Delphi, Peterbilt test solid Oxide fuel cell APU
equipment 34 Commercial Carrier Journal August 2008 Rising fuel costs are a brutal fact of doing business today. But you can do something about it. By installing trailer fairings from Freight Wing and Carrier, you can improve fuel economy by up to 6%... and that's significant! Proven by four years of fleet usage and multiple independent tests using the SAE/TMC J1321 Type II procedure. To find out more, call 877-226-8813, visit us online, or contact your local Carrier Transicold dealer. Carrier and Freight Wing are proud affiliates of the SmartWay SM Transport Partnership. 2008 Carrier Corporation. A member of the United Technologies Corporation family. Stock symbol UTX. www.transportparts.carrier.com www.freightwing.com 77102_5255-01.key_CCJ 6/5/08 5:46 PM Page 1 Carrier Transicold_CCJ0708PG.indd 1 6/10/08 2:16:50 PM Write 242 on Reader Service Card Delphi Corp. and Peterbilt Motors Co. have demon-strated the use of a Delphi solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) auxiliary power unit (APU) to power a Peterbilt Model 386 truck's hotel loads. The demonstration was held in June at Peterbilt's headquarters in Denton, Texas. The SOFC APU converts chemical energy in conven-tional fuels directly into useful electrical power without combustion, Delphi says. A SOFC operates quietly and at a higher efficiency level than traditional internal combustion engines, the company says. The new technology could run on a variety of fuels, including natural gas, diesel, biodiesel, propane, gasoline, coal-derived fuel and military logistics fuel. In addition to its fuel flexibility, the SOFC will be compact in size, according to the company. The June test was intended to replicate a typical trucker's day to provide a real-world evaluation: Atthebeginning,theSOFCAPUwasbroughttooperat-ing temperature with the truck's main engine running, simulating normal on-road driving conditions; Once the SOFC APU was at temperature and available to provide power, the Model 386's main engine was turned off, simulating the beginning of a rest period; Duringtherestperiod,theSOFCAPUpoweredthe 386's electrical loads, including the electric air con-ditioner, radio, citizens band radio and lights. It also Delphi, Peterbilt test solid oxide fuel cell APU Technology converts fuel to electricity without combustion charged the truck's battery; After10hours(representingrunningovernight),the Model 386's main engine was restarted to simulate the driver beginning his drive for the next day; and TheSOFCAPUprovidedanaverageof800wattsof electricity throughout the test. We are encouraged by the performance of the dem-onstration, especially given the 95-degree Fahrenheit Texas heat, says Mary Gustanski, Delphi Powertrain Systems director of engineering. The SOFC system provides a technologically advanced solution to meet anti-idle requirements while surpassing expectations for reduced emissions, noise and fuel consumption, says Landon Sproull, Peterbilt's chief engineer. This system has the poten-tial to revolutionize future APUs by setting new bench-marks for performance and ease of operation, with no adverse effects on the environment. The companies say the Peterbilt Model 386 was chosen as the test bed for the SOFC due to its aerodynamic and fuel-efficient performance. The SOFC technology development is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) and Fossil Energy Solid State Energy's Conversion Alliance (SECA) program. n A demonstration of Delphi's solid oxide fuel cell APU on a Peterbilt 386 was designed to replicate a typical trucker's day.