Southwest Research Institute 2006 Annual Report, Office of Automotive Engineering

Intense competition and higher emissions standards are driving progress in the automotive industry, and Southwest Research Institute is developing technologies to meet today’s increasingly stringent demands. As a world leader in emissions reduction and fuel economy technologies, we improve, evaluate and verify the quality of products for land, rail and water transportation vehicles, as well as for stationary power equipment.

Our international presence extends to a satellite office in Beijing where we bring automotive engineering and evaluation capabilities to the more than 100 vehicle manufacturers in China and throughout Asia. In one project, we retrofitted several Beijing city buses with diesel exhaust aftertreatment devices to demonstrate advanced emission-control technologies.

SwARC, our joint venture with the China Automotive Technology and Research Center in Tianjin, is part of the Chinese industry effort to evaluate new diesel engine exhaust aftertreatment technologies and recommend standardized Chinese test procedures. SwARC staff members recently completed the installation of test cell equipment.

Our Ann Arbor technical office is collaborating with numerous Michigan-area clients, including the U.S. Army’s Detroit Arsenal facility. We are also assisting in the development of an advanced, mobile, micro power grid that combines and coordinates various power generation devices for military and homeland security applications, such as field hospitals and mobile command centers.

For the Environmental Protection Agency, the staff helped design and implement a control system for a hydraulic hybrid urban delivery vehicle; related program work continues. Activities within the Office of Automotive Engineering are certified to ISO 9001:2000, accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 and certified to ISO 14001:2004.

We are helping develop the new API CJ-4 industry standards, formerly called PC-10, which require future heavy-duty diesel engines to meet stringent 2007 emissions standards, limiting ash, sulfur and other potentially hazardous pollutants. We also recently developed several new engine lubricant certification evaluations to help manufacturers meet the new standards. In addition, our staff operates stationary engine test stands as well as various chemical and bench evaluations (enginelubes.swri.org). Similarly, we are helping Caterpillar, Cummins and VolvoMack lay the groundwork for new engine oil certification tests.

The EPA has approved SwRI to conduct ASTM D 7039 and ASTM D 5453 evaluations, which measure the sulfur content in ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel. New diesel engines will take advantage of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel to meet 2007 standards and reduce nitrous oxide and particulate matter emissions. We offer additional qualification tests for many other engine and driveline fuels, lubricants and petroleum products.

One of our largest petroleum programs uses independent contractors to collect and ship fuel samples from service stations across the country to help producers ensure fuel quality and compliance with federal requirements. We developed an online program to train and certify these contractors in the collection and handling of samples. After reaching SwRI, barcodes, automated analytical instruments and electronic data transfers enhance sample processing speed and accuracy.

SwRI can now verify and quantify the success of low-emission engine technologies during real-world operations, monitoring in-field emissions to meet 2007 and 2010 not-to-exceed on-road emissions regulations for heavy-duty, on-highway vehicles. Our portable emissions measurement system, or PEMS, uses EPA-compliant analyzer technologies to gather and verify gaseous emissions data in the field, which are later analyzed at SwRI laboratories to determine exhaust emission rates (in-use.swri.org). These data augment SAE J 1321 fuel economy test data for evaluating the fuel and emissions savings effects of various vehicle components.

SwRI operates the TARDEC Fuels and Lubricants Research Facility, or TFLRF. This government-owned laboratory helps the military meet operational and readiness requirements by investigating and solving problems with fuels, lubricants and other vehicle fluids (fuelsandlubestech.swri.org).

The TFLRF is currently conducting static electricity investigations on long collapsible hose lines used to transport jet fuel. Results from full-scale tests will provide information needed for safe operation of the Rapidly Installed Fluid Transfer System, or RIFTS. TARDEC staff members are continuing research on fire-resistant fuel, which self-extinguishes immediately following ignition.

The environmental impact of on- and off-road vehicles continues to face worldwide scrutiny. We are applying extensive expertise in engine development and exhaust aftertreatment technologies to meet the latest emissions standards, fuel economy targets, and future fuels and lubricants needs.

We recently met stringent U.S. Tier 2 Bin 5 emissions levels while maintaining good drivability during a diesel passenger car emissions development project for a major Japanese automaker. Combustion system modifications and airflow-based control logic enabled smooth transitions when alternating between normal diesel combustion and periodic rich combustion to run exhaust treatment devices. The seamless switching between combustion modes was key to meeting the program goals.

Collaborating with the EPA’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory and the Union Pacific Railroad Company, our engineers helped develop and test a diesel oxidation catalyst on a 3,800-horsepower EMD SD60M locomotive. This freight locomotive is the first in North America to be equipped with a set of oxidation catalyst devices serving as flow-through catalytic converters. As the exhaust flows through these devices, some of the particulate matter is converted into water and carbon dioxide. A locomotive outfitted with the new emission reduction catalyst has begun a year of regular service in Southern California to evaluate the system under real-world conditions.

High-pressure tubes and hoses that efficiently convey energy are used in both high-efficiency diesel engines outfitted with emissions controls as well as deep-sea drilling systems. Using fluid dynamics and nonlinear control technology, our engineers have developed high-pressure impulse test technology to help manufacturers evaluate the life expectancy of these tubes and hoses. The technology can develop impulse pressure profiles ranging from 0 to 30,000 psi.

Our government and industry consortia programs help advance precompetitive technologies typically too costly for a single organization to undertake. The 20-member, high-efficiency, dilute gasoline engine consortium focuses on developing emissions- and fuel consumption-reduction technologies for future gasoline engines. Some of the technologies under investigation include four-stroke operation, high-energy ignition, modified spark plugs and high compression ratios.

Our Clean Diesel IV consortium has 41 members, including component suppliers, oil and fuel companies, and light-duty, heavy-duty and off-road engine manufacturers from around the world. Current research is targeting homogeneous charge compression ignition, variable valve actuation, very high exhaust gas recirculation, boost and injection pressure technologies. A separate consulting service helps address client problems with fuels, lubricants, transmissions, powertrains and related technologies.

In 2006, we continued developing our successful series of virtual vehicle systems, creating a system that cost effectively validates preproduction torque converters without using an engine, transmission or fuel. The environmentally friendly system does not produce emissions, is regenerative and utilizes the power density of the hydraulic pump and motors. This system, as well as SwRI-designed systems for designing and validating transmissions and engines, helps manufacturers save time and money by accelerating the product development process.

In related work, we are developing a powertrain test facility to automatically calibrate automatic transmissions and transaxles. By integrating real-time vehicle operation simulations with shift quality evaluations and autonomous optimization of calibration parameters, the system will reduce the time and expense of prototype vehicle testing.

For an Asian client, our staff designed and fabricated an automated manual transmission using electromechanical actuation for integration with a hybrid electric automobile. The system features direct actuation of each shift fork to minimize shift time. The control systems and actuators provide automated clutch engagement from a stop and automated shifting without a clutch pedal.

Copyright© 2006 by Southwest Research Institute. All rights reserved under U.S. Copyright Law and International Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher. All inquiries should be addressed to the Communications Department, Southwest Research Institute, P.O. Drawer 28510, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0510, phone (210) 522-3305, fax (210) 522-3547.