoline powered car, 7-9 years for a hybrid and literally never (far beyond the life-cycle of the car) for an EV (as the result of the higher purchase price and the $9K-$28K battery replacement cost). So while the diesel version is roughly $1,500-$3,500 more expensive to purchase, once you have owned the vehicle for 2.5 years and if your driving habits are in-line with national averages,...
by Steve Frazer | Aug 24, 2015 | Biofuel, Industry News
Scientists at the Climate/Energy Design and Research institute (CEDAR) have just announced the discovery of an astounding new energy source that promises to solve several of humanity’s thorniest dilemmas at once. “This is a paradigm-shifting moment,” says Dawn O’Newday, the engineer in charge of the project. “Whatever your game is, this changes it. Big time.” The new energy source, called TREES (Totally Renewable Energy, Emissions capture, and Storage) is, as the name suggests, completely renewable. Unlike conventional power plants, TREES devices use no fuel; and unlike most solar and wind technologies, TREES requires no non-renewable materials for the manufacture of panels or turbines. Further, TREES devices are actually self-replicating, through a radical innovation known as SEEDS (Self-reproduction through Endo-Encrypted Data Simulation). Because each TREES device can make endless copies of itself without any mining or manufacturing cost, and because TREES captures abundant sunlight, this may be the first truly free energy source ever discovered by humanity. On top of that, TREES offers built-in energy storage. The technology captures energy from sunlight in real time, then chemically converts it to an energy-preserving substance that is both useful and durable. In their energy storage mode, TREES devices can be fashioned into usable items like furniture, houses, paper, packaging, and—best of all—musical instruments. The storage capabilities of this technology are both large in scale and long-term: the technology’s developers project that TREES will be able to store energy for hundreds of years, while some individual devices will be able to preserve the energy equivalent of 3000 barrels of oil. But the advantages of TREES technology don’t end there. As they capture and...
by Steve Frazer | Jul 21, 2015 | Biofuel
According to The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the environmental ramifications of EVs from well to wheel are significant. The study took into account all factors along the lifecycle of an electric vehicle, from the toxic battery ingredients like nickel and copper to the energy sources which power the grids that ultimately charge the cars’ batteries. “The global warming potential from electric vehicle production is about twice that of conventional vehicles,” one part of the study concludes, indicating that energy developed from lignite, coal, or heavy oil combustion makes it “counterproductive to promote electric vehicles.” Every emerging technology needs early supporters and if you can afford to pay $1-$2/mile to operate a small vehicle that offers limited range and you plan to operate your EV in grid areas not powered by coal plants, then the current EV manufacturers and future EV technologies will benefit from your support and we salute your commitment to this emerging technology. It has a very real potential at some point in the future (20-30 years) of being more environmentally friendly than other current options. If you have limited financial resources and still need to drive a private vehicle as is the situation with the vast majority of our nation’s population, we strongly suggest you join the U.S. Migration. While we are often criticized for reporting the facts, we have been educating the public for years. EV’s and Hybrids are not our Future EV Tech – Postmortem U.S. Migration For the full article – please click the link below…...
by Steve Frazer | Mar 3, 2015 | Biofuel
Recently, alligator fat was identified as a source to produce biodiesel. Every year, about 15 million pounds of alligator fat are disposed of in landfills as a waste byproduct of the alligator meat and skin industry. Studies have shown that biodiesel produced from alligator fat is similar in composition to biodiesel created from soybeans, and is cheaper to refine since it is primarily a waste product. The report at the latest meeting of the American Chemical Society follows up on an earlier study on the potential use of gator fat as a source of biodiesel fuel. It’s cool research, but there is obviously a limited amount of alligator fat lying around. Using fat from such common sources as chicken, pork and beef could be much more practical for commercial implementation, according to Thomas Junk, Ph.D. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, whose earlier alligator fat study used a batch reactor and says the gator improvement came because they switched to a flow reactor to process the fat. “We set up a flow reactor, and the reaction converting alligator fat to biodiesel happened within a few minutes. That’s important for commercial manufacturing, where you want to produce as much fuel as quickly as possible.” Living the great U.S.A. always provides options – you can choose between putting a “Tiger in your tank”, a “Dinosaur in your tank”, or a “Gator in your...
by Steve Frazer | Dec 18, 2014 | Biofuel
What has become the most popular form of power for cars in many regions of the world is now finally possible for motorcycles: a high performance turbo-diesel engine. This turbo-diesel engine, with its unparalleled acceleration characteristics, low fuel consumption and high top speed, is a game changer for the future of motorcycles. This engine design solves the issue of the almost show-stopping, 150 year challenge of radical vibration below 4 cylinders. This is the world’s first production turbo-diesel motorcycle. Diesel...
by Steve Frazer | Nov 5, 2014 | Biofuel
Bill Scanlon, NREL November 03, 2014 Tucked away in darkness and almost dead, algae can emerge from a frigid and foggy environment to live again — and perhaps even become the seeds for a new beginning that can provide biofuel for a clean energy future. NREL Research Technician Nick Sweeney inoculates algae being grown in a tent reactor. Algae brought back to active states from cryogenic tanks need aerobic environments to meet their full potential as biofuels. Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL At the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and at dozens of other labs nationwide, algae are like a junior high kid with great promise: slow to arise, but packed with energy for the long haul. It may take years, but eventually the great expectations can be reached. A gallon of fuel made from algae currently costs about quadruple the cost of a gallon of conventional diesel. But looking long term, algae are an inexhaustible resource that if used as a substitute for fuels would slash the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — and costs are dropping. Resurrecting Algae a Delicate Task Unlike resurrecting zombies — or teens — awakening a dormant algae sample takes precision and care. At NREL, that task often falls to Research Technician Nick Sweeney. “We do cryogenic resurrection of algae from our library of strains,” Sweeney said. “We get calls from other labs, universities, private companies, or from our own researchers requesting a particular strain. “It’s not as simple as pulling something frozen out of the freezer; the protocol is to slowly bring it back to a state where its...
by Steve Frazer | Oct 2, 2014 | Biofuel
2014-10-27 Chrysler said this week that it would double production of the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel pickup, increasing the model’s share of all Ram pickups from 10 to 20 percent. Ram is currently the only light truck manufacturer in the US to offer a diesel engine in a light-duty pickup. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel comes with a 240 horsepower 3-liter diesel V6 with a fuel efficiency rating of 28 miles per gallon. Their are very few of these trucks on the lots across the nation – most are sold before the Dealers take delivery. Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Chevy, GMC, and Ford are all announcing the release of new light and mid-sized pick up trucks with advanced diesel engines. The U.S. Migration is well...
by Steve Frazer | Aug 9, 2014 | Biofuel
Diesel passenger car purchases continue to increase, which is great news for the biodiesel industry. Diesel car sales in the U.S. increased by more than six times the rate of overall car sales during the first six months of 2014 — a 25 percent increase from last year — according to Edmunds data and the Diesel Technology Forum. Diesel sales in 2014 show six consecutive months of increases: +6.8 percent in January; +4.5 percent in February; +39.5 percent in March; +60.4 percent in April; +26.8 percent in May and +8.8 percent in June. “Sustained and mostly double-digit increases in sales each month over a four-year period prove that U.S. consumers are embracing the benefits of clean diesel technology and its proven, high fuel efficiency, great driving performance, and long-term value,” said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. Clean-diesel vehicles are about 30 percent more efficient than those with gasoline engines, says the DTF, and the group expects automakers to introduce even more diesels to help meet federal fuel-efficiency standards that mandate a 54.5 mpg corporate average by 2025. Current clean-diesel offerings in the U.S. include 27 models of cars and SUVs, nine vans and 10 pickup trucks. Click here for a list of the clean diesel cars and pickups available in the U.S....
by Steve Frazer | Aug 6, 2014 | Biofuel
We all have been bombarded with scores of late-night TV ads for gadgets that increase MPG in our vehicles for decades… “Just add this little piece of plastic into your air in-take and you will get 20% better MPG”. “Pour this elixir into your tank and poof – no more smoke out your tail pipe”. The reality is that it now costs over $1B USD to take an engine from concept into production. The world market is unforgiving and ruthlessly competitive. Engine design specialists now must study computer science for years before they can wield the advanced tools of an engine designer … Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), CAD to CNC milling machines and even then, they must also become intimate with the vast number of variables of Material Science – Metallurgy, an in-depth knowledge of the chemistry of the fuels and the Laws of Thermodynamics. Yet, the best and most honest engine designers, will tell you that CFD results can be off by orders of magnitude from real-world testing, that CNC milling machines can’t always do what is desired, that material science is plagued with QA and virgin vs. recycled metals issues and the look-up tables for the environmental thermodynamics as they relate to engine design are changing as the result of Climate Change. Our 2008 Dodge Ram 3500 dually was getting about 17mpg on the highway prior to the XanaFlow install and 22mpg after or about a 30% mpg improvement. Our 2014 Chevy Cruze diesel was getting about 46mpg highway prior to the XanaFlow install and we are now seeing over 60mpg after or about a 44% mpg...
