The development of alternative and renewable fuel technologies has become an important national economic goal. In 2009, the U.S. National Science Board (NSB) called for a fundamental transformation of our nation’s current energy economy from dependence on fossil fuels to an increased usage of sustainable and clean energy. Decreased dependence on fossil fuels and a greater reliance on alternative and renewable fuel sources promote U.S. energy independence, environmental stewardship, and economic growth. Southern Research is on the forefront of this effort through providing extensive testing capabilities and advanced facilities dedicated to the development and evaluation of alternative and renewable fuels.

Innovative, Diverse Evaluation Capabilities

To determine the potential impacts of alternative and renewable fuels, Southern Research has developed capabilities for evaluating the engine and emissions changes associated with usage of several fuels, including biodiesel, ethanol, biogas, synthetic (FT) diesel, and other emerging products. Moreover, our innovative in-use emissions, fuel economy, and efficiency evaluation capability – combined with our partnerships with automotive testing laboratories and facilities – enables us to provide clients with unique expertise in the evaluation of alternative and renewable fuels. Southern Research also evaluates the impacts of biofuels in terms of greenhouse gas emission offsets and carbon footprint reductions.

Rigorous Testing Protocol and Advanced Equipment

Highly qualified Southern Research test engineers perform evaluations of alternative fuel impacts utilizing internal equipment as well as off-site automotive testing laboratories and facilities. Evaluations are conducted in real-world environments using an internally developed and widely accepted testing protocol that utilizes standardized suites of testing equipment as the foundation. This protocol and test equipment has been employed in several significant projects and has proven to be rigorous, accurate, and flexible enough for a variety of applications and desired levels of information. We utilize the following primary equipment for in-use technology evaluation:

• Coriolis flow meters for on-vehicle, real-time fuel measurement, featuring accurate measurement of supply and return fuel flows and temperatures, for a net fuel economy improvement measurement down to ~2%
• Portable Activity Monitoring System (PAMS) consisting of small data loggers and data acquisition systems with sensors and connectors available for RPM, ECM, GPS, exhaust temperature, torque, and other parameters
• Power output measurement for engine-generator sets or diesel electric drive trains
• Horiba OBS-2200 Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS) for carbon balance and criteria pollutant emissions