SwRI forms Advanced Combustion Catalyst and Aftertreatment Technologies consortium
14 May 2014
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has formed the Advanced Combustion Catalyst and Aftertreatment Technologies (AC2AT) consortium. The four-year joint-industry consortium, scheduled to kick off 27 June 2014, will be open to engine and vehicle manufacturers and affiliated businesses in the automotive industry, including catalyst formulators, substrate and component manufacturers, and emission control system integrators.
The focus of the program will be to develop the tools and technologies necessary for the synergistic application of catalysts to advanced engine technologies. Annual membership will be $95,000. SwRI will pursue patents for technology developed by the AC2AT program, and participants will receive a royalty-free license to use AC2AT-developed technology.
Main areas of concentration, and the associated goals, include:
Detailed characterization of emissions from advanced combustion engines. The goal here is to understand the detailed chemical composition of emissions from advanced technology combustion systems.
Alternative uses of catalysts within the engine system. Work in this area will identify opportunities for the application of catalysts outside of the traditional use for exhaust gas treatment. The purpose is to use catalysts to promote chemical reactions which enable reductions in fuel consumption and/or criteria pollutants from advanced engine systems.
Aftertreatment strategies for treating emissions from advanced engine systems. The operating environment of emission control systems for advanced combustion regimes provides unique opportunities and challenges for the application of existing and alternative catalyst technologies.
Development of simulation tools for streamlined analysis-led design. The goal is to improve current capabilities of emission control system analysis-led design by developing new simulation tools to more accurately predict emission control system performance without the need for fabrication of system hardware.
Consortium members benefit from the combined funding, providing substantially more pre-competitive research than would be possible with funding from a single client.
As an independent applied R&D laboratory, SwRI has extensive experience managing consortia. The AC2AT consortium will be the eighth automotive industry-related consortium currently managed by the Institute.
Comments