Capitalize on the Vast Potential of Alternative Energy Sources Such as Fuel Cells and Biofuels Synthetic Fuels Handbook is a comprehensive guide to the benefits and trade-offs of numerous alternative fuels, presenting expert analyses of the different properties, processes, and performance characteristics of each fuel. It discusses the concept systems and technology involved in the production of fuels on both industrial and individual scales. Written by internationally renowned fuels expert James G. Speight, this vital resource describes the production and properties of fuels from natural gas and natural gas hydrates...tar sand bitumen...coal...oil shale...synthesis gas...crops...wood sources...biomass...industrial and domestic waste...landfill gas...and much more. Using both U.S. and SI units, Synthetic Fuels Handbook features: Information on conventional and nonconventional fuel sources Discussion of the production of alternative fuels on both industrial and individual scales Analyses of properties and uses of gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels from different sources Comparison of properties of alternative fuels with petroleum-based fuels Discover All the Benefits and Trade-Offs of Synthetic Fuels • Fuel sources: conventional and nonconventional • Natural gas and natural gas hydrates • Petroleum and heavy oil • Tar sand bitumen • Coal • Oil shale • Synthesis gas • Crops • Wood sources • Biomass • Industrial and domestic waste • Landfill gas • Comparison of the properties and uses of gaseous fuels from different sources • Comparison of the properties and uses of liquid fuels from different sources • Comparison of the properties and uses of solid fuels from different sources

Fire managers need better estimates of fuel loading so they can more accurately predict the potential fire behavior and effects of alternative fuel and ecosystem restoration treatments. This report presents a new fuel sampling method, called the photoload sampling technique, to quickly and accurately estimate loadings for six common surface fuel components (1 hr, 10 hr, 100 hr, and 1000 hr downed dead woody, shrub, and herbaceous fuels). This technique involves visually comparing fuel conditions in the field with photoload sequences to estimate fuel loadings. Photoload sequences are a series of downward-looking and close-up oblique photographs depicting a sequence of graduated fuel loadings of synthetic fuelbeds for each of the six fuel components. This report contains a set of photoload sequences that describe the range of fuel component loadings for common forest conditions in the northern Rocky Mountains of Montana, USA to estimate fuel loading in the field. A companion publication (RMRS-RP-61CD) details the methods used to create the photoload sequences and presents a comprehensive evaluation of the technique.

The primary human activities that release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere are the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil) to generate electricity, the provision of energy for transportation, and as a consequence of some industrial processes. Although aviation CO2 emissions only make up approximately 2.0 to 2.5 percent of total global annual CO2 emissions, research to reduce CO2 emissions is urgent because (1) such reductions may be legislated even as commercial air travel grows, (2) because it takes new technology a long time to propagate into and through the aviation fleet, and (3) because of the ongoing impact of global CO2 emissions. Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research develops a national research agenda for reducing CO2 emissions from commercial aviation. This report focuses on propulsion and energy technologies for reducing carbon emissions from large, commercial aircraftâ€" single-aisle and twin-aisle aircraft that carry 100 or more passengersâ€"because such aircraft account for more than 90 percent of global emissions from commercial aircraft. Moreover, while smaller aircraft also emit CO2, they make only a minor contribution to global emissions, and many technologies that reduce CO2 emissions for large aircraft also apply to smaller aircraft. As commercial aviation continues to grow in terms of revenue-passenger miles and cargo ton miles, CO2 emissions are expected to increase. To reduce the contribution of aviation to climate change, it is essential to improve the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to reduce emissions and initiate research into new approaches.