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Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Based APU (QRCFC-APU)

Award Information
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Branch: N/A
Contract: EPD06019
Agency Tracking Number: B05B2-0075
Amount: $69,980.96
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: 05-NCER-B2
Solicitation Number: PR-NC-05-10246
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2006
Award Year: 2006
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2006-03-01
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2006-08-31
Small Business Information
244 Sobrante Way
Sunnyvale, CA 94086
United States
DUNS: 183365410
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Mehdi Namazian
 Vice President
 (408) 328-8303
 mehdi@altextech.com
Business Contact
 John Kelly
Title: President
Phone: (408) 328-8302
Email: john@altextech.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

There are more than 480,000 trucks on U.S. roads, and each vehicle produces

up to 20 tons CO2, 420 lbs of CO, and 250 lbs of nitrous oxides per year while

idling to produce auxiliary power needed for the driver’s comfort.  The

overall goal of this project is a Quiet Reliable and Compact Fuel Cell Base

Auxiliary Power Unit (QRCFC-APU) to reduce significantly idling emissions.  QRCFC

overcomes the challenges with the diesel fuel reforming and the current fuel

cell systems limitations to reliably convert diesel fuel to power on board

the truck and replace idling.  Under Phase I, QRCFC will be designed and

its critical components and processes tested to provide the foundation for

Phase II, in which the system will be fabricated and demonstrated.  If

QRCFC-APU penetrates just 20 percent of the truck APU market, it will result

in the reduction of more than 12,000 tons on NOx; 20,160 tons of CO; and

1.5 million tons of CO2 emissions each year.

Idling trucks result in substantial fuel and maintenance cost for the truck

owner and driver.  Current diesel engine-based APU generators are too

noisy and inefficient and lack the longevity and reliability needed for extended

operation.  When QRCFC-APU is available, the cost savings achieved by

replacing truck idling with QRCFC-APUs, along with its quietness and high efficiency,

will drive the commercialization of the system.  This economic driver

and other system attributes will allow QRCFC-APU to capture a substantial portion

of the potential $2 billion market for truck APUs.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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