SBIR Phase I: Airborne Soot Sensor for Improving Fuel Efficiency and Reducing Pollutants

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案资助的（法律111-5）。这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段研究项目将测试增加柴油燃料经济性的可行性，同时通过使用来自廉价的烟尘传感器的反馈来调节燃料喷射正时，将烟尘减少到柴油机排气的EPA排放标准以下，烟尘传感器可以放置在排气路径中，并取代目前使用昂贵且燃料效率低的烟灰过滤装置。建议通过用便宜的（150美元）传感器反馈系统替换当前昂贵的（约3000美元）柴油机烟灰过滤器系统来降低燃料消耗2-5%，该传感器反馈系统将保持烟灰水平低于EPA标准，并通过调节燃料喷射正时来提高燃料经济性。该提案将确定该传感器的测量值是否可用于调整燃油喷射正时，以将碳烟水平降低到EPA标准以下，同时提高发动机性能，这两种方法在理论上都是可行的。除了提高燃油效率和降低柴油动力车辆成本外，EPA还将要求从2012年开始在所有柴油车辆上使用这种传感器。该传感器将可用于所有柴油发动机，从而大大减少了所有主要城市污染物的主要原因。事实上，美国环保署估计，美国有6万人死于空气中的颗粒物污染物。最后，在柴油发动机上节省2-4%的燃油经济性可能会产生重大的经济影响。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I research project will test the feasibility of increasing diesel fuel economy while reducing soot to below EPA emissions standards for diesel exhaust by adjusting fuel injection timing using feedback from an inexpensive soot sensor that can be placed in the exhaust path and replace the currently employed expensive and fuel inefficient soot filtering devices. It is proposed to reduce fuel consumption 2-5% by replacing the current expensive (~$3000) diesel soot filter system with an inexpensive ($150) sensor & feedback system that will keep soot levels below EPA standards and increase fuel economy by adjusting fuel injection timing. The proposal will determine if the measurements from this sensor can be used to adjust fuel injection timing to reduce soot levels to below EPA standards while increasing engine performance, both of which are theoretically possible. In addition to increasing fuel efficiency and decreasing diesel powered vehicle costs, the EPA will require the use of such sensors on all diesel vehicles starting in 2012. This sensor will be usable on all diesel engines, thus greatly reducing a major cause of pollutants in all major cities. In fact, the EPA estimates that 60,000 people die in the US each from airborne particulate matter pollutants. Finally, a fuel economy savings of 2-4% on diesel engines could have a significant economic impact.