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Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines: FY16 Year in Review

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optimization (Co-Optima) initiative is accelerating the introduction of affordable, scalable, and sustainable fuels and high-efficiency, low-emission engines with a first-of-its-kind effort to simultaneously tackle fuel and engine research and development (R&D).

Co-Optima is conducting research to identify the fuel properties and engine design characteristics needed to maximize vehicle performance and affordability, while deeply cutting harmful emissions. Rather than endorsing a single solution, this initiative is designed to arm industry, policymakers, and other key stakeholders with the scientific foundation and market intelligence required to make investment decisions, break down barriers to commercialization, and bring new high-performance fuels and advanced engine systems to market sooner.

DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy has brought together nine national laboratories—the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Argonne, Idaho, Lawrence Berkeley, Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Pacific Northwest, and Sandia National Laboratories—to collaborate on this groundbreaking research. The outcome of this effort will be new tools, data, and knowledge to pave the way for future generations of fuel and vehicle innovations.

In its first year, the Co-Optima initiative moved from robust concept to concrete results. The two DOE offices, nine national laboratories, and industry stakeholders that compose Co-Optima successfully worked to integrate fuels and engine R&D, breakdown barriers, and tackle challenges. This report highlights the progress made by Co-Optima in fiscal year 2016.

In this inaugural year, our parallel Co-Optima research tracks have focused on fuels and engine technologies related to spark-ignition and advanced compression ignition systems.

Author(s)
John Farrell , John Holladay , Robert Wagner
Contact Person
John Farrell
Contact Organization
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Contact Email
Bioenergy Category
Publication Date
DOI is live on OSTI.
Funded from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office.