Biodiesel Use and Fuel Conservation in Fleet Operations

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Biodiesel Use and Fuel Conservation in Fleet
Operations

• Paul T. Patterson
• Fleet Operations Manager
• City Of Oneonta
• Central Garage
• 18 Silas Lane
• Oneonta, NY   13820
• ppatterson_at_oneonta.ny.us
•  
• 607-432-4620 
• 607-437-0087 Cell
• 607-432-4627 FAX
•  
• The 100 Best Fleets in North America TM
•           2005      2006      2007
•  

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What is Biodiesel ?

• -Biodiesel, the trade name for methyl esters,
  can run in any diesel engine with little or no
  modification. Biodiesel burns much cleaner than
  petrol-diesel, it's biodegradable and non-toxic,
  made from vegetable crops, waste oil, and a
  growing list of sustainable sources. It is also
  "carbon-neutral," meaning that it puts no more
  carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than was
  absorbed by the plants from which it is made.
  Depends. ?
• -Rudolf Diesel ran first diesel engine on
  peanut oil. Cheaper petroleum ended vegetable oil
  use.

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What is Biodiesel

• Biodiesel offers economic, environmental, fuel
  quality and energy security benefits vs.
  petroleum-based diesel.
• Soybean oil is by far the leading feedstock for
  biodiesel production in the US. Other sources
  include canola oil (rape seed), corn oil, and
  used cooking oils and fats.
• Natural oils are converted to biodiesel by a
  relatively simple refining process called
  transesterification.
• B100, B20, B5 etc refers to percent of Biodiesel
  in Diesel Fuel
• Lubricity is slipperiness of fuel or lubricants

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Biodiesel Rapid Growth

• According to the Biodiesel 2020 market study, the
  growth in the U.S. has been staggering "biodiesel
  consumption in the U.S. grew from 25 million
  gallons per year in 2004 to 78 million gallons in
  2005," and the number of retail stations tripled
  during that time.
• To meet this spike in demand, 50 new biodiesel
  plants are expected to come online in the U.S.
  alone between 2007 and 2008. With this growing
  demand and competition in the market, new
  manufacturing technologies are sprouting, and we
  can expect to see more biodiesel being brewed
  from algae cultures, more efficient crops, animal
  fats, and all sorts of waste grease.

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Biodiesel Growth Since 2000(2008 Projected
Capacity)
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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2002- Concerns of smell and pollution of OPT
  trolley prompt my investigation into Biodiesel.
  (Vegetable/ plant based diesel fuel)
• Contacted Jim Doi, sales engineer for Mirabito.
  Jim is unaware of Biodiesel, investigates and
  supplies us with 55 gallon drum of B100 (100
  Biodiesel)
• B100 mixed at Central Garage with regular diesel
  fuel. Smell and smoke problem abate somewhat with
  no performance problems.

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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2003- Continued research into Biofuels.
• When in San Francisco for Gillig bus purchase,
  visited San Francisco Fire Department maintenance
  section. San Francisco Fire Department testing
  and hope to move to biodiesel for entire fleet.

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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2004- Research continues. Attend seminars.
• Additional meetings with Mirabito.
• Presentation to OSCD.
• Second round bus purchases. Revisit SFFD. They
  have no operational biodiesel problems.

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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2005- At budget discussion, spoke of using
  Biofuels-operational and financial impacts. Talks
  with Mirabito continue.
• Hurricane Katrina disables refineries causing
  diesel shortage. Cincinnati Area Transit uses
  B100 for entire fleet to get through crisis.
• Research continues. National specs developed to
  insure quality biodiesel fuel. ULSD fuel on
  horizon.
• Oneonta fleet surveyed for non-compliant rubber
  fuel hosing, seals. Profile for acceptable use
  set for Oneonta. Only post 1998 vehicles and
  vehicle that turn a tank every three months.

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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2006- Purchasing agent includes specs in annual
  joint OSCD, County, City of Oneonta fuel bid with
  Biodiesel option for July 1, 2006. Mirabito
  installs Biodiesel tanks on Carbon Street.
• SFFD 100 Biodiesel
• Fire Department first department 100 Biodiesel
  in July 2006. No operational effects. Other
  departments come slowly online.
• Winter 2006 best ever in terms of fuel problems.
  Zero. Why? Good specs. Close monitoring.

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Oneonta Biodiesel History

• 2007- Continued growth in Biodiesel use by
  departments. No operational issues.
• Some nay-sayers tree hugger ideas
• March price of Bio less than regular diesel.
• OPT goes 100 Biodiesel in December 2007. On
  target for 100,000 gal/yr
• Winter 2007 no winter fuel problems.
• Premium price for biodiesel grows.

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Current Status

• 2008- Market crash leads to speculation in
  futures markets
• Biodiesel price soars
• Government impacts worse (no taxes on fuel versus
  private fleet that get tax credits for Biodiesel)
• Considering switch to B5

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Biodiesel Concerns

• Standards- next slide
• Fuel Gelling- make sure winter mix is adequate
  (mixed with kerosene or anti-gels) All diesel is
  subject to gelling at cold temperatures.
• Fuel filter clogging. Biodiesel cleans out lines
  and tanks. You may have to change some filters.
  We did one out of regular routine.
• Deteriorates rubber lines and seals. We found all
  post 1998 equipment ok.
• Lack of power. Loss of 2-3 made up by better
  oxygenation and fuel density.
• Buy-in. Many anecdotal myths. Ask what are the
  big guys doing. Thruway didnt tell employees and
  ran for a year without problems. Lack of power
  stories surface after disclosure.

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Biodiesel Standards

• The Biodiesel Standard (ASTM D 6751)All engines
  are designed and manufactured for a fuel that has
  certain characteristics. In the US, the industry
  organizations consensus on fuels is the American
  Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). In the
  case of diesel fuel (and biodiesel), the
  responsibility lies within ASTM Committee D02 on
  Petroleum Products and Lubricants. To assure that
  the standards are rigorous and robust, ASTM
  committee D02 is comprised of fuel producers,
  engine equipment manufacturers, and others. ASTM
  uses ballot process in which a single negative
  vote is enough to defeat a ballot.. Some
  standards can take over 10 years to gain
  agreement. This rigorous, time-consuming process
  is why ASTM standards are recognized worldwide.
• For diesel fuel, the ASTM standard is ASTM D 975.
  All engine and fuel injection manufacturers
  design their engines around ASTM D 975.
• It is critical that fuel specification meet these
  standards and supplier is monitored for
  compliance. ISO 9000 companies are preferred.

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The Biofuels factor in rising food

• What's causing the global rise in food prices?
• Everything.
• Those who say it's all the fault of Biofuels are
  wrong and those that say that none of the fault
  belongs to Biofuels are wrong. There is no doubt
  Biofuels have added to the problem, but Biofuels
  are not causing the demand for meat and soybeans
  for feed in China...There are a half a dozen
  things going on and it's hard to sort out who
  gets the blame.
• Walter Falcon, a professor emeritus of
  international agricultural policy at Stanford
  University and co-director of Stanford's Center
  for Environmental Sciences and Policy.

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• 2007- Continued growth in Biodiesel use by
  departments. No operational issues.
• March price of Bio less than regular diesel.
• OPT goes 100 Biodiesel in December 2007.
• Winter 2007 no winter fuel problems.
• Premium price for biodiesel grows.

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• Corn is probably the commodity most directly
  impacted by Biofuels. An estimated 25 to 30
  percent of the U.S. corn crop goes to ethanol.
  That amount of demand has come out of nowhere.
  Three years ago, the amount of corn used for
  ethanol was rather small and no one predicted
  this."
• Ken Cassman, a professor of agronomy and
  horticulture at the University of
  Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Worldwide, ethanol accounts for around 5 percent
  of grain production, according to statistics from
  the Earth Policy Institute.
• "The spike in corn prices began with the Energy
  Security Act of 2005, which increased the goal
  for ethanol use in the U.S., and Hurricane
  Katrina. Replacing the gas additive MTBE also
  contributed.

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Crop land usage

• This chart shows domestic corn consumption and
  use. It's going up faster than available cropland.

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OTHER FACTORS PUSHING HIGHER FOOD
PRICES Increasing meat consumption in China
and India has driven up the price of feed. It
takes 4 pounds or more of feed protein to produce
one pound of animal protein Increased demand
for milk and cheese - cows need feed to provide
dairy. In 2007, farmers shifted millions of
acres of soybeans over to corn production causing
soy prices to rise which has contributed to the
rise in meat prices because soy is a feedstock.
Soy is major source of protein and vegetable
oil in Asia and elsewhere. Diminished soy
supplies increase both food and Biofuels
costs. Oil at over 100 a barrel pushes cost of
production in farming and fertilizers.
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Alternatives for the future

• More productive seed oils- rapeseed, controlled
  Japura plantings
• More intensive waste oil conversion
• Cellulosic ethanol, produced from wood chips,
  waste, plant and crop fiber, switchgrass and
  other biomass
• Algae biodiesel
• Methane and LNG biodiesels

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• Example of Positive Impact
• of One Companys Implementation of Idle-Reduction
  Policy

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Sample CompanyEngine Idling of Fleet

• What is the effect of engine idling on fuel
  consumption?

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Engine Idling

• One company truck on an annual basis
• The truck used 5,142 gallons of fuel in a year
• It idled for 35 of the time
• Fuel mileage is reduced by 5
• 493 gallons of diesel fuel are being consumed
  during idling in a year.

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Engine Idling

• Actual company truck one week in a given month
• The truck traveled 1,117 miles
• It idled for 18 of the time
• Daily idling time was 1 hour 58 minutes
• Daily idling fuel consumed is one gallon
• Fuel mileage is reduced by 2.4

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Engine Idling

• Where does idling occur?
• Pre-trip
• Idle only until the engine is at operating
  temperature.
• While making deliveries
• The truck must be shut off at each stop. Many
  stores require that you do.
• Waiting in traffic
• We have no control over this occurrence.
• Waiting in the truck
• Each Driver should use their own judgment about
  how long to run the engine.

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Engine Idling

• Eighteen states have adopted idle-reduction rules
• New York Limit 5 minutes fine of 375 to
  15,000
• Exemption if motionless for two hours and temp
  is below 25 F.
• New Hampshire Limit 5 minutes fine TBD
• Exemption 15 minutes if temp between 32 and
  -10 F
• Connecticut Limit 3 minutes fine up to 5,000
• Exemption temp less than 20 F
• New Jersey Limit 3 minutes fine 10,000 to
  50,000

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Engine Idling

• Company Fleet Idling average for one year
• 22.71 per truck
• .45 gal per hour
• 455 hours per year / truck
• 209.66 gallons consumed / truck

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Engine Idling

• 5,154.21 gallons
• Fuel consumed by the fleet during idling
• 115,371.84 lbs of CO2 produced
• Adding to companys greenhouse gas emissions
• 14,689.50 (fuel _at_ 2.85/gal)
• To purchase fuel used for idling alone

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Engine Idling Reduction Challenge

• The Challenge
• Reduce the amount of time that our trucks idle by
  20 - 2000 hours.
• Reduce fuel consumption use 1000-2000 fewer
  gallons
• Save 3-8,000 or more by being more efficient

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Engine Idling Reduction Challenge

• The Outcome
• Decreases Operating Costs
• Reduces our impact on the environment by reducing
  greenhouse gas emissions
• Enhances our Citys Social Responsibility
  reputation
• Taxpayers see City as proactive in dealing the
  environment
• A healthier work environment

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What can influence fuel economy?

• Climate/Fuel-not much
• Aerodynamics-utiity fleets - not much
• Gearing- very low engine rpm while at cruise
  speed
• Tires Regular tire pressure checks -20
  underinflated tires can cost 10 fuel reduction
• Driving Speed 1/10 gal per each MPH over 55
• Idle Time- ½ to 1 ½ gal per hr

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1 Component in Saving Fuel - Driving Technique

• The industry has found that the most significant
  variable to fuel economy is the driver. The
  driver controls vehicle speed, shifting
  techniques, idle time, acceleration, brake usage,
  safety practices and more. Studies have shown
  that identically specd trucks to see as much as
  a 35 percent fuel economy difference between
  trucks-a difference that is solely due to
  variances in skills, practices and attitudes of
  the drivers.
• While engine electronics can provide some
  necessary tools to help improve fuel mileage, the
  most important tool is driver training. No matter
  how the truck is spec'd or how the customer
  parameters are set, the one thing that is
  consistent in trucks getting good fuel economy is
  a driver with a good attitude and good
  understanding of proper and safe driving
  techniques.
• Safe Drivers are fuel efficient drivers
  Jim Booth Jr., field
  service coordinator, Caterpillar Global
  On-Highway,

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Green RoadTM clients have

• Reduced overall accidents by 54
• Reduced at-fault accidents by 42
• Reduced high risk driving behavior by 50
• Decreased fleet fuel costs and CO² emissions by 7