Fuels and Systems Research
HCNG Transit Bus
In 2003, a new heavy-duty transit bus that runs on hydrogen enriched natural gas arrived on campus for a demonstration program managed jointly by ITS-Davis and Unitrans. The goal of the project is to determine if the special hydrogen - natural gas fuel blend can achieve fuel economy and power similar to a standard natural gas bus and meet California's strict 2007 transit bus emissions standards. ITS-Davis researcher Marshall Miller is managing the research project while the bus serves transit routes in Davis. It is the first of its kind to be tested in real operating conditions.
Research Faculty: Marshall Miller, Andrew Burke
Students: Andrew Burnham, Matthew Forrest, Zach McCaffrey
Funding: Federal Transit Administration, California Department of Transportation, Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District, California Air Resources Board
Fuel Cell Research Bus
UC Davis is now home to a unique and valuable research tool, a 30-foot fuel cell transit bus. Built in 1994, this is the first of three proof-of concept fuel cell buses built at Georgetown University. Professor Paul Erickson is examining systems degradation and durability issues and using the bus as a teaching tool. Powered by a high-temperature phosphoric acid fuel cell, the bus uses an onboard reformer to make hydrogen from a methanol-water premix feedstock. The bus resides in the main engineering complex outside Bainer Hall.
Research Faculty: Paul Erickson
Students: Michael Beerman, Jon Hsu, Robert Kamisky, Zack Zoller
Funding: U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Energy, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Georgetown University
Fuel Cell Auxiliary Power Units for Trucks
While parked, the typical long-haul big rig idles its main diesel engine to power accessories and air conditioning for driver comfort. Many trucks also run trailer refrigeration units (TRUs) powered by a separate diesel engine to preserve perishable cargo. Every hour of idling, an engine burns between 0.6 to 1.5 gallons of diesel fuel and emits about one-third the NOx emissions released in freeway driving at 55 mph. For this reason, academics, regulators, and industry are working together to develop alternatives that may provide economic as well as environmental benefits. For the last four years, ITS-Davis researchers have been engaged in a multi-million-dollar research effort to determine if fuel cell systems could run auxiliary power units (APUs) for the driver cab and/or the cargo area TRUs, thus eliminating the need for engine idling. Researchers are concurrently completing the last two phases of the four-phase project. In the first two phases, they assessed fuel cell APU benefits, demonstrated their feasibility in a truck's sleeper cab, determined that the economic payback for commercial fuel cell APUs could be as little as 2.6 to 4.5 years, and ran computer simulation models to assess the technical and economic feasibility of fuel cell APUs in other heavy-duty transportation applications such as buses. Phase 3 and Phase 4 are focusing on design and integration of proton exchange membrane fuel cells and solid-oxide fuel cells for TRUs. Researchers have tested performance and emissions of current truck rigs and TRUs. They have determined performance specifications and duty cycles for cab accessories and TRUs and are currently finalizing the design for the fuel cell TRU application. At completion, they will have bench-tested the three fuel cell systems and analyzed costs and benefits of different fuel cell types in APU and TRU configurations.
Research Faculty: C. J. Brodrick, Harry A. Dwyer, Marshall Miller, Mike Hoffman, Timothy Lipman
Students: Nicolas Lutsey, David Grupp, Pippin Mader, Chintamani Kulkarni
Funding and Partners:
Phase 3: California Air Resources Board, Freightliner LLC
Phase 4: South Coast Air Quality Management District, U.S. Department of Energy, Carrier Transicold, ChevronTexaco, American Trucking Associations, Argonne National Laboratory
Fuel Cell Systems in Off-Road Vehicles
UC Davis researchers are teaming with air purification, vehicular power systems, and fuel cell experts from private industry and government to develop a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell that could be incorporated into off-road vehicles, including turf and grounds maintenance vehicles as well as construction and farm equipment. The project will focus on developing components that can withstand the abuse they will likely encounter in off-road applications, such as dust, dirt and other air filter contaminants, excessive exposure to heat and humidity, vibrations, and shock. The team will develop, design, and validate comprehensive air filtration technology and systems to protect the fuel cell system from mechanical stresses. They will also work to suppress noise that is emitted by component air compressors. The team is committed to commercializing PEM power plants, first in turf and grounds maintenance vehicles, and then in construction and farm equipment vehicles.
Research Faculty: Paul Erickson, Bryan Jenkins, Uriel Rosa
Funding: U.S. Department of Energy, IdaTech LLC, Donaldson Company, Toro, 3M
Coal to Hydrogen: A Feasibility Study and Experimental Demonstration
Paul Erickson is researching the feasibility of producing hydrogen from high-grade coal-derived methanol using the latest reformation technologies. Previous efforts to demonstrate a coal-to-hydrogen pathway have been less successful; fuel cells need very clean, high-quality fuel, which typically has not been achievable from high-sulfur coal. Erickson believes his steam reforming and autothermal reforming processes may produce a fuel grade that is acceptable. In addition to actually demonstrating hydrogen production from a coal-derived fuel, this study will test the resulting product gas, if of sufficient quality, in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack, and compare this coal-derived hydrogen fuel to the hydrogen fuel that is currently being used in prototype fuel cell vehicles.
Research Faculty: Paul Erickson
Students: Robert Kamisky, David Vernon, Chang-hsien (Jim) Liao, Hyung Chul (Hank) Yoon
Funding and Partners: U.S. Department of Energy, Eastman Chemicals, Methanex
Reforming Carbon-Based Fuels to Hydrogen
Researchers are evaluating a variety of steam and autothermal reformation processes for production of hydrogen from carbon-based fuels. In addition to evaluating geometrical factors and factors that affect steam reformation, they are designing and developing an experimental autothermal reformer that will be used in several projects on campus. Among the factors they have considered in their design are the following: ability to use multiple fuels, ability to vary stoichiometry, precise temperature and pressure control, implementation of enhancement methods, ability to implement variable catalyst positions and catalyst arrangement, ability to monitor and change reactant mixing, and proper implementation of data acquisition. The goal is to develop a research tool that allows engineers to optimize hydrogen production via autothermal reformation.
Research Faculty: Paul Erickson
Students: David Davieau, Lars Dorr, Robert Kamisky, Zack Zoller
Funding: UC Davis College of Engineering