14 DAY TRIAL // A synthetic alternative to imported petroleum-based fuel is what the U.S. Military - through the DARPA programs- is searching for these days, to power their 21st Century vehicles.
It will probably use the same chemical technology Germany used to produce its gasoline during World War II.
Sasol Technology's Delanie Lamprecht points out that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has been seeking alternative ways of obtaining "Jet Propulsion 8" (JP-8). DoD uses that single kerosene-type fuel, virtually identical to commercial aviation fuel, for almost all its gas turbine and tactical diesel engine applications.
The defense department also wants an alternative route to JP-5, a slightly different fuel used on aircraft carriers, so it started a "competition" to see who can come up with the brightest idea.
JP-5 (also known as F-44) is a very clean burning fuel with very strict quality requirements - especially with regard to water and particulate content. Gas turbine maintenance (particularly when associated with combustor cans) is reduced when burning JP-5. It is used in US Navy aircraft, and has a high flash point, which means it doesn't vaporize until it reaches about 130 degrees Fahrenheit or so.
This makes it ideally suited for storage aboard ship where low flammability is desired. JP-5 is also inherently stable, so it does not form oxygenated sludge and because it's an aviation fuel it includes a Fuel System Icing Inhibitor (FSII) additive. The downsides are that JP-5 tends to be more expensive; its energy content is lower than F-76 type fuel; and it may have lower viscosity and/or lubricity characteristics. The lower energy content means higher fuel consumption rates. Lower viscosity and lubricity may cause wear-type problems in diesel engine injection pumps.
Competitions of this sort generally work by having the government put the contract out to bid, receiving bids and then using those prices plus any other evaluation criteria deemed important (delivery reliability, small/minority business quotas, et. al.) via a points system in order to assess how large a share of the available funds goes to each bidder (if any).
Sasol is a pioneer in use of the technology to produce synthetic fuels from coal. It can convert coal, natural gas, or biomass into a synthesis gas and thereafter into a Fischer-Tropsch syncrude suitable for refining into JP-8, JP-5 and other liquid fuels.
The Fischer-Tropsch process is a catalyzed chemical reaction in which carbon monoxide and hydrogen are converted into liquid hydrocarbons of various forms. Typical catalysts used are based on iron and cobalt. The principal purpose of this process is to produce a synthetic petroleum substitute for use as synthetic lubrication oil or as synthetic fuel.
The study concluded that it is feasible to use the process, together with current refining applications, to produce a "battlefield fuel of the future" that could power the military without reliance on imported oil.