July 14, 1995
South Coast Air Quality
Management District Board
Background
The Board established the District's Technology Advancement (TA) program in 1988 to help meet the goals of the Air Quality Management Plan (AQMP) for implementation of progressively lower emitting technologies and fuels. A significant ingredient in the success of this program has been the contributions made by various academic institutions within the South Coast Air Basin. For example, local universities offer the TA program access to a wealth of technical expertise and resources regarding low-emission technologies. At the same time, District support for universities allows them to better provide hands-on training and experience for tomorrow's professionals in such essential fields as emissions control, environmental engineering, automotive mechanics and design, electrochemistry, etc.
In 1992 the University of California, Riverside (UCR) established the College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) to facilitate more rapid transfer of air pollution control technology, from research and development phases to commercial implementation. CE-CERT was also established to provide independent testing for emerging low- and zero-emission technologies. A Board of Advisors made up of corporate, University, and regulatory agency representatives was established to oversee CE-CERT's technical agenda, which is focused primarily on technologies identified in the AQMP as essential to attainment of ambient air quality standards. During the last four years, the District has worked closely with CE-CERT in the research, development, demonstration, and testing of advanced air pollution control technologies and cleaner burning fuels. In the Fiscal Year (FY) 1995-96 Budget of Technology Advancement, $700,000 has been identified for CE-CERT to conduct such projects.
Staff proposes to apply some of this FY1995-96 funding to expand the scope of several existing CE-CERT projects. At its May 13, 1994 meeting, the Board authorized execution of a contract with CE-CERT to conduct Phase I of a baseline gasoline composition study (District Contract 94166), in preparation for wide-scale introduction of advanced reformulated gasoline in the Basin. CE-CERT has requested an amendment to the existing contract to provide $80,000 in additional District funding. This funding will allow CE-CERT to conduct Phase II of this project, as further described below in the "Proposal A" section.
At its October 14, 1994 meeting, the Board authorized District funding for a different contract with CE-CERT; in this case involving seven new projects designed to provide technical support and emissions testing for AQMP-related technologies (District Contract 95073). It was noted that CE-CERT would later propose follow-on work for several of those projects. Staff now recommends a contract amendment to fund additional work by CE-CERT on four of the seven projects. The total proposed amount of new funding for these four projects is $490,000, as further described below in the "Proposal B" section.
Proposal A: Phase II of the Baseline Gasoline Composition Study (Contract #94166)
The Air Resources Board (ARB) has adopted a requirement for major petroleum refiners to produce and sell advanced reformulated gasoline (RFG) beginning March 1, 1996. This 1996 RFG will have many different chemical and physical properties compared to today's "baseline" gasoline. Preliminary projections indicate that it will reduce ozone precursor emissions in the Basin by approximately 65 tons per day in the year 2000. However, recent models estimating much higher evaporative emissions from in-use vehicles suggest that even greater hydrocarbon emission reductions can be realized.
Under District Contract 94166, CE-CERT is conducting Phase I of an air quality benefit assessment for 1996 RFG versus today's baseline gasoline. The multi-phased program in its entirety involves the following aspects: establishment of a protocol for surveying baseline and future gasoline; conduct of fuel analysis to determine physical and chemical composition, as well as fuel variability; conduct of vehicle emission tests with the composite average of baseline and future fuels; and comparison of gasoline emissions results (including reactivity) with comparable tests using alternative fuels such as methanol, ethanol, propane, natural gas, and hydrogen. The resulting data will also be used as input to modal emissions models for a more accurate and detailed Basin emission inventory.
In Phase I, CE-CERT formed and convened an advisory panel that includes representation from the automotive and oil industries. Using protocols developed by the advisory panel, CE-CERT has analyzed 60 winter fuel samples, and will soon take 60 summer fuel samples. Preliminary results of Phase I have quantified the transition period of baseline gasoline to RFG that is currently underway. For example, these tests have documented changes in sulfur and aromatics content, based on comparisons with existing data from other studies.
In the proposed Phase II, CE-CERT will procure and analyze 60 samples of 1996 RFG under summer formulations. (Winter formulations of 1996 RFG, which have higher volatility, will be sampled in Phase III of the project.) As in Phase I, each gasoline sample will undergo testing and analysis to identify specific compounds and their classes. Airborne toxics will be speciated, and the reactivity for each fuel will be calculated. All data will be assessed and submitted in a report to District staff. District's funding for Phase II of this contract shall not exceed $80,000.
Proposal B: Amendments to Mobile Source Demonstration Projects (Contract # 95073)
Projects 1, 2, and 5 of this contract are not affected by this proposed Board action. Projects 3, 4, 6, and 7 are recommended for expanded scopes of work with funding increases.
Project 3 - Characterizing Particulate Emissions from Diesel-Fueled Vehicles
Phase I of this project consists of a study by CE-CERT to examine particulate emissions from diesel-fueled vehicles and their associated size distributions. (This Phase I effort was designed to complement a concurrent project funded by the ARB, in which the relative toxicities of old and new diesel fuel running on old and new engine technologies are being evaluated.) In Phase I of the District-sponsored project, CE-CERT is setting up a comprehensive laboratory emissions testing system to perform dynamometer testing on two diesel-fueled vehicles. This will be followed by emissions testing and detailed physical characterizations of the particulate matter collected. CE-CERT is about two months behind schedule in completing this testing due to the complexity of the laboratory set up, but Phase I is expected to be completed on schedule in December 1995. CE-CERT proposes to defer chemical characterization of the particulate matter until the proposed Phase II. Funding is recommended at this time for the proposed Phase II to ensure continuity of the work program.
CE-CERT's proposed Phase II will build on the preliminary laboratory results obtained in Phase I. Six additional vehicles (light- and medium-duty diesels) will be laboratory tested using the methods developed in Phase I. In addition, CE-CERT will design and carry out a simulated vehicle tunnel study as an alternative means to characterize particulate matter from these vehicles. CE-CERT will perform detailed chemical analysis on representative samples of all collected particulate matter from the six test vehicles. The results of this project shall be used for later comparison with vehicles operating on alternative fuels such as methanol and natural gas. District's cost for Phase II of this project shall not exceed $150,000.
Project 4 - Smog Chamber Evaluation of Alternative Fuel Vehicle Emissions
In Phase I of this project, CE-CERT is performing dynamometer emissions tests on two types of alternative fuel vehicles (natural gas and methanol) and introducing the emissions into its custom-built smog chamber to determine ozone-forming potentials. Phase I is on schedule for completion in December 1995.
In the proposed Phase II, which is expected to be cost shared by ARB in the amount of $150,000, CE-CERT will perform emissions tests on vehicles running on additional fuels such as ethanol, propane, and reformulated gasoline. These emissions will be introduced into the smog chamber under the protocols developed in Phase I. In each test, full chemical speciation of the exhaust will be carried out to establish a baseline for the smog chamber work. This project is being carried out by Dr. William Carter and Mr. Dennis Fitz -- CE-CERT scientists who are world renowned in smog chamber work and the quantification of emissions reactivity factors. District's cost share for Phase II of this project shall not exceed $120,000.
Project 6 - Operation and Improvement of the Solar Hydrogen Research Facility
CE-CERT provides ongoing maintenance and operation of UCR's Solar Hydrogen Research Facility, which was established through a District-cosponsored program in 1991. The proposed FY 1995-96 funding of $20,000 will allow CE-CERT to continue maintaining and operating this unique research facility for another year. Maintenance includes cleaning the grounds and equipment, verification of equipment performance, making necessary repairs, and routine servicing of the electrolysis skid, gas bell, and hydrogen compressor. Operation of the facility includes data acquisition and supervision of the hydrogen-refueling station. CE-CERT also provides tours of the facility in response to requests from all over the world.
CE-CERT is seeking additional funding support from the US Department of Energy and various private-sector partners to expand and optimize the hydrogen facility. District's FY 1995-96 funding shall not exceed $20,000 for Project 6.
Project 7 - Development and Evaluation of a Hydrogen Fuel Power Plant and Hybrid Electric Test Bed Vehicle
The ARB recently recognized the potential role of hybrid electric vehicles to achieve emission reductions equivalent to those from battery-only electric vehicles, designated as zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). One engineering approach to achieve a "ZEV-equivalent" hybrid EV is to incorporate a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine as an auxiliary power unit (APU) to supplement battery power. A second approach is to replace the hydrogen engine with a fuel cell incorporating an on-board hydrogen reformer. In Phase I of Project 7, CE-CERT is taking the first approach by designing an emissions-optimized hydrogen engine, complete with a special fuel injection system and engine control system, that can be used as an APU for electric drive systems. Phase I was originally expected to last 12 months, but CE-CERT has been able to expedite progress on the engine design, and is projecting completion in six months, by July 31, 1995. CE-CERT is now proposing that Phase II begin by August 1, 1995.
In the proposed Phase II of Project 7, CE-CERT will begin fabricating and testing the engine designed in Phase I, and developing a hybrid electric vehicle test bed that can accommodate either a hydrogen engine or a fuel cell as an APU. CE-CERT is requesting funding in the amount of $125,000 to fabricate and test the hydrogen fuel injection system (with other associated tasks), in preparation for full engine development. CE-CERT is requesting $75,000 to cost-share the design and development of the flexible test bed vehicle for evaluation of various APUs, including fuel cells and internal combustion engines operating on alternative fuels such as hydrogen. CE-CERT will also evaluate the best hydrogen-storage technologies for such a vehicle.
The total cost of Phase II of Project 7 is estimated to be $288,100. About $88,100 of this total is being collectively provided by the California Energy Commission, UCR, and the City of Riverside. District funding for Phase II of Project 7 shall not exceed $200,000. Funds for Phase III (completion of the hydrogen engine and testing of various hybrid EV configurations) are being sought from the US Department of Energy.
Sole-Source Justification:
Section II, Step C(3) of the Consultant Selection Policy and Procedure identifies four provisions under which a sole-source bid may be justified: (1) cost to prepare documents exceeds cost for consultation, (2) delay would result in the endangerment of public health, (3) services are only available from sole source, and (4) other circumstances exist identifying sole source as in the best interests of the District.
This request for a sole-source bid is made under provision #4. The University of California, Riverside's CE-CERT brings together a critical mass of experience from academia, industry, and government agencies to accomplish the stated objectives of the proposed projects. CE-CERT serves a unique role in the Basin as an independent and objective scientific body capable of providing in-depth and valid evaluations of new environmental regulations and technologies. It has established a broad-based research agenda with unique facilities, capabilities, and resources that are requisite and directly applicable for completion of the proposed scopes of work. CE-CERT's established areas of expertise and available resources that directly relate to the proposed work include: vehicle emissions research and testing; advanced vehicle engineering; renewable fuels and energy engineering; chemical analysis of fuels, design and fabrication of hydrogen engines, integration of fuel cells into test vehicles, transportation systems research; environmental modeling; and atmospheric processes. Staff believes that these broad-based capabilities and resources -- uniquely offered by an in-Basin university having a long history of academic excellence in the field of air pollution control -- justify additional District funding for the specified contracts with UCR.
Financial Terms
Staff proposes amendments to the two contracts noted below for a total amount of $570,000 in Fiscal Year 1995-96 funds. Cost sharing from the ARB and various other sources for the CE-CERT projects noted below (or complementary projects at CE-CERT) is expected to total at least $600,000. The specific breakdown of proposed District funding by project is as follows:
AQMD Contract Project Name Proposed FY
95-96 Funding
#94166 Phase II, Baseline Gasoline Composition $80,000
Study
#95073 (Project Phase II, Characterizing Particulate $150,000
3) Emissions from Diesel-Fueled Vehicles
#95073 (Project Phase II, Smog Chamber Evaluation of $120,000
4) Alternative Fuel Vehicle Emissions
#95073 (Project Operation and Improvement of Solar $ 20,000
6) Hydrogen Research Facility
#95073 (Project Phase II, Development and Evaluation of $200,000
7) a Hydrogen Fuel Power Plant and Hybrid
Electric Test Bed Vehicle
GRAND TOTAL $570,000
Sufficient funds are available in the Fiscal Year 1995-96 Technology Advancement budget to fund this work. This recommendation was approved by the Technology Committee June 14, 1995.
THEREFORE, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOUR BOARD
--Authorize the Chairman to execute an amendment to contract # 94166 with the Regents of the University of California, Riverside, to fund Phase II of the Baseline Gasoline Composition Study, in an amount not to exceed $80,000.
--Authorize the Chairman to execute an amendment to contract # 95073 with the Regents of the University of California, Riverside, to fund additional work in Projects 3, 4, 6, and 7, for a total amount not to exceed $490,000.
Respectfully,
James M. Lents, Ph.D.
Executive Officer
ACL:ARA:JHL