It looks like almost every institution of higher learning that ever had a lump of coal in the cellar furnace is getting into the act of converting coal to jet fuel.
We've noted previously Penn State's program in the Department of Defense's effort to develop synthetic jet fuel from coal, and herein is an update.
Some excerpts:
- - - "UNIVERSITY PARK (April 20) -- A jet fuel comparable to Jet A or military JP 8, but derived from at least 50 percent bituminous coal, has successfully powered a helicopter jet engine, according to a Penn State fuel scientist.
"Because the fuel is 50 percent derived from coal, it could reduce our use of imported petroleum for this purpose by half," says Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science and director of Penn State's Energy Institute. "We have shown in tests that the mix can go to at least 75 percent coal."
Not only does JP900 meet most of the specification for JP8, but it also has the high flash point required of JP5, naval jet fuel and the thermal stability of JP7, a high performance fuel.
(As we have earlier reported, from other sources, coal-derived jet fuel, generally designated as JP900, EXCEEDS current ASTM and Military standards for jet fuel performance.)
While originally, this project began to develop jet fuel for the next generation of high performance aircraft that would require very thermally stable fuels. Now that fuel prices have soared and we need to lower fuel costs, develop secure fuel sources and decrease dependence on foreign oil, there is a major shift in thinking about fuel and its sources.
"The fact that our fuel is almost dead on to JP 8 is something that the Air Force likes," says Schobert. "This fuel was intended to be a high heat sink fuel, which it is, but it can also be used in existing engines."
The project now targets coal-based replacement for existing fuels with the hope that this will interest both commercial and military users. So far the Penn State project has produced 500 gallons of fuel in a pilot plant operated by Intertek of Warren, Pa. The Penn State researcher would now like to produce about 4,500 gallons, or about 100 barrels, of the fuel for future testing by the Air Force and others." - - -