CREARE LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: N08-105

Description

Diesel generators that operate at partial power can experience wet stacking, poor exhaust emissions, and low efficiency. These problems create excessive maintenance, reduced lifetime, and poor air quality. Although exhaust treatment systems can improve air quality, most technologies are impeded and/or damaged by high sulfur fuels used in some areas. The costs associated with these deficiencies are significant. As a result, we propose to develop simple, cost-effective techniques to address these shortfalls. Specifically, we plan to modify existing generator designs to include advanced fuel injectors and combustion enhancement control systems. This work will leverage Creare"s extensive experience with thermodynamic systems and their electronic controls. Our approach utilizes a large number of commercially available components to minimize cost. We expect savings from reduced maintenance to exceed the cost of implementing our technology. During Phase I, we optimized our approach for a specific military generator, quantified its impacts, and estimated implementation costs. We now plan to retrofit several generators with our design features and conduct extensive laboratory and field tests during Phase II.