In 2009, Accelergy entered a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the USAF for testing fully synthetic fuels that meet or exceed USAF JP-8 military jet fuel standards.
Following a mandate by the USAF to use 50% of its fuel from cleaner and domestic sources by 2016, Accelergy has come up with a 100% synthetic fuel that can meet the USAF’s JP-8 standards.
The fuels will be produced at a pilot facility currently under construction at the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) at the University Of North Dakota.
Production from this facility will commence in the third quarter of this year. Fuel deliveries to the Air Force Research Labs will commence in late 2010. The pilot facility will also provide a tool for evaluating new coal and biomass feedstocks as the technology moves towards commercial deployment.
Tim Vail, CEO of Accelergy, said: ”With the production of these fuels that utilize carbon as a feedstock, we are one step closer to setting a benchmark for the industry, as well as commercializing our fuels. With the test results in hand, the Air Force and defense contractors can then explore the full range of options for employment of advanced synthetic fuels in next-generation aircraft designs.”
