I have noticed over the last few issues that there is a negative feel toward biodiesel amongst the authors. So, I felt it was time to forward some information that should set the record straight. Enclosed is a copy of Biodiesel Magazine. Please note the article on page 22 about the “Earthrace” project, which is using Cummins marine engines to circumnavigate the world on 100% Biodiesel and do it in less than 65 days which is the current speed record.
Also, note that there is a move to a national standard for Biodiesel fuel. Biodiesel is here now and it is the future. More states are moving to making Biodiesel blends mandatory, this is a step in the right direction to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign oil.
I have been running B100 in my ’05 Ram for the past year with no problems. I know that Cummins recommends only a 5% Biodiesel mix due to there being no standard of fuel quality. My fuel is made from waste deep fryer oil at my friend’s plant, Tebbins International, a manufacturer of Biodiesel systems. I have found that the truck runs good with almost no loss in performance with an MPG of 17.5. I am also in the process of repowering a 21’ trophy boat with a diesel engine (possibly a Cummins/Mercruiser engine package). Biodiesel is better for the environment as it is non-toxic and biodegradable and you can still go boating. I will send you a report when that project is complete.
Okay, that is all for now. Please forward the info on to the authors and the readers.
Edward Dankievitch
South Side Marine/South Sider Custom Boats and Restorations
TDR: Edward, thank you for forwarding the copy of Biodiesel Magazine www.biodieselmagazine.com to us. It is good to see that the industry has a publication that addresses industry, governmental, emissions and technical concerns. The magazine that you forwarded to me is impressive and serves to substantiate the industry.
Often the TDR writers preface their articles about performance enhancement with a discussion about the owner’s rights (or lack thereof) to warranty consideration. No doubt the audience has grown tired of my favorite saying, “You are your own warranty station.” I wrote a detailed two page article about performance enhancements and warranties as recently as Issue 52. From the tone you might notice a negative feel toward performance enhancements among the authors. Assuredly, this is not the case. However, caution about the consequences of performance upgrades has to be exercised. The writers all enjoy tinkering with trucks and increasing truck performance.
Assuredly, the writing staff is intrigued by the biodiesel product and its potential to contribute a small percentage to oil independence. As you noted, "there is a move to a national standard for bioidiesel fuel." However, until the standard upon, implemented and enforced, the writing staff will caution the audience about biodiesel usage as the general audience is not in-tune to good resources like you have at your disposal.
So, we encourage readers to make an informed decision. In that light I’m pleased to present data about biodiesel fuel and exhaust emissions that was forwarded to us by Joseph Bair, New Smyrna Beach. From Power & Motoryacht magazine, October 2006, the article is titled “Does This Stuff Really Work?”
Author Bill Pike writes, “When I first came up with the notion of modifying a modern recreational vessel so I could do a side-by-side performance comparison between plain ol’ diesel fuel and the environmentally friendly, vegetable-based stuff getting so much press these days, the idea didn’t seem that complicated. I mean, how tough could it be?
“But, when I started playing with the project’s preliminaries several months ago, I quickly struck a big, fat snag.
“The marine business is a conservative one, particularly when we’re talkin’ dollars, cents and warranties. In fact, few if any engine manufacturers today will warrant their products once biodiesel enters the picture.
“However, after many phone calls and much corporate-level consultation, Cummins MerCruiser Diesel (CMD), came up with the answer. ‘We’re onboard with the project,’ affirmed CMD president Scott Patrohay. ‘The resulting data will be useful to us as well as to your readers.’
“Patrohay added that Cummins would cover all potential warranty claims, even catastrophic ones. It would send assistant chief engineer Mike Abraham to the test site on test day to both monitor engine performance and lend a hand. It would gather emissions data on our two test fuels by running them in a test cell at CMD headquarters in Charleston, South Carolina, using an engine that was identical to the two 375-bhp Cummins MerCruiser Diesel QSB380 HOs on our Glacier Bay. And it would blend a so-called B20 mixture (20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent regular diesel) for usage in the test cell at Charleston. B20 is currently more quality-controlled and more generally accessible. We deemed it the best sort of biodiesel for a wring out.
“The results were intriguing. Performance differences between the two fuels were so small as to be immeasurable with PMY’s test equipment. Basically, we got the same speeds, the same fuel burns, and the same acceleration curves, disregarding operator-errorgenerated differences in starting speed. B20’s only distinction was its total lack of smoke and smell! We were all big-time impressed.
“Sure, biodiesel’s got its drawbacks at present, things like a reported six-month shelf life; the tendency of high concentrations to break down rubber fuel hoses and gaskets on older engines; availability problems; and the aforementioned warranty issues. But engineers are developing shelf-life-extending additives; modern engines from Cummins and others typically have synthetic gaskets and hoses that won’t break down; availability’s on the rise; and the marine industry’s stance on warranties may change as standardization solidifies and the cost of regular diesel skyrockets.”
EMISSIONS COMPARISON
“To help us do a complete biodiesel versus regular diesel wring out, Cummins MerCruiser agreed to gather emissions data on our two test fuels as burned in a 375-bhp QSB380 HO diesel—the same engine in our test boat but temporarily installed in a dynamometer in one of the company’s test cells at its Charleston headquarters. Here are the results:
NOx (oxides of nitrogen): 3.1% higher for B20
NC (hydrocarbons): 10% lower for B20
CO (carbon monoxide): 14% lower for B20
PM (particulate matter): 14% lower for B20
“These findings closely parallel data published by the National Biodiesel Board. Smog and ozone-forming NOX emissions generally increase with biodiesel fuel (topping out at approximately ten percent for B100), but all other parameters decrease substantially. Moreover, and in keeping with the data we recorded, CMD found that brake-specific fuel consumption and maximum rated power were virtually identical.”
TDR: The PMY article is credible as the test were performed at Cummins’ marine research facility. The bottom line for biodiesel and emissions, horsepower and fuel economy… Biodiesel looks like a winner as the power and economy did not suffer and, with the exception of NOx, the emissions were better. Yet, I have no doubt that the EPA will not grant the engine manufacturers any greater NOx allowance just because the other exhaust components are less. It is the engine that is to be certified, not necessarily the fuel. Can the ‘07s aftertreatment react to the 3.7% greater NOx? I’m certain that it can, making B20 a viable product once fuel standards warranty issues are resolved.
So, let’s talk warranties.
Going back to author Bill Pike’s article in PMY, he talks with biodiesel and engine representatives. The quotes used in the article could be from the CEO or from the janitor, it really does not matter, the bottom line for the marine industry and for our trucks is the same. Read on:
“If you peruse the policy statements of diesel-engine manufacturers on biodiesel usage, you’re likely to come away scratching your head at their near-identical language. On the one hand, most manufacturers officially state that the use of biodiesel does not affect their materials and workmanship warranties. On the other, they also officially state that problems resulting from the use of it are not defects of workmanship and/or materials and therefore will not be covered under warranty.
"All this is pretty confusing,’ says Tom Verry of the National Biodiesel board, ‘especially to the public at large."
“According to Verry, most dealers will turn thumbs-down on biodiesel."
“The good news? With help from manufacturers like Cummins and others, several regulatory agencies are addressing standardization issues that currently muddy the waters for biodiesel blends in the marketplace and keep manufacturers from getting fully onboard with the fuel. At press time PMY asked a major engine manufacturer (other than Cummins) if biodiesel will ever win full acceptance within the marine-diesel community. ‘Absolutely,’ said the rep, who asked to remain unidentified. ‘All the engine manufacturers are doing right now is waiting for and working toward sufficient standardization to ensure the availability of good, high-quality fuel. Then biodiesel’s gonna take off—and the whole warranty thing’ll be history.’”
TDR: Finally, in Joe’s letter to us that accompanied the PMY article he noted that “all of the literature I’ve read does not meld together…”
As one that has seen too much hype and emotion, I have to agree. However, the PMY data resulting from testing at Cummins Marine’s dynamometer and emissions cell is credible and powerful information that paints biodiesel in a favorable light. So, the conclusion for me was stated in Edward Dankievitch’s letter, I will wait for a national biodiesel standard that is agreed upon, implemented and enforced.
BIODIESEL WARNING
The following information is from the November 27 issue of Transportation Topics. The article was found in correspondence that was set aside as I worked through the December month to ready the magazine for printing. It was inserted into the magazine at the last minute. The article backs up the cautious approach that I have had toward the endorsement of biodiesel.
“The biodiesel industry’s largest trade group has issued a ‘winter weather advisory’ after 50% of the samples in a national test failed to meet quality standards. The test included a specification for glycerin, which clogged fuel filters in Minnesota last year."
"NBB views these results as unacceptable,’ said Joe Jobe, head of the group. ‘This underscores the need for enforcement agencies to take action against those who aren’t producing biodiesel that meets the existing standard."
"This is really a wake-up call for the biodiesel industry to produce fuel that meets the standards’ so that quality problems ‘do not erode confidence in our industry,’ said Steve Howell, NBB’s technical director.
TDR: So, to close out this article, I have one final question: how much will a gallon of that national biodiesel standard, certified and taxed, B20 biodiesel cost?