Alternative Fuels for Transportation

Descripción

Two problems currently confronting the world are the energy crisis and environmental pollution. Energy consumption in the world is increasing faster than its generation. It is estimated that the existing petroleum oil and natural gas reserves will be sufficient for only another few decades. The transportation sector and decentralized power generation completely depend upon petroleum products, particularly gasoline and diesel. The transportation sector is growing at a faster rate than reserves due to rapid technological development in the automotive industry and an increase in the use of personal vehicles in developed and developing countries. Thus the demand for petroleum accelerates the crude oil petroleum production peaks as well as its cost. Vehicle pollution has been a serious concern for the past few decades all over the world. Combustion products of petroleum fuels, such as carbon dioxide, are a major contributor to greenhouse gases. An increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will lead to global climate change. In the early 1960s, the United States initiated laws to control vehicle emissions and most other counties in the world have followed its lead. Moreover, the increasing operating cost of refineries to meet the latest emissions norms has put pressure on refining margins, and remains a problem converting refinery streams into products with acceptable fuel specifications. The combination of a short supply of fossil fuel reserves, environmental pollution, and volatility in crude oil prices has generated interest for using alternative fuels. In the long term, the role and interrelationship of alternative energy sources with other markets demand further attention and consideration. Renewable alternative fuels (i.e., biofuels) have low-net greenhouse gases; hence, many countries are promoting them as a part of their national plan to reduce greenhouse gases and to improve their energy security. Stringent emission standards have been enforced in many countries which has led to improvement in automotive technology and the use of alternative fuels like biofuels and gaseous fuels at an optimum blend. This book addresses the need for energy researchers, engineers (mechanical, chemical, and automobile), doctoral students, automotive power train researchers, vehicle manufacturers, oil industry researchers, and others interested in working on alternative fuel sources. Each chapter in the book contains the potential of the alternative fuels, production methods, properties, and vehicle tests, as well as their merits and demerits.

Detalles

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