Grantee Research Project Results
High-Authority Fuel Injection
EPA Contract Number: 68D01031Title: High-Authority Fuel Injection
Investigators: Prechtl, Eric
Small Business: Mide Technology Corporation
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: April 1, 2001 through September 1, 2001
Project Amount: $69,983
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air Quality and Air Toxics , SBIR - Air Pollution , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Description:
Mide Technology Corporation proposes to develop a fuel injection system for automotive combustion control. The design is composed of a fast-acting piezoelectric actuator to operate a fuel injection valve and emission sensors located in the exhaust, both used in concert with a rapid-learning control algorithm to reduce engine NOx, hydrocarbon (HC), and particulate emissions without sacrificing fuel efficiency. In this Phase I project, an X-Frame piezoelectric actuator will be designed to meet the requirements set by automobile engine manufacturers. In addition, simplified combustion system modeling will be performed and compared against experimental data to capture the effect of arbitrary shape control of the valve operation on automobile emissions. This process will lead to a basic first-order mapping that will be used to develop a control framework to optimize valve shape trajectory to minimize emissions while maximizing engine performance.This program can be immediately beneficial to the automotive market by providing the means to achieve efficient and/or high-power density engine operation that meets stringent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requirements. Furthermore, development of breakthrough actuation and control technologies, such as that proposed here, can be used to help realize innovative combustion control concepts such as the Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition technology.
This application constitutes a large market, and other applications can, at the same time, benefit from the technology. Other applications include advanced gas turbine combustion control, power generation, commercial aircraft, and medicine. In the power generation sector, controlled injection will reduce emissions. In commercial aircraft, a high-speed fuel modulating valve will enable control of combustion instabilities and noise. In medicine, recent trends towards atomized inhalation of typical intravenous drugs can benefit greatly from the small droplet size and precise metering resulting from a precise electronically controlled valve. This can have profound implications for patients who constantly require drug treatment via injection.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, fuel injection, emissions, actuator, automobile engine, combustion, engineering, chemistry, EPA, mobile sources, air pollution, NOx, hydrocarbons, particulate matter., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Air, Toxics, Waste, particulate matter, air toxics, Chemistry, VOCs, mobile sources, Incineration/Combustion, Engineering, Engineering, Chemistry, & Physics, Environmental Engineering, ambient air quality, emission control strategies, Nitrogen Oxides, Nox, air pollutants, vehicle emissions, emission control technologies, hydrocarbon, motor vehicle exhaust, gas turbines, engines, particulate emissions, combustion emissions, piezoelectric actuator, automobile combustion, automotive combustion, automobiles, hydrocarbons, combustion, fuel injection systemProgress and Final Reports:
SBIR Phase II:
High-Authority Fuel Injection | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.