Results from the first year of operation of the Federal Methanol Fleet at Argonne National Laboratory
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, under the auspices of the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Utilization Program, has managed the Federal Methanol Fleet Project since its inception in fiscal year 1985. This congressionally-mandated project directed the Department of Energy to introduce methanol-fueled vehicles into civilian government fleet operations. This interim report describes the first year of operation of a methanol fleet at Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Illinois. The fleet consists of five methanol-fueled 1986 Chevrolet S-10 pickup trucks along with five Chevrolet S-10s for comparison, as well as five methanol-fueled 1986 Ford Crown Victorias paired with four gasoline Fords. Data have been collected and tabulated on fuel consumption, maintenance records, oil sample analyses, and driver perceptions of vehicle operability. Energy efficiency for the methanol vehicles was slightly greater than that for the counterpart gasoline vehicles. Maintenance records reveal that the methanol vehicles required substantially more service than the gasoline vehicles, but a large proportion of the difference was due to methanol component replacements where improvements or upgrades were scheduled to be implemented after the vehicles were in service. Oil sample analyses revealed that engine wear rates were higher in the methanol vehicles. Drivers indicated that the methanol vehicles are quite acceptable, but they rated the gasoline vehicles higher. The Argonne fleet serves as the cold-weather site of the Federal Methanol Fleet and, as such, the methanol vehicles have been outfitted with special systems to aid in cold-starting and driveability.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 6629130
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL/TM-10816; ON: DE89004307
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Results from the first year of operation of the Federal Methanol Fleet at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
First year results from the Federal Methanol Fleet at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory
Related Subjects
10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
AUTOMOBILES
PERFORMANCE
METHANOL FUELS
ANL
AUTOMOTIVE FUELS
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
FUEL CONSUMPTION
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
MAINTENANCE
OPERATION
ORNL
TRUCKS
US DOE
ALCOHOL FUELS
EFFICIENCY
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
FUELS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
SYNTHETIC FUELS
US AEC
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VEHICLES
330800* - Emission Control- Alternative Fuels
330100 - Internal Combustion Engines
090200 - Alcohol Fuels- (-1989)