Running on Empty

The United States (US) is the world's top petroleum consumer, and without a doubt the United States Air Force (USAF) is the largest energy consumer in the Department of Defense (DoD). But the increasing price of oil has forced USAF leaders to pursue innovative and aggressive steps to incorporate alternative fuel sources into the military inventory. This increase in energy costs affects budgets in the form of unforecasted fuel expenditures and has resulted in an inward domestic search for alternative fuel sources. This paper will explore innovative fuel alternatives to assess their ability to meet the USAF ground fuel needs in austere locations. This will be accomplished by examining combinations of synthetic fuels, biodiesel, waste vegetable oil, used engine oil and blended fuel variants to meet this increasing requirement, without impacting current distribution and storage systems. Finally, using information gathered in this research, the paper will chronicle the effects of sample alternative fuels principles on a test vehicle, and conclude with recommendations based on test results.