With the nation's automakers and fuel suppliers facing tight new federal
emission standards later this decade, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
has selected eight teams it believes will help pioneer a new generation
of ultra-clean transportation fuels and tailpipe emission controls.
At the same time, the Energy Department announced that the U.S. Army
will join the Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels Initiative, providing a
portion of funding for the new projects in return for project data it
can use for fueling future military vehicles.
"President Clinton has challenged America's transportation sector
to make dramatic cuts in air pollutants over the next seven years,"
Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson said. "Now, the Energy Department
is preparing to put federal research dollars into future fuels that can
meet the President's goal and perhaps go beyond it."
Richardson announced the project selections during a speech yesterday
to the Hart 2000 World Fuels Conference on Vehicle, Energy, and Environmental
Policy, in Washington, DC.
Three of the winning project teams propose to use natural gas, rather
than crude oil, as the starting point for making the low-polluting fuels.
Rather than compressing it as is done today, the teams propose to chemically
transform the gas into liquid fuels that could substitute for conventional
diesel fuel or be used as a clean-burning fuel additive. Converting natural
gas to liquid form allows it to be delivered and used without major changes
in today's existing fuel systems.
Praxair, Tonawanda, NY; Conoco,
Houston, TX; and Integrated Concepts and Research Corporation
(Alexandria, VA)/Syntroleum (Tulsa, OK) will head teams pursuing the
natural gas-to-liquids approach.
Three other teams - Phillips Petroleum Co., Bartlesville,
OK; Petro Star, Inc., Anchorage, AK; and Research
Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, NC - will lead development
efforts on new refining processes that remove sulfur pollutants from crude
oil. A seventh team, headed by EnviRes LLC, Somerville,
NJ, will study an innovative concept that converts coal and petroleum
coke into clean fuels.
The eighth winning project, proposed by Ford Motor Company,
Dearborn, Michigan, will focus on a new type of emission control system
for future automobiles and trucks. The system will employ a chemical process
that captures smog-forming nitrogen oxides from the exhausts of internal
combustion engines.
Today's projects have a total value of more than $176 million with the
industrial sponsors proposing that the federal government share just over
$74 million of the costs. Actual federal and private sector funding levels
will be set during upcoming contract negotiations.
The eight teams are the first of two groups of projects the Energy Department
plans to select in the next several months. Additional industry proposals
are to be received by January 4, 2001, and the department will announce
a second round of selections next spring.
The U.S. Army's National Automotive Center in Warren, Michigan, has agreed
to provide $700,000 in fiscal 2001 to support the project selections.
The Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels Initiative is part of an Administration
effort to cut air pollution from the automobiles, trucks and buses by
more than 90 percent. Transportation is responsible for 77 percent of
the carbon monoxide, 49 percent of the nitrogen oxides, and 40 percent
of the volatile organic compounds emitted in the United States.
In December 2000, President Clinton announced the toughest new standards
ever for sulfur levels in gasoline, proposing that the average sulfur
content be reduced to 30 parts per million, down from the current average
of nearly 300 parts per million. Sulfur in gasoline degrades the effectiveness
of catalytic converters in reducing a variety of tailpipe emissions. Most
refiners will have until 2006 to meet the new sulfur standard, although
smaller refiners would have an extra two years.
Diesel engine manufacturers also are soon to be challenged with meeting
a new set of stringent emission stands in 2007. In May, 2000, the Environmental
Protection Agency proposed to reduce the sulfur content in diesel fuel
by 97 percent, from 500 parts per million to 15 parts per million.
Most of the selected projects will focus on producing ultra clean diesel
fuels, considered the more technically challenging. Two major organizations
in the Energy Department are combining in the initiative: the department's
Office of Fossil Energy is leading the fuels development effort, while
the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is responsible for
the vehicle system emission control projects.
Additional details on each of the projects follow:
1ST Round Project Selections for
DOE's Ultra-Clean Fuels Initiative
Project Details
The U.S. Department of Energy issued a competitive solicitation
on February 3, 2000, that called for project proposals in three categories:
- Topic 1, Production and Verification of Ultra-Clean Fuels
- Projects that produce ultra-clean fuels from a variety of energy resources
- conventional crude oil, petroleum coke, refinery wastes, natural gas
or coal - and verify the performance of these fuels by testing in engines.
Topic 2, Innovative Fuel-Making Processes - Projects
that develop innovative fuel making components, materials, processes
or technologies within the context of a system that includes fuel-engine-aftertreatment,
and
- Topic 3, Vehicle System Emission Controls - Projects
that develop innovative emission control technologies, processes or
devices and verify the performance of these control technologies by
testing in engines.
Details on the winning projects are organized by these three topics:
Topic 1 - Production and
Verification of Ultra-Clean Fuels
Lead Company: Phillips Petroleum, 252 Research
Forum, Bartlesville, OK 74004 |
Team Members:
- Cummins Engine Company, Box 3005, Columbus, IN 47202-3005
- Ford Motor Company, P.O. Box 1603, Dearborn, MI 48121-1603
- Southwest research Institute, PO Box 28510, San Antonio, TX 78228-0510 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject
to negotiations)
Total: $56 million; Contractor share: $41 million; DOE share: $15
million |
Project Duration: 5 years |
Project Contact: James Scinta, Phillips Petroleum,
918-661-7490 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information
submitted by proposer)
Ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel with less than 15 ppm sulfur allows
the use of clean-up devices on diesel engines that dramatically
reduce particulate and NOx emissions. Phillips Petroleum Company
has demonstrated in the laboratory and small-scale pilot plant
tests the reduction of sulfur in diesel fuel to below 15 ppm using
an adsorption process. This is accomplished at moderate pressures
and moderate space velocities with little or no consumption of
hydrogen. In contrast, current technology involves the use of
catalytic hydrodesulfurization. Recent studies of diesel hydrodesulfurization
have shown that to achieve sulfur levels near 15 ppm, many refineries
will require processes that operate at pressures near 1000 psia,
space velocities less than 1, and hydrogen consumption greater
than 500 standard cubic feet per barrel. These stringent process
conditions are reflected in high capital investment as high pressures
and low space velocities require large vessels with thick walls.
In addition, refiners will have to increase hydrogen production
capacity. Hydrogen is generally produced by an energy intensive,
high temperature, steam-reforming process, which requires large
furnaces that produce large amounts of NOx. The proposed process
for removal of sulfur from diesel has the potential for dramatic
reductions in both capital and utility costs over conventional
hydrotreating processes.Development of adsorbent technology for
diesel will require significant large-scale continuous pilot plant
testing. The pilot plant will produce a desulfurized diesel fuel
that will be engine tested by Southwest Research Lab under a test
program supervised and reviewed by Ford Motor Company and by Cummins
which means that both large and small diesel engines will be included
in the study. Pilot plant data will also be used to compare process
designs between fixed-bed and fluid-bed adsorbers. The fixed-bed
process requires a minimum number of vessels but is challenged
by the heating and cooling requirements necessary for regeneration.
The fluidized bed solves the heating and cooling problems but
requires additional vessels to regenerate the sorbent under controlled
and near isothermal conditions. Phillips has commercialized a
fluidized-bed sulfur removal process for gasoline, which operates
in the vapor phase while a diesel process will operate under conditions
that may involve only partially vaporized feed. Pilot plant results
will be used for conceptual and feasibility process design. Process
economics will be combined with market analysis to determine if
the process is competitive with alternative methods.
If the process is feasible and if it shows the expected economic
advantages then a pre-commercial demonstration unit will be engineered,
built, and operated at a refinery. If the proposed process operates
economically and at the levels of sulfur removal observed in preliminary
experiments, Phillips anticipates that most major diesel refiners
will license the process. Phillips has a licensing organization,
in place that already has licensed processes in over 100 different
refineries worldwide. This organization would lead the rapid and
widespread adoption of a successful process for desulfurization
of diesel fuels. |
Topic 1 - Production and Verification of Ultra-Clean
Fuels
Lead Company: Conoco Inc., PO Box 2197, Houston,
TX 77252-2197 |
Team Members:
- Air Products and Chemicals, 7201 Hamilton Blvd, Allentown, PA
18195-4868
- Cummins Engine Company, Box 3005, Columbus, IN 47202-3005
- AVL Powertrain, 47519 Halyard Drive, Plymouth, MI 48170-2438
- International Fuel Cells, PO Box 1149, South Windsor, CT 06074
- Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 168002-2308
- Nexant, 45 Fremont Street, 7th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-2210
- PetroTech Gas Inc., 4141 Jutland Dr., Suite 200, San Diego, CA
92117 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject
to negotiations)
Total: 26 million; contractor share: $13 million; DOE share: $13
million |
Project Duration: 3 years |
Project Contact: Dan Brannon, Conoco, 281-293-1734,
or Paul Grimmer, Conoco, 281-293-1182 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information
submitted by proposer)
Large reserves of natural gas on the Alaskan North Slope, as
well as many proven reserves worldwide, are currently stranded
because the cost of development, transportation or conversion
to transportable liquid products is too high to be economic. Therefore,
Conoco, a global and integrated energy company, plans to unleash
the potential of stranded gas with new innovations in gas-to-syngas
conversion (CoPoxTM) being developed in the Conoco
laboratories). Thus, this huge natural gas resource base can then
be converted into high quality, environmentally fuel that can
be produced and transported to fuel markets in the United States
and around the world at a cost competitive with conventional fuels.
In addition to the technology development portion of this program,
Conoco, with support from the participant Steering Committee,
will perform comprehensive life-cycle systems analysis for the
techno-economic comparison of the fuels and fuel additives considered
within this program. A sensitivity analysis will also be run using
coal and heavy oil as the feedstock. The life-cycle results from
these new technologies will then be compared to the existing fuels
such as gasoline and diesel as well as to emerging fuels, such
as biodiesel, ethanol, compressed natural gas, liquefied natural
gas, and electric vehicles to determine the advantages and disadvantages
in costs, emissions, and performance of each option. Specified
fuel performance evaluation and emissions testing will be conducted
to establish a common basis of comparison using actual full-scale
hardware provided by two of the leading diesel engine manufacturers
and the leading fuel cell system developer. Each fuel will be
tested within the context of both existing and developmental transportation
systems, and the fuels will be evaluated on how well they can
enter the existing distribution infrastructure. |
Topic 1 - Production and Verification
of Ultra-Clean Fuels
Lead Company: Integrated Concepts and Research
Corp. (ICRC), 1033 North Fairfax Street, Suite 400, Alexandria,
VA 22314 |
Team Members:
- Syntroleum Corp., 1350 South Boulder, Suite 1100, Tulsa OK, 74119-3295
- National Park Service, P.O. Box 9, Denali, AK 99755
- Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, Washington,
DC 20001
- Arthur D. Little, Acorn Park, Cambridge, MA 02140-2390
- Daimler-Chrysler, 800 Chrysler Drive, Auburn Hills, MI 48326-2757
- West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6106, Morgantown, WV 26506-6106 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject
to negotiations)
Total: $36 million; Contractor share: $18 million; DOE share: $18
million |
Project Duration: 3 years |
Project Contact: Carl Williams, ICRC, 703-519-9901 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information
submitted by proposer)
Many fossil fuels are currently located in hard to access places:
restricted oil, gas, and coal deposits, make these resources uneconomical
as feedstocks. Other sources, coal fines, refinery wastes, and
landfill gases are currently economic burdens and environmental
hazards that are generally unusable as energy resources. The ability
to move Syntroleum Small Footprint Plants into these locations
so that these resources can be converted to an ultra-clean transportation
fuel will result in the production of zero-sulfur, zero-aromatic,
high cetane fuels that can use existing delivery infrastructures.These
fuels have been shown to reduce harmful emissions in stationary
vehicular engine tests by substantial amounts. Longer term tests
are needed, including over-the-road tests of fleet vehicles, evaluations
of after-treatment systems, use of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR),
and varied injection timing. More extensive testing is particularly
relevant to further emissions reduction, increased drive-train
efficiency, evaluation of additive packages and fuel blends.An
applied research program will examine the overall performance
of these possible adjustments and a well-to-wheels economic analysis
will be performed to assess what will be the likely market thresholds
needed for an eventual substitution of these fuels for fuels which
are increasingly derived from costly and "sour" crude.
A majority of this crude is imported and their quantities are
projected to rise as a result of increased heavy vehicle use.
The use of this crude which is higher in sulfur content and thus
more difficult to refine will continue to drive well-to-wheel
prices higher.This project will demonstrate the effective production,
testing, adaptation and use of ultra-clean, domestically-produced
fuels that can be delivered by existing fuel infrastructures.
These fuels will substitute for current standard diesel, gasoline
and military fuels, either as blends or gallon-for gallon substitutes
with appropriate additives for engine and climatic conditions.
They pose no disruption to the overall fuel production and distribution
system and have pronounced advantages, especially for national
emergencies and national security.
To perform this project, Integrated Concepts and research Corporation
(ICRC) has assembled a team composed of Syntroleum Corporation,
a Tulsa, OK petroleum company; Daimler-Chrysler Corporation, a
major vehicle and engine manufacturer; West Virginia University;
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan Automotive Laboratory;
the University of Alaska's Cold Weather Test Facilities, and A.D.
Little, a technology market research firm. The team will test
fleet vehicles from Denali National Park and Washington Metropolitan
Area Transit Authority. |
Topic 2, Innovative Fuel-Making
Processes
Lead Company: Petro Star Inc, 201 Arctic Slope
Ave, Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99518-3030 |
Team Members:
- Degussa-Huls Corp, 65 Challenger Rd, Ridgefield, Park, NJ 07660
- G.E. Dolbear & Assoc., 23050 Aspen Knoll Drive, Diamond Bar,
CA 91765-2545
- GTC Technology Corp., 1001 South Dairy Ashford Road, Houston,
TX 77077-2333
- FEV Engine Technology, 4554 Glenmeade Lane, Auburn Hills, MI 48326-1766
- Koch Extraction Technologies, PO Box 6232, Parsippany NJ 07054-6232
- Travis Peterson Consulting, 2020 Abbot Rd, Suite 3, Anchorage,
AK 99507
- Alaska Science & Technology Foundation, 4500 Diplomacy Drive,
Anchorage AK 99508-5918
- Gary-Williams Energy Corp., 370 17th Street, Suite 5300, Denver
CO 80202-5653
- Alaska Dept of Environmental Conservation, 410 Willoughby Avenue,
Juneau, AK 99801-1795 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject to
negotiations)
Total: $2.2 million; Contractor share: $0.9 million; DOE share:
$1.3 million |
Project Duration: 18 months |
Project Contact: Walter Gore, Petro Star Inc.,
907-267-6106 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information submitted
by proposer) Petro Star, Inc. has assembled a project
team to desulfurization (CED) process to remove sulfur from diesel.
Alaska Science and Technology Foundation developed a laboratory-based
CED process over the past four years. Petro Star is striving to
make the CED process cost effective for small and medium sized
refineries to compete with standard hydrodesulfurization (HDS)
technologies.This project will demonstrate the feasibility of
the CED process, engine-test the processed diesel, and design
a pilot plant along with an estimate of capital and operating
costs for a commercial demonstration plant. Further development
of the CED process is needed because environmental regulations
are forcing petroleum refineries to meet ultra-low emissions and
to comply with the Ultra Clean Transportation Fuels Initiative.
Compliance requires the removal of sulfur compounds from fuels
used in internal combustion engines and turbines, HDS processes
consume large amounts of hydrogen, require exotic catalysts that
are easily poisoned and operate under severe temperature and pressure
conditions. These conditions result in expensive capital and operating
costs along with disposal problems associated with spent catalysts
and the by-product formation of elemental sulfur. In addition,
HDS cannot remove sulfur from the more complex thiophenic compounds
without severe and costly treatment. These increased costs may
force small and medium size refineries out of the low-sulfur fuel
market.The CED process does not require costly hydrogen processing,
high pressures, or high temperatures. The process mildly oxidizes
sulfur compounds and removes the compounds by solvent extraction
at near-ambient conditions. In addition to removing sulfur, the
CED process removes nitrogen- containing compounds and aromatics
that adversely affect diesel fuel quality and develop a conversion
extraction Petro Star, with the support of the engine emissions.Early
cost evaluations indicate that the CED process can be cost-effective
for medium and small size refineries manufacturing low-sulfur
diesel. Thus, the development of this process will advance the
Ultra Clean Fuels Initiative and increase the supply of low-sulfur
diesel. The development and commercialization of the CED process
will have many benefits. The CED process requires less energy
than HDS processing because it does not require the manufacturing
of hydrogen or high pressures and temperatures. This results in
less air emissions during processing. Refineries can cost effectively
incorporate the CED process into their plant to produce low-sulfur
diesel. In addition to the positive environmental and economic
aspects of the CED process, its development will also support
U.S. leadership in the development and licensing of new, environmentally
benign, petroleum refining processes.
This proposal will collect laboratory-scale process data, use
that data to perform chemical engineering process design and economic
evaluations, and design a pilot plant. The project is expected
to be completed within 18 months. The final product to the Department
of Energy will be a report that documents the success of a bench-scale,
continuous-flow CED unit, provide engineering plans for a 50 barrels
per standard day (BPSD) pilot plant, and cost estimates for a
5,000 BPSD commercial demonstration plant. |
Topic 2, Innovative Fuel-Making
Processes
Lead Company: Research Triangle Institute, PO
Box 12194, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 |
Team Members:
- Kellogg Brown & Root, 16200 Park Row, Houston, TX 77084-5195 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject to
negotiations)
Total: $2.0 million; Contractor share: $0.7 million; DOE share:
$1.3 million |
Project Duration: 2 years |
Project Contact: Dennis Naugle, Research Triangle
Institute, 919-541-6000 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information submitted
by proposer) This proposal addresses the challenge of
producing an ultra-clean, fossil fuel-based transportation fuel--low-sulfur
gasoline -- primarily using existing refinery infrastructure.
Most of the sulfur content of currently-manufactured gasoline
is contained in only one of the blend streams -- naphtha from
the fluid-bed catalytic cracker ("FCC naphtha"). The
proposal partners of Research Triangle Institute (RTl) and Kellogg
Brown & Root, Inc. (KBR) are focusing their efforts on developing
a cost-effective, efficient process to desulfurize this stream.
The current driving force for the commercialization of this naphtha
desulfurization technology is the enactment of EPA's Tier 2 regulations,
which limit the sulfur content of gasoline to a maximum of 30
ppm by 2006.There are existing technologies for FCC naphtha desulfurization
that refiners can use to reach the regulatory gasoline sulfur
target, but there are a number of problems. High capital and operating
cost, as well as yield loss due to the production of low-value
byproducts, may result in an unacceptable increase in gasoline
price (as much as 5 to 8 C/gal according to some estimates). RTl
and KBR have partnered to develop a new process, based on a different
process chemistry, to remove the sulfur from FCC naphtha, at substantially
lower capital and operating cost.The proposed RTI-KBR process,
the Transport Reactor Naphtha Desulfurization (TREND) Process
reacts the organic sulfur compounds with a solid sorbent material
to remove them from the naphtha. The sulfur is removed from the
process, concentrated, and prepared for ultimate disposal by reacting
the sulfur-loaded sorbent material with air. By using high-throughput
transport reactors instead of fixed- or fluidized-bed reactors,
reactor vessel size is minimized and capital cost is reduced.
Side reactions that result in yield loss are minimized. Based
on the preliminary development to date, the research team believes
the technology can be extended for deep desulfunzation, and an
ultra-clean transportation fuel with a sulfur content much below
the Tier 2 standard can be obtained.
The proposed naphtha desulfurization technology represents a
spinoff application of the sorbent-based desulfurization technology
developed by DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory under
the Clean Coal Technology Program. The proposed research effort
focuses on adapting and optimizing this technology for naphtha
desulfurization, and conducting sufficient pilot plant testing
to convince gasoline producers of its merits and value. Based
on the proposed time schedule for this research effort, commercial
deployment of this technology should be ready to aid in achieving
compliance with the sulfur restrictions mandated by EPA's Tier
2 regulations. |
Topic 2, Innovative Fuel-Making
Processes
Lead Company: EnviRes LLC, 401 Towne Centre Drive,
Somerville, NJ 08876 |
Team Members:
- Marathon Ashland, Findlay, OH, 45840
- University of Kentucky, Center for Applied Research, 2540 Research
Park Dr., Lexington, KY 40511
- Mefos, Box 812, SE-971 25 Lulea, Sweden |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject
to negotiations)
Total: $3.9 million; Contractor share: $1.9 million; DOE share:
$2.0 million |
Project Duration: 18 months |
Project Contact: Dr. Thomas Holcombe, EnviRes
LLC, 908-904-1606 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information submitted
by proposer) The oil refining industry today is able
to produce ultra-clean transportation fuels using available hydrotreating
processes. Unfortunately, it is very expensive for refiners to
modify current operations to meet the tighter gasoline and diesel
specifications, especially for a proposed limit of 10 ppm sulfur.
One of the reasons for the high price is the cost and availability
of the large volumes of hydrogen required for hydrotreating. This
proposal will describe an innovative new process called HyMelt®
which offers the potential to produce large volumes of high-pressure,
high-purity hydrogen from fossil fuels, such as petroleum coke,
pitch and coal, at a cost much lower than conventional production
methods. HyMelt is a patented technology that was invented by
Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP) and has been licensed to
EnviRes LLC. It combines elements of hydrocarbon gasification
with steelmaking technology to gasify fossil fuels into separate
hydrogen and carbon monoxide product streams.HyMelt has the potential
to dramatically improve the conversion efficiency of fossil energy
sources to ultra-clean transportation fuels. When processing fossil
fuels such as vacuum resid, petroleum coke, and blends of methane
and petroleum coke, HyMelt's estimated cold gas efficiencies range
from 83 to nearly 88 percent. In contrast, similar analyses of
conventional partial oxidation gasification of vacuum resid and
steam reforming of methane generate cold gas efficiencies in the
range of 70 to 72 percent. Furthermore, HyMelt provides separate
high-pressure streams providing sufficient hydrogen for deep hydrotreating.
The project intends to demonstrate that hydrotreating both feed
to the catalytic cracker and the crackate will yield gasoline
and diesel fuels satisfying the most stringent requirements of
automobile manufacturers.
Meanwhile, the carbon monoxide-rich stream may be used as a clean
fuel substitute for natural gas in the production of electricity.
It is projected that a coal-fed HyMelt plant producing hydrogen
and electric power from its carbon monoxide stream via an integrated
gasification combined cycle (IGCC) would have sulfur dioxide emissions
of only about 0.02 pounds per MWh of power generated, whereas
a conventional present day coal-fired boiler (producing the same
quantity of hydrogen and power) would generate an estimated 4.24
pounds per MWh. Ina similar comparison, estimated NOx emissions
would be 0.17 and 4.09 pounds per MWh for HyMelt and conventional
processes, respectively. |
Topic 3, Vehicle System Emission
Controls
Lead Company: Ford Motor Company, 20000 Rotunda
Drive, Dearborn, MI 48121 |
Team Members:
- Exxon-Mobil, 600 Billingsport Rd, PO Box 480, Paulsboro, NJ 08066-0460
- FEV Engine Technology, 4554 Glenmeade Lane, Auburn Hills, MI 48326-1766 |
Funding Levels: (as submitted by proposer; subject to negotiations)
Total: $13.5 million; Contractor share: $4.7 million; DOE share: $8.7
million |
Project Duration: 4 years |
Project Contact: Robert Hammerle, Ford Motor Company,
313-248-1652 |
Public Abstract: (excerpted from information submitted by
proposer) The goal of Ford Motor Company's (Ford) participation
in the Ultra-Clean Transportation Fuels Program is to explore Topic
3 of the solicitation: the development of innovative emission
control systems for advanced compression-ignition direct-injection
(ClDI) transportation engines. To support this goal, Ford plans
to demonstrate an exhaust emission control system that provides
high efficiency particulate matter (PM) and NOx reduction. The high
efficiency will be obtained through the use of a particulate filter
and the most advanced NOx control available. Very low sulfur diesel
fuel will be used to enable low PM emissions, reduce the fuel economy
penalty associated with the emission control system, and increase
the long-term durability of the system.A prototype vehicle will
be built with a mid-size CIDI (diesel) engine that is aimed at the
light-duty truck / SUV market. The engine will have the advantages
of a potential 40% fuel economy improvement and 20% less CO2 emissions
than the current gasoline counterpart, with additional low engine
speed torque and increased towing capacity to satisfy the consumers'
needs. During the course of this program, the emission control system
will be optimized for the highest efficiency possible and its durability
will be tested for more than 5000 hours.
With Ford as the prime contractor, the project team will include
an emission control technology developer and CIDI engine manufacturer
(Ford), a fuel and catalyst technology developer (ExxonMobil), catalyst
suppliers, and an outside research facility (FEV). The emission
control system developed will address federal NOx and PM emission
standards for 2007. The end result will allow vehicles with CIDI
engines to be Tier II emissions certified with a minimum fuel economy
penalty at a minimum cost to the consumer. |
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