DOE, Delphi, Peterbilt Team Tests Commercial Trucks' Auxiliary Power Unit
March 27, 2009 // Published as a news service by IHS
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A Delphi Auxiliary power unit employing a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) successfully operated the electrical system and air conditioning of a Peterbilt Model 386 truck under conditions simulating idling conditions for 10 hours. The test was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The device provides an alternative to running a truck's main diesel engine, or using a truck's batteries, to power auxiliary electrical loads during rest periods, thereby lowering emissions, reducing noise and saving fuel, according to the DOE Office of Fossil Energy.
Funded by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), the test was a collaborative effort that also involved the Office of Fossil Energy's Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA), Delphi Corp. and Peterbilt Motors Co. The auxiliary power unit provided an average of 800 watts (W) of electricity to the truck over the course of the test.
Concerns about commercial truck emissions, noise and fuel consumption led to legislation and other proposals to limit the trucks' idling time and resulted in a need for clean, economical alternatives. Auxiliary power units that employ an SOFC are a promising solution, experts said.
Delphi's SOFC auxiliary power unit is designed to convert the chemical energy in conventional fuels - in this case, commercial diesel - into electrical power without combustion. The unit is compact and can be configured to use natural gas, bio-diesel, propane, gasoline, coal-derived fuel or military logistics fuel.
Auxiliary power is a spinoff application for SOFCs developed under the SECA program. SECA was established by the Office of Fossil Energy in 2000 to research and develop low-cost, modular fuel-flexible SOFC systems by 2010.
The ultimate goal of the program is to use low-cost SOFCs in coal-based power plants to take advantage of their higher efficiencies, lower emissions, reduced water requirements and ease of carbon capture, said experts at the DOE Office of Fossil Energy.
During the development of SECA SOFCs, technological spinoffs into a variety of other applications and markets are expected. This will increase manufacturing production volume, thereby lowering SOFC cost, according to the DOE Office of Fossil Energy.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy.