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Results from the first year of operation of the Federal Methanol Fleet at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6202347
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The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), under the auspices of the Alternative Fuels Utilization Program, has been managing the Federal Methanol Fleet Project since its beginning in fiscal year 1985. This congressionally mandated project directed the Department of Energy to begin to implement methanol-fueled vehicles into civilian government fleet operations. This interim report describes the first year's operations. This interim report describes the first year's operation of the methanol fleet activities at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory (LBL) in Berkeley, California. Operation of methanol cars at LBL officially began on November 1, 1985. The fleet consists of five 1984 methanol-fueled Chevrolet Citation sedans paired with five analogous gasoline-fueled Citations for comparison. Data have been collected and tabulated on fuel consumption, maintenance records, driver perceptions of operability and safety, and oil sample analyses. Although drivers have expressed some concerns regarding the off-site availability of methanol fuel, they generally reported no significant differences in their perceptions of safety and operability between the methanol and gasoline vehicles. No major maintenance problems were encountered. Oil sample analyses revealed higher engine wear rates in the methanol vehicles, but not alarmingly high. These results are in agreement with those obtained from other methanol fleets. It is concluded that the Federal Methanol Fleet operation at LBL has been highly successful during its first year of operation.
Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-84OR21400
OSTI ID:
6202347
Report Number(s):
ORNL/TM-10485; ON: DE88000018
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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