The Value And Impacts Of Alternative Fuel Distribution Concepts

The Value and Impacts of Alternative Fuel Distribution Concepts

This document describes a study done for the U.S. Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) to assess future needs for temporary petroleum pipeline structure. At the time this work was begun, the Army was weighing further development of a new pipeline capability, the Rapidly Installed Fuel Transfer System (RIFTS), and also conducting its normal cycle of future force structure planning. This project reviewed historical uses of temporary pipelines and surveyed future scenarios in order to develop a broad list of potential pipeline requirements. Next, against this list of likely requirements, the performance of several fuel distribution options -- including existing and planned pipeline units and equipment, new pipeline options, and the use of trucks -- was assessed across a variety of performance dimensions. The analytic results pointed to no clearly best choice. Instead, the preferred course of action is very sensitive to the decisionmaker's assessment of the environment and weighting among the importance of the different performance dimensions. A decision-support table to help the decisionmaker with this assessment is provided along with supplementary recommendations on near-term investment of reset funds and the reallocation of personnel within existing petroleum pipeline unit designs. The findings in this document should be of interest to those engaged with future Army logistics support force structure requirements.

Commercial Aircraft Propulsion and Energy Systems Research

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.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a Geologic Repository for the Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-level Radioactive Waste at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada: Impact analyses