Air Force Fellows helping work toward smarter diesel engines

Air Force Fellows Clint Abell (left) and Jeff Gillen work on Smarter Diesel Engine (SDE) 21. The project involves using ion sensors to help the engine run at maximum efficiency. (Photo by Wes Agresta)

One of the three core values of the Air Force is “excellence in all we do.” So it should be no surprise that there are currently two Air Force officers here at Argonne studying ways to improve the efficiency of military vehicles.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Gillen and Major Clint Abell are the fourth set of Air Force Fellows to spend time at Argonne, but the first to be stationed in the Center for Transportation Research (CTR). “Our primary mission is to understand the capabilities of Argonne National Laboratory and link them up with Air Force research needs,” Gillen said.

Each year, the Air Force selects a handful of officers to serve in its National Technical Laboratory Fellowship program, which places them at national laboratories across the country for one-year fellowships. Gillen and Abell began their fellowship in July 2008.

The officers are involved in a variety of work at the laboratory, but they are also required to select and participate in the day-to-day operations of one specific research project. “Since energy is such a national concern right now and the Air Force is the largest energy user in the U.S., we thought it would be a good idea to work on an energy-related project,” Gillen said.

Gillen and Abell chose to work with Steve McConnell and other Argonne engineers to improve the efficiency of diesel engines. The project is focused on using ion sensors to help the engine calibrate itself to burn available fuels as efficiently as possible.

“The Air Force is interested in Argonne’s innovative technological advancements that support our global position as a leaner, more efficient, high-performance, world-class fighting force,” said Abell, “having a smarter diesel engine would support that goal.”

The work is similar to Argonne’s omnivorous engine project, which also uses ionization sensing to optimize combustion. However, McConnell pointed out that working with the diesel engine is a little more complex than the spark-ignited engine being used in the omnivorous project.

McConnell has been pleased by how much the officers have been able to contribute thus far. “I was expecting more of a learning curve,” he said. “Without these guys here, I don’t think we’d be as far along as we are.”

The Argonne project is particularly relevant for the Air Force because of its single-fuel concept. This means that it’s not only the aircrafts that run on jet fuel; it’s the ground support vehicles as well. The single-fuel concept helps simplify logistics and fuel operations, but it also means that support vehicles, like Humvees, are not running at maximum efficiency.

The researchers are looking at four different types jet fuels provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory. McConnell said their work has also drawn outside interest from Army TACOM and Sasol, a South Africa-based company that produces one of the jet fuels being tested.

Though their fellowship ends this summer, the officers believe their time at Argonne will have a lasting impact. “We’re here to assist with the research, but also to foster a long-term relationship with Argonne,” Gillen said. “We plan to stay in contact, facilitate working together and hopefully contribute to smarter, better technologies for the Air Force.”

After Argonne, Abell will head to the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming to be a flight commander, while Gillen will be stationed at the Pentagon where he’ll work directly for the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Installations, Environment and Logistics.

Harold Myron, director of educational programs at Argonne, said the fellowship has been a great success, not just for the participants, but for the country. “Mutual respect and understanding of capabilities has been apparent from the beginning,” he said. “Now we understand each other better.”

April 2009