Grantee Research Project Results
Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Based APU (QRCFC-APU)
EPA Contract Number: EPD06019Title: Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Based APU (QRCFC-APU)
Investigators: Namazian, Mehdi
Small Business: Altex Technologies Corporation
EPA Contact: Richards, April
Phase: I
Project Period: March 1, 2006 through August 31, 2006
Project Amount: $69,981
RFA: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) - Phase I (2006) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Particulate Matter , SBIR - Air and Climate , Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) , Watersheds
Description:
There are more than 480,000 trucks on U.S. roads, and each vehicle produces up to 20 tons CO2, 420 lbs of CO, and 250 lbs of nitrous oxides per year while idling to produce auxiliary power needed for the driver’s comfort. The overall goal of this project is a Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Base Auxiliary Power Unit (QRCFC-APU) to reduce significantly idling emissions. QRCFC overcomes the challenges with the diesel fuel reforming and the current fuel cell systems limitations to reliably convert diesel fuel to power on board the truck and replace idling. Under Phase I, QRCFC will be designed and its critical components and processes tested to provide the foundation for Phase II, in which the system will be fabricated and demonstrated. If QRCFC-APU penetrates just 20 percent of the truck APU market, it will result in the reduction of more than 12,000 tons on NOx; 20,160 tons of CO; and 1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Idling trucks result in substantial fuel and maintenance cost for the truck owner and driver. Current diesel engine-based APU generators are too noisy and inefficient and lack the longevity and reliability needed for extended operation. When QRCFC-APU is available, the cost savings achieved by replacing truck idling with QRCFC-APUs, along with its quietness and high efficiency, will drive the commercialization of the system. This economic driver and other system attributes will allow QRCFC-APU to capture a substantial portion of the potential $2 billion market for truck APUs.
Supplemental Keywords:
small business, SBIR, diesel trucks, engine idling, emission reduction, greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, carbon dioxide, CO2, , carbon monoxide, CO, nitrous oxides, NOx, fuel cells, auxiliary power units, EPA,, RFA, Scientific Discipline, TREATMENT/CONTROL, Sustainable Industry/Business, Sustainable Environment, Technology, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Environmental Engineering, clean energy, environmentally friendly fuel cell power system, air pollutants, clean technologies, green design, air pollution control, automotive components, fuel cell energy systems, automobile engine exhausts, diesel exhaust, emission controls, pollution control, energy technology, emission reduction, diesel fuel, pollution preventionProgress and Final Reports:
SBIR Phase II:
Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Based APU (QRCFC-APU)The 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.