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The removal of toxic, corrosive, irritant, and odorous gases is a key strategy in improving air quality in any closed space. The technologies of granulated activated carbon or chemically impregnated dry media are commonly employed to address this issue. Both of these methods have their limitations in manufacturability, volume of space, and/or pressure drop associated with use in a given application. A new air quality technology has been developed which integrates liquid based chemisorption gas treatment with a shaped fiber media carrier. The patented wicking fiber shape holds more than its own weight in active reagents within intra-fiber channels. While the liquid volume is captured and retained through capillary action, a large surface area of the chemisorptive liquid is presented to the air flow for reaction and neutralization of the target contaminant gases. The wicking fibers may be implemented as fiber bundles, woven materials, or as non-wovens.

For many automakers around the world, there is a strong desire or need to show an increasing amount of post-consumer-recycle (PCR) content in their vehicles, especially for polymeric materials. But finding PCR polymers that do not suffer from losses in physical, mechanical, and aesthetic properties has been difficult. Hence, for critical and safety-related applications, the maximum allowable recycled content necessarily has been kept low, and truly “green” (100%-recycled) applications have been quite limited in these materials. This has been especially true for the family of nylon thermoplastics, which are often used in applications with either safety and / or aesthetic requirements. Since each passenger car built globally uses an average of 15 - 20 kg of nylon polymers, there is strong incentive to find a way to increase PCR content in components using these materials without losing properties. Fortunately, a new technology has been developed for nylon 6 resins to solve this problem.

Neat methanol fuel (M100) has many advantages for achieving low emission levels as an automotive fuel, but there are several items that require attention before this fuel can replace conventional fuels. One item involves the low flame luminosity of methanol. An extensive literature search and laboratory evaluation were conducted to identify potential additive candidates to improve the luminosity of a methanol flame. Potential compounds were screened based on their concentration, luminosity improvement, and duration of luminosity improvement during the burn. Three compounds were found to increase the flame luminosity for segments of the burn at relatively low concentrations: toluene, cyclopentene, and indan. In combination, these three compounds markedly improved the luminosity of methanol throughout the majority of the burn. The two combinations were 1) 4 percent toluene plus 2 percent indan and 2) 5 percent cyclopentene plus 5 percent indan in methanol.

The critical particle size for a high-pressure injection system was determined. Various double-cut test dusts ranging from 0 to 5 μm to 10 to 20 μm were evaluated to determine which test dust caused the high-pressure system to fail. With the exception of the 0- to 5-μm test dust, all test dust ranges caused failure in the high-pressure injection system. Analysis of these evaluations revealed that the critical particle size, in initiating significant abrasive wear, is 6 to 7 μm. Wear curve formulas were generated for each evaluation. A formula was derived that allows the user to determine if the fuel filter effluent will cause harmful damage to the fuel system based on the number of 5-, 10-, and 15-μm particles per milliliter present. A methodology was developed to evaluate fuel filter performance as related to engine operating conditions. The abrasive methodology can evaluate online filter efficiency and associated wear in a high-pressure injection system.

Emission control options for heavy-duty engines are evaluated for meeting the recently promulgated NOX and particulate standards. Particulate options to meet these standards are evaluated in terms of emissions reduction, cost, and cost effectiveness. Control options include particulate trap, clean diesel fuel (low sulfur, low arontatics), methanol, and gasoline. The cost effectiveness for particulate control range from $3,000/ton to over $18,000/ton. These costs, however, are lower than many stationary measures.

Formation of urea-derived deposits in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment systems continues to be problematic at temperatures at and below 215 °C. Several consequences of deposit formation include: NOx and NH3 slip, exhaust flow maldistribution, increased engine backpressure, and corrosion of aftertreatment components. Numerous methods have been developed to reduce deposit formation, but to date, there has been no solution for continuous low-temperature dosing of Urea-Water Solution (UWS). This manuscript presents a novel methodology for reducing low-temperature deposit formation in SCR aftertreatment systems. The methodology described herein involves incorporation and dissolution of an HNCO hydrolysis catalyst directly into the UWS. HNCO is a transient species formed by the thermolysis of urea upon injection of UWS into the aftertreatment system.

Data from fuel quality inspections conducted by the California Energy Commission at M85 dispensing stations indicated that significant contamination of M85 fuel may be arising from the station fuel dispensing equipment. Repeated testing revealed that high conductivity and high color occurred in the first liter of fuel drawn from a dispenser after not being used for more than 6 hours. As the dispenser hose was the most likely culprit for causing the dark color noted in the first liter of fuel, a study was conducted to ascertain the impact of dispenser hoses on M85 fuel quality. Three types of M85 dispenser hose were tested: the standard M85 dispenser hose (Goodyear Maxxim M85), and two experimental Goodyear hoses with nylon inner liners (Nylon Veneer 66 and Nylon Veneer 11).