Tecogen announces phase 2 of ULTRATEK testing

Tecogen^® Inc., a leading provider of clean energy products which, through patented technology, nearly eliminate criteria pollutants and significantly reduce a customer's carbon footprint, has announced that joint venture affiliate Ultra Emissions Technologies Ltd. (ULTRATEK) is slated to begin phase 2 testing and development of the Ultera emissions control technology for gasoline vehicles. The new phase of testing will be well supported by ULTRATEK's US$6.2 million in cash on hand following the recently announced second round of funding; to date ULTRATEK has raised a total of US$7 million in support of development efforts.

"Results from initial Phase 1 testing of Ultera on a light duty vehicle at AVL's California Technology Centre have now been thoroughly analysed. The data indicate the patented emissions control system is highly effective at delivering further emissions reduction in criteria pollutants that contribute to smog and are harmful human health hazards beyond what is achieved by currently available commercial technology," said Robert Panora, ULTRATEK Co-CEO and Tecogen President and COO.

Phase 2 testing and development, slated to begin later this month, will also be performed at AVL's vehicle test cell. The second round of testing will utilise a more refined design of the Ultera prototype system and will include two gasoline powered vehicle models, one certified for both domestic and European use while the other has certification for European markets only. These models were selected as they represent advanced, high mileage vehicles for which the ULTRATEK team's industry assessment indicates are vehicle types of high importance, but with inherent emissions challenges.

"After a review of the public data and scientific literature, we are seeing evidence that more advanced, high power density engines have significant emissions difficulties. These may be particularly problematic in harder driving conditions, outside the narrow parameters of the standardised certification testing. Phase 2 testing will focus on these types of vehicles in an effort to perfect the emissions control process for automotive application and collect needed data for continued development work," Panora added.

Phase 1 testing focused on simulated driving cycles prescribed by federal regulations for vehicle certification. In these tests, criteria pollutants (those contributing to smog and negatively impacting human health) were reduced in all simulated drive conditions, vastly improving emissions performance when compared to currently available emissions control technologies. Ultera benefits were particularly effective during aggressive driving conditions, which are not well represented in standard tests cycles.

Notably, given the continuing emphasis on improving the fuel economy of passenger vehicles in order to reduce carbon emissions (CO₂), over more than 60 test runs of various standard drive cycles, it was conclusive that miles per gallon was not negatively impacted. Consistent with the experience of the Ultera system in stationary industrial applications, the Ultera system did not increase the fuel usage of the vehicle.

Adapted from press release by Francesca Brindle

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/10082016/tecogen-announce-ultratek-development-emission-control-technology-3888/