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Navy eyes turning sea water into jet fuel
Reshuffling water molecules could propel Navys aircraft,
but tech has a long way to go
By Joshua Stewart - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Oct 13, 2012 10:04:42 EDT
The Navys next source of renewable fuel is something you know very well: the ocean itself.
The Naval Research Laboratory and the Office of Naval Research are working on a project that would turn
ocean water into JP-5 aviation fuel, the lifeblood for all of the Navys aircraft.
The technology is about a decade away from becoming a reality, researchers say. But if it works, it would be a
major pivot in the way the Navy operates.
It would allow a carrier air wing to fly longer, without having to bring more fuel onto the carrier. It would
protect ships from risky replenishments at sea. And it would reduce reliance on a fluctuating petroleum
market.
In short: It would revolutionize the way carrier air wings fly, the way carrier strike groups deploy and how
Military Sealift Command provides some 600 million gallons of fuel to ships around the world.
As one study in the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable energy put it, turning the ocean into fuel is game
changing.
But by no means will this be an easy task for researchers.
The process hinges on the ability to isolate molecules in ocean water, then rearrange their atoms into JP-5,
the fuel that not only powers Navy aircraft but is also approved for ship engines.
Alternate energy breakdown
According to the journal article, which was written by Navy researchers, heres how 100,000 gallons of JP-5
could be made in a day:
Step 1: A processing plant would extract carbon dioxide from 2.35 billion gallons of water enough to fill
the 2012 Olympic swimming pool 2,400 times. This water would yield about 11.9 million gallons worth of
carbon dioxide.
Step 2: Another process will produce hydrogen from ocean water. Through reverse osmosis, fresh water will
be extracted from ocean water. The two hydrogen atoms from the freshwater molecules will be separated
from the oxygen atom. The hydrogen atoms will be collected while the oxygen atoms will be vented away.
Step 3: The hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the first two steps will be used in a catalytic conversion
process. The end result is water, heat, and, most importantly, synthetic hydrocarbon, or fuel. Theoretically,
the process could be tailored to produce any sort of hydrocarbon fuel, not just JP-5, according to the report.
The leftover water and heat generated could be harnessed and recycled into the system, making it more
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efficient.
This process would require an outside energy source to cause the various reactions. Nuclear power systems,
such as the ones used on aircraft carriers and submarines, could be one option. Another could be ocean
thermal energy conversion, a process where the temperature differences between warm water near the
oceans surface and colder water at deeper depths are used to turn an engine and create electricity.
The study doesnt answer some big questions, however.
For example, how would all the necessary equipment to process hundreds of thousands of ocean water per
day fit on an aircraft carrier?
To be determined.
The key is funding research to reduce the power needed for the process, so more fuel can be made, said
Heather Willauer, a NRL chemist and one of the writers of the study. In addition, research focus should be
directed toward reducing the size, weight and footprint of the technologies to make it feasible for a sea-based
process.
The analysis estimated fuel from this process would cost between $3 and $6 per gallon, including initial start-
up costs. The report cited the Navys 2011 average cost for JP-5 at $3.51; media reports have put that number
closer to $4. These prices dont include shipping and storage costs, which would be cut drastically or
eliminated by making JP-5 at sea.
Historical data suggest that in nine years, the price of fuel for the Navy could be well over the price of
producing a synthetic jet fuel at sea, the journal article says.
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus has set goals to cut the Navy and Marine Corps use of fossil fuels, calling for using
alternative fuels for 50 percent of the Navy Departments total energy usage by 2020.
His plan has come under attack, largely from Republicans, who say the Navy should not pursue alternative
fuel program until alternative fuels are more cost-effective. The Navys work in alternative liquid fuels has
used a blend of traditional fuels mixed with either an algae- or camelina-based based fuel.
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Add a comment...

Paul J. Meisch ! Top Commenter ! United States Navy
Great, now we're alchemists. Next proposal...canvas
and sail?
Reply ! ! Like ! October 14 at 1:57pm
View 4 more
4
Joe Eversole
Balloons instead of airplanes -- wait, we're
already trying that...
Reply ! Like ! October 14 at 2:24pm
Paul J. Meisch ! Top Commenter ! United
States Navy
Seriously, we can make JP-5 but the
automotive industry hasn't taken this
research (millions/billions?) and designed
an automotive engine that runs on sea
water? Oh wait...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GavJEdVIGeI
Reply ! Like ! October 14 at 2:56pm
Tom Schwab ! Kalamazoo, Michigan
I've heard they are looking at propelling
ship with the power of the wind.
Reply ! Like ! October 14 at 3:20pm
Joan-Marc Salvad ! Universidad de Neuchtel (Suisse)
Great. Here's the FUTURE!
Reply ! Like ! October 19 at 10:11am
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