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NREL's Renewable Fuels and Lubricants (ReFUEL) Research Laboratory is a test facility for advanced fuels in heavy-duty
engines and vehicles and advanced heavy hybrid vehicles. The lab houses the following specialized testing and measurement equipment:
- Heavy-duty chassis dynamometer for testing advanced trucks and buses, simulation capability from 8,000 - 80,000 lbs
- Heavy-duty engine transient test cell (up to 400 hp) for fuels research and development
- Emissions measurement capability sensitive enough to be compliant with Federal certification procedures required in 2007.
NREL acquired the lab to increase the use of renewable diesel through research and development that removes barriers to a wider use of these nonpetroleum based fuels. Using nonpetroleum based renewable diesel fuels, such as biodiesel and synthetic diesel derived from biomass, reduces our dependence on imported petroleum and enhances our national energy security. The investment made by NREL and DOE in the ReFUEL facility makes the lab available to the research community that is capable of testing advanced fuels, prototype engines, and hybrid powertrains in development for the next ultra-clean generation of heavy-duty vehicle technologies.
NREL's ReFUEL Laboratory is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. This work supports several NREL programs and is led by the Center for Transportation Technologies and Systems (CTTS). The ReFUEL Lab is part of CTTS' Fuels Performance Group. Other projects within this group include Advanced Petroleum Based Fuels, New Fuels Technology Impacts, and Nonpetroleum Based Fuels.
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