Results from the first year of operation of the Federal Methanol Fleet at Argonne National Laboratory

Technical Report · Sat Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6629130· OSTI ID:6629130

McGill, R. N.; Hillis, S. L.; Larsen, R. P.

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., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-84OR21400
• OSTI ID: 6629130
• Report Number(s): ORNL/TM-10816; ON: DE89004307
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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