[Durham INC] Durham and Southern Research Debut New Diesel Technology on City Fleet

Mon Apr 25 16:09:34 EDT 2011

CITY OF DURHAM

Office of Public Affairs

101 City Hall Plaza

Durham, NC 27701

News Release

For Details, Contact:

Amy Blalock

Sr. Public Affairs Specialist

(919) 560-4123 x 11253

(919) 475-7735 (cell)

Amy.Blalock at DurhamNC.gov

For Immediate Release:  April 25, 2011

Durham and Southern Research Demonstrate New, Clean Diesel Technology on
City Fleet

DURHAM, N.C. - Residents in Durham can now breathe a little easier
thanks to the recent installation of new emissions-reducing technology
on some of the City of Durham's fleet of vehicles and equipment.

Southern Research Institute and the City's Fleet Management Department,
as part of their continued efforts to improve air quality, have taken
another step forward by partnering on installing emission-reducing
technologies on multiple vehicles and equipment in the City's fleet. 

Earlier today, the department and Southern Research Institute, along
with project participants Triangle Clean Cities Coalition, Engine
Control Systems, and NETT Technologies, Inc., debuted the use of these
new systems, which are currently installed on 16 heavy-duty diesel
vehicles and equipment now in use by the City's Solid Waste Management,
Public Works, and Water Management Departments.

These new systems reduce significant amounts of nitrogen oxide (NOx)
emissions from the exhaust of these vehicles and equipment, resulting in
positive impacts on Durham's air quality. NOx emissions contribute to
the formation of harmful particulate matter, ground-level ozone, and
acid rain. NOx emissions form when fuels are burned at high
temperatures, with typical major sources being fuel combustion in
vehicles and engines. 

According to Kent Cash, director of the City's Fleet Management
Department, this project is just one of the many ways his department is
working to improve Durham's air quality. "We have a responsibility to
help protect Durham's environment, and thus, are constantly looking for
ways to get ahead of the curve on the use of new technology for our
vehicles and equipment," Cash said. "When we were approached by Southern
Research Institute to become a partner on their project proposal to
EPA's Emerging Technology Program, we were excited about the potential
to have them select and test advanced new vehicle emission controls on
the City's vehicles. Based on the initial testing results we're seeing,
that potential has become a reality and our air quality is a little
better because of it."

Project leader Southern Research Institute, a not-for-profit
organization with transportation and energy research facilities located
in Durham, has other major facilities conducting basic and applied
research in Alabama and Maryland. Southern's Durham Operation won a $1
million grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)
from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to identify, test, and
demonstrate advanced emissions-reduction technologies installed on the
City's fleet diesel vehicles. The City's Fleet Management Department
will maintain and use these technologies through the life of the
equipment they are installed on.

According to Tim Hansen, senior program leader for Southern Research
Institute's Advanced Energy and Transportation Technology Group in
Durham, the testing of the new systems shows promising results in
reducing NOx emissions from these 16 heavy-duty vehicles. "Right now,
we're seeing NOx emissions reduced by up to 78 percent and hydrocarbon
emissions reduced over 90 percent," Hansen said. "Since the City will
keep the technologies and equipment operational for several years, they
will provide long-term environmental and health benefits for the Durham
community. We are happy to have been able to help Durham in this way -
it's where we live and work."   

Hansen and his team in Durham chose selective catalytic reduction (SCR)
technologies from the EPA's Emerging Technology List, which included
NETT Technologies, Inc.'s BlueMAX and BlueMAX 200 urea-based SCR systems
for on- and off-road applications as well as Engine Control Systems'
TermiNOx D urea-based SCR system for on-road applications. Technologies
from these two vendors are now installed on the following City fleet
diesel vehicles and equipment:

*         three Autocar WX 64 garbage trucks 

*         four Crane Carrier LET2 garbage trucks

*         five Volvo WXLL64 garbage trucks 

*         two Case 621D loaders 

*         two Case 590 backhoes 

According to Cash, this project is one of several the City is committed
to with the hope of reducing air quality impacts from Durham's fleet.
"Ultimately, the efforts of this department will help ensure that Durham
is a place with thriving, livable neighborhoods, which is a major goal
of the City's new Strategic Plan," Cash said. "This project is one of
many that we are working on to improve our environment and we are
continuing with our journey for better air for all. We are staying the
course using a mix of new technologies and best fleet management
practices."

To view images from today's event, visit the City's Flickr Web page at 
www.flickr.com/photos/dtv8/sets/72157626577087738. 

For more information about the City's Fleet Management Department, visit
www.DurhamNC.gov/Departments/Fleet. 

For more information about Southern Research Institute's North Carolina
Operations, visit 
www.SouthernResearch.org/environment-energy/north-carolina-operations-ad
vanced-energy-and-transportation-technologies. 

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