TransForum Vol. 4, No. 4

TTRDC Facilities Offer a Broad Spectrum of Research Opportunities

Previous issues of TransForum have focused on the projects carried out at Argonne's various transportation research facilities. In this issue, we describe the world-class facilities that make Argonne a one-stop resource for automobile, truck, and locomotive research.

•     Advanced Powertrain Research Facility
•     Battery Test Facility
•     Advanced Lithium Battery R&D Laboratory
•     Engine Research Facility/Heavy-Duty Truck Engine Test Cell
•     High-Performance Computing Research Facility
•     Tribology Laboratory
•     Selective Continuous Recycling of Automotive Parts (SCRAP) Facility
•     Fuel Cell Test Facility
•     Advanced Photon Source

Advanced Powertrain Research Facility

The Advanced Powertrain Research Facility (APRF) is a multi-dynamometer vehicle and component test facility for testing conventional and hybrid vehicle propulsion systems and vehicles (2- or 4-wheel drive), using a variety of fuels (including hydrogen), in a precise laboratory environment. The facility has state-of-the-art performance and emissions measurement equipment that can be used to assess powertrain technology for light- and medium-duty propulsion systems. Component, subsystem, and vehicle test facilities support hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, control system development, and technology validation. The facility serves as the vehicle systems validation center for DOE's FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies (FCVT) program. Components/subsystems can be interchanged for standardized assessment in the modular APRF.

Argonne's APRF is the only facility in North America that combines the best available emissions instrumentation with such a wide range of fuels. Also, the APRF's experienced staff have tested more hybrid vehicle designs than has any other public-sector group.

Battery Test Facility

In 1976, DOE established Argonne's Battery Test Facility to conduct independent evaluations on advanced batteries for transportation applications. The computer-based test facility, which has been used to test over 4,000 cells and batteries, can test small cells to full-size (500-volt, 500-ampere) batteries and can test to any profile over a wide range of temperatures. Some of the battery technologies that have been tested for transportation applications include lithium-polymer, lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, and lead-acid. The facility is capable of running over 120 separate tests simultaneously. Researchers at the facility focus on the testing and evaluation of high-energy batteries for electric vehicle applications, conducting performance and life tests on electric vehicle battery deliverables and benchmark testing of advanced batteries.

Advanced Lithium Battery R&D Laboratory

Argonne's Advanced Lithium Battery R&D Laboratory, the major facility employed in the FCVT near-term R&D program, contains a comprehensive, unique array of equipment used in the development of more stable lithium cell chemistries. Extensive facilities include controlled environments for handling sensitive materials and a variety of analytical equipment.

Engine Research Facility/Heavy-Duty Truck Engine Test Cell

Engineers are using Argonne's Engine Research Facility to study in-cylinder combustion phenomena under realistic operating conditions to find ways to increase fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions. The test cells are equipped with single-cylinder versions of modern electronically controlled auto and truck engines, along with state-of-the-art gaseous and particulate emissions measurement instruments. Argonne researchers are also linking the fuel spray characterization being performed at the Advanced Photon Source to efficiency and emissions reduction characteristics of combustion by conducting controlled engine experiments.

Engineers will use a single-cylinder engine dynamometer facility to evaluate the efficiency of directly injecting hydrogen in internal combustion engines and conduct component and system development. This facility, with a special highly accurate fuel measurement system and other sophisticated equipment, will enable visualization of combustion phenomena at high speeds and loads.

High-Performance Computing Research Facility

Argonne's High-Performance Computing Research Facility will enable researchers to adapt their expertise to next-generation vehicle design. Argonne provides computational facilities and technical support for state-of-the-art computer-aided engineering (CAE) software and hardware systems for the transportation industry. Transportation-related studies at the facility have included crash analysis, underhood thermal management, and aerodynamic drag of truck-trailer combinations. The heart of Argonne's high-performance computing capabilities is Jazz, a system that offers sustained speeds of 1.1 teraflops. Transportation-related modeling studies also take advantage of Argonne's CAVE immersive virtual reality environment.

Tribology Laboratory

Engineers use the Tribology Laboratory to conduct research on advanced tribological systems for use in aggressive environments. Here, they develop high-performance (near-frictionless carbon) coatings and assess their friction and wear properties for components in advanced engines and fuel cell compressor/expanders, evaluate solid lubricants, and assess how fuel and lubricant additives interact with surfaces. The laboratory is equipped with a full range of coating development, friction and wear testing, and characterization facilities.

Selective Continuous Recycling of Automotive Parts (SCRAP) Facility

Argonne has two major facilities for the recycling of automotive shredder residue. The first is a large-scale shredder residue separations pilot plant, which consists of a mechanical separation facility and a plastics separation facility. The second facility is the six-stage plastics separation/recovery plant. The new pilot plant is the first continuous, multistage plastics separation plant of its kind. The new recycling process works for just about all mixtures of plastics generated by industry. In full operation, it can recover up to five products from a single waste stream. The pilot plant will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of recovering specific polymers from the shredder residue plastics.

Fuel Cell Test Facility

Commissioned in 1999, Argonne's Fuel Cell Test Facility (FCTF) serves as a site for DOE, other government agencies, fuel cell developers, and U.S. automakers to conduct independent evaluation of fuel cell technologies. The facility is being modified to handle systems up to ~105 kW (a small SUV). The FCTF has been used to test hydrogen- and simulated-reformate-fueled stacks of up to 30 kW. It has also been used to test complete gasoline-powered systems of up to 50 kW. In addition to testing complete systems, the FCTF has been used to evaluate components and subsystems. Through standardized tests and test conditions, Argonne provides its sponsors with direct comparative data on the performance, operational characteristics, and durability of fuel cells.

Advanced Photon Source

Teams of Argonne researchers are using high-brilliance x-rays from the Advanced Photon Source (APS) — a unique user facility dedicated to producing the world's brightest synchrotron x-rays for research — to shine a piercing new light on the fluid dynamics and chemistry of fuel spray behavior, particulate formation, and combustion processes. The team is using APS x-rays to obtain never-before-possible quantitative data on the structure and behavior of gasoline and diesel sprays. The x-ray adsorption techniques fill a critical gap in our knowledge of spray behavior and dynamics. Work is proceeding to determine the feasibility of an x-ray-transparent engine.

Additional transportation research facilities at Argonne include the laser applications lab for welding, glazing, and heat treatment; sensor labs for controlling engine performance and emissions; and labs for advanced materials (metals, ceramics, and composites) fabrication and testing.

September 22, 2004