The United States Department of Energy (DOE) has allocated $4 million to support three new cost-shared research projects focused on medium- and heavy-duty, on-road natural gas engines. With abundant domestic supplies, the United States could increase energy security from using low-cost natural gas as an alternative to other energy sources for transporting goods.
Cost-effectively achieving diesel-like efficiency in natural gas engines, while meeting current and future emissions standards, will improve the affordability of natural gas-fueled medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Recipients of the three new cost-shared projects are:
- Colorado State University (Fort Collins, Colorado) will receive $1.2 million to research ultra-low emissions, high-efficiency heavy-duty natural gas engines with optimized combustion chamber designs.
- University of Houston (Houston, Texas) will receive $2 million to develop a new class of catalysts with low levels of precious metals for natural gas engine emissions control.
- University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will receive $1.1 million to advance low temperature combustion technologies for higher-efficiency natural gas engines.
In addition, DOE is supporting $3 million in early-stage research among several National Laboratories:
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are researching active and durable catalysts for low temperature methane oxidation to enable efficient CNG engines.
- Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), National Renewable Energy Laboratory, ORNL and Sandia National Laboratories are working collaboratively to research fundamental in-cylinder and emissions-control advancements for higher-efficiency medium-/heavy-duty natural gas engines.
The Department’s Vehicle Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in early-stage research to spur private-sector research, development and commercialization of more energy efficient and affordable transportation technologies that increase energy security and economic growth.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy – Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
