The European Union is aiming at increasing the market share of biofuels in order to improve the security ofsupply of transport fuel and to reduce CO2 emissions. The target is to reach a 10% of fuels from renewablesources on energy basis in the transport sector by 2020 and biofuels represent one of the most importantoptions. Bioethanol and biodiesel represent the only biofuels cu...

The options for the regeneration of a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) using hydrogen rich gas are investigated. The advantages of using hydrogen rich gas for this purpose are described. The system requirements for such a system are also evaluated. The use of a plasmatron fuel converter for the onboard generation of hydrogen rich gas from diesel fuel is discussed. The advantages of homogeneous, ...

Plasmatron fuel converters have been investigated for the conversion of a wide range of fuels. This paper is one of a series of paper investigating the performance of plasmatron reformers. In this paper a systematic experimental investigation is carried out of the reformation of propane in a plasmatron fuel reformer. The effect upon reformation of flow rate distribution and electrical power lev...

This paper describes recent developments in solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that use Cu-based cermets as the anode for direct oxidation of hydrocarbon fuels, including liquids such as gasoline, to generate electrical power without the need for first reforming that fuel to H2. Cu-YSZ cermets were found to be stable in hydrocarbon environments, but exhibited low performance for direct oxidation. Re...

Here we see why humans unwittingly build fires that look the same: edifices of fuel, as tall as they are wide. The pile of fuel is permeable, air invades it by natural convection and drives the combustion. I show that the hottest pile of burning fuel occurs when the height of the pile is roughly the same as its base diameter. Future studies may address the shape effect of wind, material type, a...

Non-intrusive hydroxyl radical (OH) planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF) measurements were obtained in configuration C of the University of Virginia supersonic combustion experiment. The combustion of hydrogen fuel injected through an unswept compression ramp into a supersonic cross-flow was imaged over a range of streamwise positions. Images were corrected for optical distortion, variation...

Title of dissertation: ESSAYS IN PERSONAL TRANSPORTATION DEMAND AND CONSUMER FINANCE Jaclyn Evans, Doctor of Philosophy, 2016 Dissertation directed by: Professor Roberton C. Williams, III Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics This dissertation is composed of three essays covering two areas of interest. The first topic is personal transportation demand with a focus on price and fuel ...

Water-in-diesel emulsion (WiDE) is an alternative fuel for CI engines that can be employed with the existing engine setup with no additional engine retrofitting. It has benefits of simultaneous reduction of both NO x and particulate matters in addition to its impact in the combustion efficiency improvement, although this needs further investigation. This review paper addresses the type of emuls...

One significant obstacle to meeting aggressive federal and state alternative fuel consumption targets is the relative scarcity of retail fueling stations that carry alternative fuels. Policies that encourage or mandate use of alternative fuel vehicles in government fleets, thereby increasing demand for such fuels, are one popular approach to stimulating further development of the alternative fu...

Energy efficiency and alternative power play a big role in sustainability The use of fossil fuels as a major energy source has given rise to several concerns such as the effect of harmful emissions and sustainability. Due to these reasons lot of efforts have been placed on finding alternative energy sources. One of the promising environmentally benign alternative for large scale electricity pro...