TransForum Vol. 9, No. 1

FASTRAX

Ted Bohn and Dan Santini were invited to serve on an advisory board to assist Iowa State University’s research on emerging interdependencies between national energy and transportation infrastructure. Because plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) constitute a major link between the two infrastructures, the university, which received a National Science Foundation grant for this project, reached out to the Argonne researchers for their expertise. Bohn and Santini join a diverse external advisory board to provide insight on PHEVs and their capabilities, limitations and projected evolution.

Forrest Jehlik was a guest speaker at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Mechanical Engineering’s Lindbergh Lecture Series on March 12, 2009. He spoke on “Methodology and Analysis of Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain Fuel Efficiency as a Function of Engine Thermal State.” This presentation summarized some of the thermal analysis and methodologies developed at Argonne’s Advanced Powertrain Research Facility to characterize plug-in vehicle efficiency losses as a function of operational temperature. Jehlik also presented an overview of Argonne’s plug-in and advanced vehicle research facilities and capabilities.

Jim Miller participated on the National Research Council’s Committee to Review NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program, and co-authored the committee’s report “A Constrained Space Exploration Technology Program: A Review of NASA’s Exploration Technology Development Program.” Among other things, the report addresses surface mobility for lunar and Mars environments.

Linda Gaines presented “Lithium-ion Batteries: Possible Material Demand Issues” at the 13th International Battery Materials Recycling Seminar and Exhibit at Fort Lauderdale, Florida in March 2009.

Kyeong Lee received a certificate of appreciation for outstanding service from the American Chemical Society (ACS) for his participation in the 2008 Fall ACS National Meeting and Exposition. Lee served as chair, organizer and paper presenter for a symposium entitled “Fine Particulate (PM2.5) Formation and Emissions from Fuel Combustion,” which was held August 21, 2008, in Philadelphia, PA.

Khalil Amine won the 2009 Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, an honor presented annually by the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, for his work “Lithium Titanium Oxide Spinel Anode System for High-Power Lithium-Ion Batteries.” The award recognizes outstanding work in the process of transferring a technology developed by a federal laboratory to the commercial marketplace.

Renée Nault and Sana Ann Sandler won two awards of Excellence in Technical Art from the Chicago Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication for creating the displays, “Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center: Exhibit” and “Enabling Deployment of Biobased Fuels and Products.” Nault and Sandler also received an award of Merit in Tech-nical Marketing Support for their work on “Illinois Center for Advanced Tribology” brochure.

Renée Nault, Sana Ann Sandler, and Cindi Andersen were honored with an award of Excellence in Technical Publications from the Chicago Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication for “Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center: Fact Sheets.”

Michael Wang and Andrew Burnham are featured in the new Department of Energy (DOE) book “A Decade of Discovery,” highlighting breakthroughs in science and engineering by national laboratories. The researchers appear on pages 36-37 in a section called “Mapping Energy from the Source: From Your Car’s Tailpipe and Beyond” dedicated to Argonne’s Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation (GREET) model.

Argonne’s Through-the-Road hybrid vehicle (TTR) was on display at the Washington Auto Show at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, February 4-8, 2009, in Washington, D.C. The TTR was featured in the combined U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Transportation exhibit booth that displayed advanced vehicle technologies that are safe, clean, and efficient.

Larry Johnson was recently appointed the Alternate Delegate to the International Energy Agency’s Advanced Motor Fuels International Agreement (AMF). The AMF is an international forum to promote cleaner and more efficient fuels for transportation.

Glenn Keller and the French Trade Mission of Chicago organized a visit that brought French auto industry representatives to the Argonne Transportation Technology R&D Center on November 18, 2008. Information on technology opportunities for hybrid and electric vehicles was shared and discussed. As evidenced by the meeting, France is taking a different approach to green transportation, with a focus on the development of micro-hybrid and electric vehicles for limited urban use that employ lowest-cost electric batteries.

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, members of the Kentucky government and Kentucky university officials visited Argonne’s battery materials and vehicle systems groups on November 5, 2008. During their stay, Glenn Keller led tours of Argonne’s facilities, as the visitors explored opportunities for collaboration in sustainable energy transportation.

Larry Johnson hosted the Directors from the United States Council for Automotive Research (USCAR), the Department of Energy’s partner in the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, when they visited Argonne’s Transportation Technology R&D Center on October 30 and 31, 2008. Argonne’s innovative projects, facilities and capabilities were highlighted throughout the two days of meetings, tours and presentations. The visitors included Ann Schlenker from Chrysler; John Sakioka from Ford; Bill Peirce and George Andrews from GM; and Don Walkowicz, Mike Martin and Natalie Olds from USCAR.

Bassam Jody, Ed Daniels, Joe Pomykala, Jeff Spangenberger, Scott Lockwood and Argonne National Laboratory’s work in plastic recycling were recognized by the Department of Energy as a success story in the article, “Recovering Plastics from Retired Vehicles.” The article is the first in a series of success stories being prepared for the DOE’s Office of Vehicle Technologies.

The work of Neeraj Shidore, Thomas Wallner, Henning Lohse-Busch, Aymeric Rousseau and the PSAT team was recognized in the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership 2008 Highlights of Technical Accomplishments. Shidore received accolades for his project investigating the cold ambient effects on lithium-ion battery performance. Wallner, Lohse-Busch, Rosseau and the PSAT team were recognized for their work with hydrogen, both on engines and vehicle-level simulation.

Ted Bohn, Glenn Keller, Sylvain Pagerit and Jim Miller represented Argonne at the 2008 Electric Drive Transportation Association Conference & Exposition in Washington D.C. from December 2-4, 2008. Keller, Pagerit and Miller were all speakers at the conference, while Bohn helped organize Argonne’s participation and its informational booth at the event.

May 2009