BRP to begin testing next generation biofuel

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Press Release)
May 9, 2012
Filed under News

Sturtevant, Wis., May 9, 2012
? BRP begins a program to test butanol-extended fuel in a variety of recreational marine engines for Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy?s Vehicle Technologies Office. Butanol-extended fuel will be tested as an alternative to gasoline containing 15 percent ethanol (E15).
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted a waiver allowing up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline. According to industry test data published last October, E15 can cause significant damage to marine engines. A 2011 alternative fuel study executed by BRP, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) concluded that isobutanol was a promising alternative fuel in marine engines.
?Gasoline with 10 percent ethanol (E10) is still an acceptable fuel for marine engines, including BRP?s Evinrude outboard engines, but isobutanol, which has a higher energy content than ethanol, could be a viable alternative to E15,? said Jeff R. Wasil, Engineering Technical Expert for Emissions Testing, Certification and Regulatory Development at BRP. ?Isobutanol represents a unique opportunity for BRP, and the entire marine industry, to be at the forefront of innovation in alternative fuels.? With oversight from Argonne and the Department of Energy, the project calls for many types of recreational marine inboard and outboard engines to be tested in both a laboratory setting and through on-the-water trials to determine the effects of butanol-extended fuel on engine power, performance, emissions and overall durability. Phase one of the isobutanol testing on the water takes place this week in Annapolis, MD. Phase two is planned for later in 2012. Along with BRP, Argonne Laboratory and the NMMA, marine manufacturers Volvo-Penta and Indmar Marine have provided testing resources for phase one of the project.

 

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Re: BRP to begin testing next generation biofuel

There is one very misleading statement in this announcement and it has appeared in others as well. When tests were run on E15 fuel the statement in the result indicated: E15 can cause significant damage to marine engines! As I remember it was Mercury that ran those tests. What they failed to point out was that these were unmodified engines. So they really had to destroy some motors to figure this out????? Just like the automotive counterparts, engine damage and fuel system issues can result by burning E85 in unmodified engines.

And just to remind folks -- these are ALTERNATIVE fuels. Never has it been said that E10, E15, E85, or other biofuels will provide the performance, economy and price point of gasoline or even freedom from gasoline. Performance is increased because the ECM can advance ignition timing farther because of the higher octane rating of ethanol. Economy goes down because there is not as much energy. Cost depends on where you are in the country. Here in the midwest E85 is anywhere from 40 - 65 cents cheaper than regular so there is a cost advantage even if the mileage is a little less. In other parts of the country it is more expensive than gasoline. How you drive, where you drive and what you drive makes the break-even point a personal issue.

 

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Re: BRP to begin testing next generation biofuel

That's interesting, thanks for sharing fazt. I found a white paper on isobutanol from Gevo (one of the companies which has developed a process for manufacturing isobutanol). While some of it is fluffy sales talk, there's a lot of interesting information.

http://www.gevo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/GEVO-wp-iso-ftf.pdf