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（公法111-5）资助的。这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段的研究项目将测试提高柴油燃料经济性的可行性，同时通过使用来自廉价烟尘传感器的反馈来调整燃油喷射时间，从而将烟尘降低到低于EPA排放标准的柴油废气。这种传感器可以放置在排气路径上，取代目前使用的昂贵且燃油效率低的烟尘过滤装置。建议将目前昂贵（约3000美元）的柴油烟尘过滤系统替换为便宜（150美元）的传感器和反馈系统，从而减少2-5%的油耗，该系统将使烟尘水平低于EPA标准，并通过调整燃油喷射时间来提高燃油经济性。该提案将确定该传感器的测量结果是否可以用于调整燃油喷射时间，从而将烟灰水平降低到低于EPA标准，同时提高发动机性能，这两者在理论上都是可能的。除了提高燃油效率和降低柴油动力汽车的成本外，美国环保署还要求从2012年开始在所有柴油车辆上使用这种传感器。这种传感器将适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，美国每年有6万人死于空气中的颗粒物污染物。最后，柴油发动机节省2-4%的燃油经济性将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.