advanced power system research center and shared

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Advanced Power System Research Center and Shared Facilities

Annual Report FY21

Director: Dr. Jeffrey D. Naber

Associate Director: Dr. Jeremy J. Worm, P.E.

Director of Business Operations: Marlene Lappeus

October 1, 2021

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At a Glance

$8,487,287$5,336,354

$4,902,883

$3,986,184

$6,096,588

$2,635,649

$4,117,013

FY21

FY20

FY19

FY18

FY17

FY16

FY15

Awards Received by FY

FY21 Award Partners Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC * American

Center for Mobility * Aramco Services Co * Argonne National Laboratory * Battelle Energy

Alliance - Idaho National Laboratory * Enchanted Rock* Dana Corp * FCA US LLC *

Ford Motor Company * GAF * General Motors Corp * HATCI * Hitachi America * Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies LLC *

Hyundai Motor Co * National Science Foundation * Navistar * Nostrum Energy*

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory * Sandia National Laboratories * US Dept of Energy *

US DOE ARPA-E

NEXTCAR: CAV Control for VD&PT Operation on a Light-

Duty Multi-Mode Hybrid Electric Vehicle

US DOE EERE

Propulsion System Hybridization and

Electrification and Energy Recovery of the Hydraulic

System for a Diesel-Powered Off-Road Carry/Lift Machine

Multi-Year Federal Grants

US DOE EERE-VTP American Center for

Mobility Validating Connected

Automated and Electric Vehicle Models and

Simulation

US DOE NETL Alliance for

Sustainable Energy

A Compression Ignition Mono-Fueled NG High-Efficiency High-Output Engine for Medium and

Heavy-Duty Applications

People 13 Additional

Staff 2 Post-Doctoral Scholars Members from

10 Departments Jeff Naber

Jeremy Worm Marlene Lappeus

LD Consortium Members

GM * FCA * Ford * Nostrum Energy

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CONTENTS 1. MISSION STATEMENT: 4 2. Purpose: 4 3. Overview: 5 4. Center Awards and Fiscal Summaries: 5 5. Funding of Center faculty, staff and building: 8 6. Center Faculty and staff: 8 7. Participating Faculty and staff: 10 8. Research Proposal Activity: 11 9. Research Awards Activity: 14 10. 5-Year Projections from ASPIRE 16 11. Future Plans and Goals 17 11. Challenges and Barriers 18 12. Facilities 18

APSRC Building 18

Alternative Energy Research Building (AERB) 23

13. Education & Training 25 Training 26

Professional Development 26

Curriculum Courses 27

STem outreach 27

Technology & product awareness 28

support of sponsored research 28

Finance; Education & Training 29

14. Safety: 29 Means of Access and Contact Information for AERB and APSRC Buildings 29

General Safety Requirements 30

Specific Lab Equipment Safety Requirements 30

Machine Shop Equipment in APSRC 30

Workspace Cleanliness 31

15. Highlights 31 16. Acknolwedgments 32

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1. MISSION STATEMENT:

Conduct and facilitate research, training, and education in technologies for the development of clean, efficient, safe, and sustainable mobility & power systems.

2. PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Advanced Power Systems Research Center (APS LABS) is to conduct, promote, and facilitate interdisciplinary activities that foster collaborative research and education in the areas of clean, efficient, safe, and sustainable mobility and power generation technologies. The Center develops both fundamental and applied knowledge that is required for the next generation of low-emissions, high-efficiency, power, and mobility systems. We bring together and assist investigators working on a wide array of propulsion systems including internal combustion engines, transmissions and hybrid powertrains, electric motors, fuel cells, and batteries for vehicles along with energy conversion and storage for power generation including biomass and waste streams. Additionally, we are developing technologies for connected and autonomous systems with their interactions and optimization with vehicle dynamics, propulsion systems and on-board energy storage. The Center has a wide range of laboratories, test and instrument resources including the Advanced Power Systems Research Building, which is a shared facility, the Alternative Energy Research Building (AERB), dedicated test cells, and a Mobile Laboratory for education, outreach, and research. In addition, we have a fleet of instrumented vehicles from ORV’s to light-duty passenger vehicles to commercial class 8 trucks. The result is an interdisciplinary research organization that is responsive to the mobility, energy, power, transportation, and economic needs of the State and the Nation. This year through the support of the Department of Energy the center now operates a regional test center for solar energy incorporating multiple solar panel technologies and measurement capabilities.

Director Dr. Jeffrey D. Naber [email protected]

Associate Director Dr. Jeremy J. Worm, P.E. [email protected]

Director, Bus. Ops. Marlene Lappeus [email protected]

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3. OVERVIEW:

This report covers the Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) annual report requirements for the Advanced Power Systems Research Center (APSRC) as a whole and the centers buildings. The shared facilities report for the APSRC building a separate report. The APSRC utilizes the APS LABS moniker and logo

for branding and recognition.

4. CENTER AWARDS AND FISCAL SUMMARIES:

Since its establishment in 2007, the center has supported investigators in the development of research, outreach, and education and education programs. The details of the Center’s accomplishments are summarized numerically in Figures 1-5.

Figure 1 summarizes the award amounts for the last nine fiscal years (FY’s). As seen, awards in FY21 were nearly $8.5M, this includes a number of industrial funded projects and one continuing consortium in its second renewal. APSRC has seen steady growth over this time period.

Figure 2 summarizes the number of awards, number of unique Principal Investigators, and total number of projects worked on during FY21. There is an increase in the number of projects. We had 65 active projects during FY21. The majority of these projects all run concurrently.

Figure 3 gives the center project expenditures during FY21 and the previous eight years. Expenditures in FY21 were $5,605,889.

Figure 1: Awards per Fiscal Year.

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Figure 2: Awards with Number of Unique Principal Investigators.,

Number of New Awards, Number of Active Projects

Figure 3: Center Expenditures.

Figure 4 shows the center’s IRAD balances at the end of each fiscal year for the last 11 years. In FY21we were able to maintain and grow the end-of-year IRAD balance. However, it is intended going forward that any carryforward balance will be transferred to a reserve account in an effort to build up a salary reserve of 6 months’ salary commitment ~$500k.

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Figure 4: Fiscal Year-End IRAD Balances

Table 1 gives the income and expenses for the last nine fiscal years paid from the center’s IRAD.

Table 1: Nine Year Financial Summary of Center IRAD

The Center IRAD ended FY21 with a carryforward of $203k which is $51k more in carryforward funds compared to FY20. This was due to an increase of $92k in income from IRAD return as compared to FY20. The expenditures in FY21 were $56k more than in FY20. Included in the expenditures were investments towards future growth in research expenditures and support of faculty members as follows: 1) $75k in cost share on current contracts, 2) $24k paid off on the Torrefaction loan, and 3) transferred $30k to a separate index for the relocation of the test cells from the ME-EM, and 4) supported a student project and 5) purchased a 3-D printer. The S&W and fringes increased by $19k, which included 3 full time undergraduate summer interns and 3 temporary staff positions. Supply and Services, Equipment, were significantly reduced over past fiscal periods. It is planned to place $100k of carryforward funds into a reserve account as an

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emergency fund. It is desired to have an emergency fund of approximately six months of salaries.

Figure 5 shows the trends for expenditures versus income for the past nine fiscal years. FY21 shows increased expenditures than FY20, however actual operating expenditures were lower at $234,928. A significant part of the FY21 expenditures were investments as cost share on research contracts, Torrefaction loan payment, and transfer of funds for the cost of moving the test cells. The income for FY 21 is increased over FY 20 in the graph below, due to increased IRAD return as a result of increased research expenditures.

Figure 5: IRAD Income vs Expenditures

5. FUNDING OF CENTER FACULTY, STAFF AND BUILDING:

The staff is supported by external contracts and Institutional Research and Development (IRAD) returns to the center. Additionally, staff contributing to the educational programs of the Mechanical Engineering - Engineering Mechanics and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments are funded using standard disbursements based upon the number of credit hours taught. The center Director’s academic salary comes from the ME-EM department and is supplemented by the center IRAD and summer research. FY 21 IRAD distribution was as follows: the PI (10%), Center (24%), Department (4.5%), College (4.5%). A portion of the remaining overhead is captured to fund costs associated with maintenance, repair, electric, heating, cleaning, etc. for the APSRC building. This fund is managed by Jay Meldrum of KRC.

6. CENTER FACULTY AND STAFF:

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The center staff is listed in Table 2. All of the staff with the exception of Alex Normand are currently funded primarily through external contracts. A portion of the soft funded personnel salary is allocated to the center IRAD for proposal development, center activities, training, and non-sponsored activities.

Several new staff joined APS LABS this year:

Dr. Basha Dudekula has been hired as a full-time regular employee as a Research Engineer. He joined APS LABS in June 2020 in a temporary position, working in connected and autonomous systems. Dr. Dudekula earned his PhD from Michigan Tech in 2020.

William Hansley has been hired as a Research Test Engineer in support of setup, testing and analysis of components being tested the laboratories.

Frederick (Adam) Bryce has been hired to a temporary position as a Fabrication Associate to support numerous project builds.

Due to increased awards the Center will be looking to increase staffing to include a test engineer, and electronics, software and controls engineer.

In addition; three undergraduates were hired for full time internships during the summer of 2021.

Table 2 summarizes the Center Staff in FY21.

Table 2. Center Staff Dr. Jeffrey D. Naber

Director Ronald and Elaine Starr Professor of Energy Systems

Dr. Jeremy Worm, PE Associate Director

Marlene Lappeus Director, Business Operations

Alex Normand Office Assistant

Tucker Alsup Assistant Research Engineer Specialist; Electronics & Controls

William (Bill) Atkinson Research Engineer I Specialist; Optical Experimentation

Paul Dice Research Engineer II Operations Manager; APSRC Building

Joel Duncan Assistant Research Engineer Specialist; Engine Build & Mechanical Systems

Dr. Brian Eggart Research Engineer I Specialist; Emission Experimentation

Grant Ovist Research Engineer II Operations Manager; Education & Training

Henry Schmidt Research Engineer II Operations Manager; AERB

Basha Dudekula Research Engineer I Specialist; Autonomous Systems

William Hansley Research Test Engineer

Frederick (Adam) Bryce Fabrication Associate

Dr. Niranjan Miganakallu Post Doc

Dr. Shirin Jouzdani Post Doc

Phillip Wade Kaiser Research Associate Shop Attendant & Student Coordinator

Richard Davis Technical Expert; Combustion Systems

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7. PARTICIPATING FACULTY AND STAFF:

The center currently has 64 faculty and staff participating from ten different departments, two colleges, and nine centers as listed in Table 3.

Table 3. List of participating faculty and staff

Last Name First Name Title Faculty/Staff

Department

Allen Jeff Professor Faculty MEEM Alsup Tucker Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Arney Chad Director, Strategic Initiatives Staff CTL Atkinson William Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Bae Jung Yun Assistant Professor Faculty MEEM Bar Ziv Ezra Professor Faculty MEEM Barnard Andrew Assist. Professor Faculty MEEM Bigham Sajjad Assist. Professor Faculty MEEM Blough Jason Professor Faculty MEEM Bos Jeremy Assist. Professor Faculty ECE Bowler Michael Professor Faculty Humanities Bradley Scott Associate Director Staff KRC Brown Laura Associate Professor Faculty Computer Science Buller William Senior Research Scientist Staff MTRI Chase Richard Research Engineer Staff MTRI Chen Bo Professor Faculty MEEM/ECE Colling Timothy Director, CTT Staff CEE/CTT/MTTI Davis Richard Combustion Expert Staff APSRC/MEEM DeClerk Jim Professor of Practice Faculty MEEM Dice Paul Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Dreyson Anna Assistant Professor Faculty MEEM Duncan Joel Research Associate Staff APSRC/MEEM Endres William Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM Eggart Brian Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Goldsmith Steven Research Professor Faculty MEEM Hackney Stephen Professor Faculty MSE Hansley William Research Test Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Havens Timothy Associate Dean for Research, College

of Computing Faculty College of

Computing/ICC Irwin John Faculty/Dept Chair Faculty MMET/RISE Johnson Jaclyn Senior Lecturer Faculty MEEM Johnson John Professor Faculty MEEM Labyak David Assistant Professor Faculty MMET Johnson Kevin Faculty/Lecturer Faculty MMET Lautala Pasi Assoc. Professor Faculty CEE Lee Song-Young Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM Malladi Sri Ram Assistant Professor Faculty MEEM Meldrum Jay Director Staff KRC Miers Scott Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM Morgan Chris Asst Dir Educational Partnership Staff COE Naber Jeff Professor Faculty MEEM Narain Amitabh Professor Faculty MEEM Odegard Greg Professor Faculty MEEM Ovist Grant Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Paheding Sidke Assistant Professor Faculty Applied Computing Paki Joseph Research Engineer/Scientist Faculty MTRI/Physics Parker Gordon Professor Faculty MEEM Ponta Fernando Professor Faculty MEEM

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Predebon William Chair, Professor Faculty MEEM Ra Youngchul Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM Robinette Darrell Assist. Professor Faculty MEEM Schelly Chelsea Associate Professor Faculty Social Sciences Schmidt Henry Research Engineer Staff APSRC/MEEM Shahbakhti Mahdi Research Professor Faculty MEEM Shonnard David Professor Faculty CM Sutter, Lawrence Assistant Dean of Research and

External Relations/Professor Faculty MSE

Szwaja Stanislaw Adjunct Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM Tajiri Kazuya Assist. Professor Faculty MEEM Ten Chee-Wooi Assoc. Professor Faculty ECE Van Karsen Chuck Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM van Susante Paul Assistant Professor Faculty MEEM Weaver Wayne Assoc. Professor Faculty MEEM White Travis Research Engineer Staff GLRC Worm Jeremy Assoc. Director APSRC/Research Eng. Staff APSRC/MEEM Yang Song-Lin Professor Faculty MEEM Zhang Kuilin Assist. Professor Faculty CEE

The APSRC provides support to members for proposal development, cost share, post award financial and quarterly reporting assistance, assistance from staff for project builds, testing, analysis and reporting.

8. RESEARCH PROPOSAL ACTIVITY:

Table 4 details the proposal submission activity by the Advanced Power Systems faculty and staff during FY21.

Proposal Summary:

● 48 Proposals and Pre-Proposals submitted (44 unique) ● 24 Proposals submitted in FY21 have been awarded to date ● 13 Unique Principal Investigators ● 34 Unique Co-PIs ● 25 Different Funding Agencies or Organizations ● $9,603,846 in Funding Requested

Table 4: Proposals Proposal No. Title Investigators Sponsor Requested

Amount

1801052P3 Torrefaction of Sorted MSW Pellets to Produce a Uniform feedstock for Biopower

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Battelle Energy Alliance LLC / Idaho National Laboratory $ 90,005

1801067P5 Apex (PFI): Conversion of Organic Wastes Streams by Torrefaction for Bio-Power Application

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Co-PIs: Stas Zinchik National Science Foundation $ 50,000

1812087P2 Alternative Fuels Research with Argonne National Laboratory PI: Scott A. Miers Argonne National Laboratory $ 134,944

1908008P4

"Development of Reduced Order Models (ROMs) for wind turbine plant aerodynamic structural control and electrical grid interaction. Additional

PI: Fernando L. Ponta Sandia National Laboratories $ 188,000

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DOE Rotor Wake Numerical Simulations."

1909017P5 Various Sponsor: A Consortium to Advance the State of the Art in Light Duty Engine Efficiency and Emissions

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Joel Duncan, Tucker Alsup, Henry Schmidt, Jeffrey Naber

Ford Motor Co $ 200,000

1911012P2 Multi-Axis Resonant Fixture Shock

PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: James DeClerk, Charles Van Karsen

Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies LLC $ 25,000

1912027P2 Full Field Dynamic Response



1912032P2 Frequency Response Inspection of AM Parts

PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Sriram Malladi, Andrew Barnard


2007010P1 Investigation of Water Injection for High Compression Ratio High Efficiency Engine

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Niranjan Miganakallu, Jeremy Worm

Nostrum Energy LLC $ 86,784

2007045P1 Graduate Student Project: Analysis and Simulation PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Aramco Services Co $ 22,583

2008022P1

Stationary Power targeting ultra low emissions via dual fuel diesel Natural Gas using Nostrum's Kinetic Diesel Injector Technology

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Nostrum Energy LLC $ 13,345

2008057P1 Commercialization of Waste Torrefaction Technology Stage-1 PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Zi-Technologies Inc $ 101,384

2010030P1 Direct Injection of Water as an Enabler for High Brake Mean Effective Pressure

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Joel Duncan, William Hansley, Jeffrey Naber, Tucker Alsup


2010061P1

Energy Sufficiency Mission Planning by Power Sharing of a Heterogenous Vehicle Cohort in Off-Road Dynamic Environments with Terrain and Path Uncertainty

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Ahammad Basha Dudekula, Darrell Robinette

University of Michigan $ 315,296

2010081P1 Conversion of Plastic Wastes into Polymer Alloys and Composite Materials with Enhanced Properties

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Shreyas Kolapkar

Convergen Energy $ 507,409

2010094P1 Powertrain Sensor Fusion for Combustion Control and Diagnostics

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Jason Blough

Ford Motor Co $ 60,000

2010099P1 Customer Discovery for Waste Torrefaction Technology PI: Ezra Bar Ziv National Science Foundation $ 50,000

2011011P1 Full Field Response for Simulation and Prediction



2011012P1 Time-Domain & Multi-Axis Resonant Plate Shock Test



2011015P1 Investigation of S55 GDI Spray PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIS: Jeffrey Naber


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2011023P1 Gasification of blended feedstocks to enable production of carbon-negative hydrogen

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Iowa State University (of Science and Technology) $ 149,999

2011024PP PCM-integrated radiative cooling for energy savings and load flexibility in buildings

PI: Ana Dyreson US Dept of Energy $ -

2011035P1 Production of Hydrogen using Mixed Coal/Biomass/Plastic Through Optimized Gasification and Biochar Production

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv University of Iowa $ 158,331

2011061P1 Induction-Heated Gasification of Blended Feedstocks for the Production of Hydrogen-rich Syngas

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv RTI International $ 168,505

2011078P1 Integration and test of Condenbine system with ISB engine

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Brian Eggart Nostrum Energy LLC $ 19,815

2011090P1 Topology Optimized Ceramic 3D-printed Heat Exchangers for Extreme Environments

PI: Sajjad Bigham US Dept of Energy $ 700,0

2012037P1 Investigation of A Single-Hole GDI Spray-Wall Interaction

PI: Seong-Young Lee Co-PIs: Henry Schmidt

Honda Performance Development Inc $ 36,528

2012039P1 GAF RTC Study APS Labs PI: Paul W. Dice GAF Energy LLC $ 95,972

2101002P1 EFRI E3P: Flexible Recycling of Mixed-Plastic Waste Streams via Plastic Alloying

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Co-PIs: Chelsea Schelly, Stas Zinchik

University of Wisconsin $ 620,000

2101007P1 Investigation of VR30 GDI Spray PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIS: Jeffrey Naber


2101011P1 Evaluation of the Environmental Enclosure & Thermal Management System on a Natural Gas Fueled Genset

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Paul Dice Enchanted Rock LLC $ 16,650


PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Sriram Malladi, Kevin Johnson, David Labyak, Andrew Barnard


2101052P1

Development of a novel approach for rapid and real-time MSW analysis to produce homogeneous and flowable feedstock

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Co-PIs: Stas Zinchik, Timothy Havens, Sidie Paheding, Laura Brown

US Dept of Energy $ 2,935,400

2102034P1 Integration and Test of Condenbine System with ISB Engine CPhase II

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Brian Eggart, William Hansley


2103012P1

Investigations of High Heat-flux Flow-boiling Operations - Enabling Electronic Cooling Applications through Active-Passive Inducements of Explosive Micro-Nucleation Rates

PI: Amitabh Narain Co-PIs: Jason Sommerville, Lei Pan, Wayne Weaver

National Science Foundation $ 407,547

2103051P1 Investigating Single Droplet Evaporation Using Vibroacoustic Levitation Device

PI: William R. Atkinson Nostrum Energy LLC $ 36,380

2104007P1 Visualization of Diesel Kinetic Breakup Injector

PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Henry Schmidt


2104013P1 Enhancing the Efficiency and Resilience of PV Systems at Northern Latitudes

PI: Ana Dyreson Co-PIs: Gordon Parker

Sandia National Laboratories $ 223,568

2105012P1 Michigan Tech Support of INVEST UP Regional Talent Innovation Project

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Kyle Rubin, John Irwin, John Lehman, Chad Arney

InvestUP $ 226,813

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2105015P1

Evaluate the Potential for Significant Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions from Internal Combustion Engines Operated on Liquid Fuels Over 2021-2030 Time Period: Literature Review and Future Prospects

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Richard Davis,

Coordinating Research Council $ 121,287

2105054P1 Investigation on the North America synthetic fuels and analysis of their chemical reaction characteristics

PI: Youngchul Ra Hyundai America Technical Center Inc $ 90,000

2106014P1 Optical Measurement of Combustion Characteristics for Spark Ignition

PI: Henry J. Schmidt Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, William Atkinson

General Motors Company $ 130,898

2106016P1

Selective Carbonization/CO2 Gasification/CH4 Steam Reforming Cheme to Maximize Jet Fuel Production and Coproducts form Lignocellulosic Materials

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv University of Hawaii $ 880,000

2106085P1 Research to Transform the Efficiency of Off-Road Vehicles PI: Jeffrey D. Naber FEV Inc $ 246,404

$ 9,603,846

9. RESEARCH AWARDS ACTIVITY:

Table 5 details awards activity by the Advanced Power Systems faculty and staff during FY21.

Award Summary:

● 31 Unique Projects Awarded ● 10 unique PI’s ● 26 unique Co-PIs ● 15 different funding agencies ● $8,487,287 in funded research awarded, $1,872,199 awarded cost share,

● $10,359,496 total project value awarded

Table 5: Awards

Proposal No. Title PI Sponsor

FY 21 Awarded Amount

Awarded Cost Share

Total Project Value

1605060P2 APRA-E NEXTCAR Phase II - L4/L5 CAV Enabled Energy Reduction

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Darrell Robinette, Bo Chen, Jeremy Bos

US Dept of Energy $ 4,498,650 $ 1,332,517 $ 5,831,167

1801052P3 Torrefaction of Sorted MSW Pellets to Produce a Uniform feedstock for Biopower

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv Battelle Energy Alliance LLC / Idaho National Laboratory

$ 90,005 $ - $ 90,005

1801067P4 Feasibility Study on Production of Composite Material from Plastic-Fiber Wastes

PI: Ezra Bar Ziv National Science Foundation $ 149,999 $ - $ 149,999

1805036P2 Rear Drive Automatic Transmission System Sensitvity Modeling and Synthesis-Extension

PI: Darrell L. Robinette General Motors LLC $ 31,998 $ - $ 31,998

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1811078P1

A Compression Ignition Mono-Fueled NG High-Efficiency High-Output Engine for Medium and Heavy Duty Applications

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Youngchul Ra, Mahdi Shahbakhti, Jeremy Worm, Henry Schmidt, Paul Dice

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)

$ 259,530 $ - $ 259,530

1812087P1 Alternative Fuels Research with Argonne National Laboratory PI: Scott A. Miers Argonne National

Laboratory $ 83,616 $ - $ 83,616

1903053P1

Propulsion System Hybridization and Electrification and Energy Recovery of the Hydraulic System for a Diesel Powered Off-Road Carry/Lift Machine

PI: Jeremy Worm Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Darrell Robinette, Chris Morgan, Wayne Weaver, Tucker Alsup

US Dept of Energy $ 99,973 $ 51,001 $ 150,974

1908008P3

Development of Reduced Order Models (ROMs) for wind turbine plant aerodynamic structural control and electrical grid interaction

PI: Fernando L. Ponta Sandia National Laboratories $ 233,000 $ - $ 233,000

1909017P1

Various Sponsor: A Consortium to Advanced the State of the Art in Light Duty Engine Efficiency and Emissions (FCA)

PI: Jeremy J. Worm

FCA US LLC (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), General Motors Company, Nostrum Energy, Ford Motor Co.

$ 250,000 $ 17,550 $ 267,550

1911012P2 Multi-Axis Resonant Fixture Shock PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Charles Van Karsen, James De Clerk

Honeywell Federal Manufacturing & Technologies LLC

$ 25,000 $ - $ 25,000

1912027P2 Full Field Dynamic Response PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Charles Van Karsen, James De Clerk


$ 25,000 $ - $ 25,000


PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Andrew Barnard, Sriram Malladi, Kevin Johnson


$ 25,000 $ - $ 25,000

2002055P1

Energy Optimzation of Light and Heavy Dute Vehicle Cohorts of Mixed Connectivity Automation and Propulsion System Capabilities via Meshed V2V-V2I and Expanded Data Sharing

PI: Darrell L. Robinette Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Bo Chen, Jung Yun Bae, Chris Morgan

US Dept of Energy $ 1,348,109 $ 382,834 $ ,730,943

2004001P1 Reduced Cost and Complexity for Off-Highway Aftertreatment

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Gordon Parker, John Johnson

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory $ 206,103 $ 43,741 $ 249,844

2006046P1 Creation of a Northern-Climate Photovoltaic Test Site PI: Lawrence Sutter Sandia National

Laboratories $ 351,788 $ 24,986 $ 376,774

2007010P1 Investigation of Water Injection for High Compression Ratio High Efficiency Engine

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Jeremy Worm Nostrum Energy LLC $ 86,784 $ - $ 86,784

2007045P1 Graduate Student Project: Analysis and Simulation PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Aramco Services Co $ 21,950 $ - $ 21,950

2008022P1

Stationary Power targeting ultra low emissions via dual fuel diesel Natural Gas using Nostrum's Kinetic Diesel Injector Technology

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Nostrum Energy LLC $ 13,345 $ - $ 13,345

2010030P1 Direct Injection of Water as an Enabler for High Brake Mean Effective Pressure

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Joel Duncan, Tucker Alsup, William Hansley

Nostrum Energy LLC $ 45,423 $ - $ 45,423

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2010094P1 Powertrain Sensor Fusion for Combustion Control and Diagnostics

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Jason Blough Ford Motor Co $ 60,000 $ - $ 60,000

2010099P1 Customer Discovery for Waste Torrefaction Technology PI: Ezra Bar Ziv National Science

Foundation $ 50,000 $ 19,570 $ 69,570

2011011P1 Full Field Response for Simulation and Prediction



$ 70,000 $ - $ 70,000

2011012P1 Time-Domain & Multi-Axis Resonant Plate Shock Test



$ 148,000 $ - $ 48,000

2011015P1 Investigation of S55 GDI Spray PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber Nostrum Energy LLC $ 5,300 $ - $ 5,300

2011078P1 Integration and test of Condenbine system with ISB engine

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Brian Eggart Nostrum Energy LLC $ 19,815 $ - $ 19,815

2012039P1 GAF RTC Study APS Labs PI: Paul W. Dice GAF Energy LLC $ 95,972 $ - $ 95,972

2101007P1 Investigation of VR30 GDI Spray PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber Nostrum Energy LLC $ 4,500 $ - $ 4,500

2101011P1 Evaluation of the Environmental Enclosure & Thermal Management System on a Natural Gas Fueled Genset

PI: Jeremy J. Worm Co-PIs: Paul Dice Enchanted Rock LLC $ 16,650 $ - $ 16,650


PI: Jason R. Blough Co-PIs: Andrew Barnard, Sriram Malladi, David Labyak, Kevin Johnson


$ 116,000 $ - $ 116,000

2102034P1 Integration and Test of Condenbine System with ISB Engine CPhase II

PI: Jeffrey D. Naber Co-PIs: Brian Eggart, William Hansley


2104007P1 Visualization of Diesel Kinetic Breakup Injector

PI: William R. Atkinson Co-PIs: Jeffrey Naber, Henry Schmidt


$8,487,287

$1,872,199

$10,359,486

10. 5-YEAR PROJECTIONS FROM ASPIRE

5-year projections from ASPIRE are shown in Figure 5 and Table 6. However, the information in ASPIRE is not correct. The Odegard NASA project was originally awarded under APSRC, but was moved to MARC early on in the program, when the MARC center was established. The information shown in the graph below has been manually adjusted from the APSIRE information.

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Figure 6: Budget Projection Chart for 5 year forecast of proposals, awards, IRAD from ASPRIRE

Table 6: Projected Net ICR.

11. FUTURE PLANS AND GOALS

Future Plans and Goals

Our strategic goals include:

(1) Execution of existing research projects meeting and exceeding our partners expectations, (2) Build staff knowledge, capability and resources through training and hiring,

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(3) Build facilities and test capabilities leveraging the Tech Forward Autonomous and Intelligent System initiative, construction of the two new test cells and the DOE RTC Solar site.

(4) Expand research in smart mobility and power and energy.

Our financial goals are to maintain a similar expenditure rate over the next 1-2 years as we build capacity in staff and facilities to execute projects, while maintaining a research awards to maintain this expenditure through FY23.

With respect space and facility needs, the capital project for two new test labs in the APSRC has been approved and funding secured. This will replace laboratories moved from the MEEM department and provide the needed flexibility and needs for FY22-23.

11. CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS

Our major challenge is currently personnel resourcing and managing the awards received in FY21. Hiring is required in specialized areas but these are highly skilled and in high demand such that finding the personnel will be challenging.

12. FACILITIES

The Center and its members operate a wide variety of test facilities, laboratories, equipment and vehicles. In addition to on-campus labs, the center operates two off-campus buildings:

1. APSRC Building located near the Houghton County Airport at 23199 Airpark Boulevard, Calumet, MI 49913,

2. Alternative Energy Research Building (AERB) located at 1051 Ethel Avenue, Hancock, MI 49930,

APSRC BUILDING

The university purchased the 55,000 sq.ft. APSRC Building in September 2010 (shown in Figure 7) with the building area’s is split between the APSRC (35,000 sq.ft.) and KRC (20,000 sq.ft.: L-section as shown in Figure 8 at the bottom and to the right). The center has been in the process of developing support facilities, infrastructure, and laboratories with the goal of expanding capabilities and centralizing other like-facilities including the powertrain test cells. The building currently houses a number of test units and labs including those indicated below and through Phase 2a as shown in Figure 8:

1. Vehicle systems instrumentation and research area 2. Mobile Laboratory 3. Vehicle chassis dynamometer 4. Propulsion System laboratories including

(i) Torque Transfer Systems Test Cell (ii) Light Duty (LD) Engine Dynamometer Test Cell (iii) Heavy-Duty (HD) Engine Dynamometer Test Cell

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(iv) Small Engine Dynamometer Test Cell (v) Advanced Drivetrain & Propulsion Technology (ADAPT) Test Cell

5. Two laboratories located outside the primary building structure (i) Small Engine & ORV Dynamometer Test Cell (ii) Climatic Vehicle Test Chamber

6. Three separate test bed build areas 7. Tire Test Unit 8. Mechanical fabrication shop 9. Electronics fabrication and HIL development laboratory 10. Torrefaction and Biomass and Waste Conversion Pilot Research and Development Lab 11. Pyrolysis Biofuel Production Unit 12. Solar Regional Test Site (RTC)

Figure 7. Photo of APSRC building

The APSRC building was denoted as a university shared facility in FY 15, and achieved its first 5-year renewal in FY20. An initial Basis of Design analysis and report done by Harley Ellis Devereaux in 2011 is being followed with respect to the build-out plan. The status of this is shown in Figure 8. The satellite image of the solar regional test site (RTC) is shown in Figure 9 was constructed in FY21 and is now operational with active research contracts.

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Figure 8. APSRC Building according to HED basis of design showing existing laboratories with facilities added from Shared facilities funds.

Figure 9: Satellite image of Solar Regional Test Site

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Figures 10 - 14 show a number of the use areas in the APSRC building including engine and vehicle areas and the Biofuel / waste pilot plant (Figure 10) the vehicle high-bay and test bed buildup stalls (Figure 11), the small engine test cell (Figure 12), and the electronics fabrication and HIL prototyping lab (Figure 13), and Solar RTC (Figure 14).

Figure 10. APSRC areas (testbed build and test cell (left), torrefaction (top center), vehicle setup (lower center), and vehicle shop / lift (right).

Figure 11. Vehicle high-bay and testbed buildup stalls.

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Figure 12. The Small Engine Test Cell.

Figure 13. Electronics build area setup in partnership with ECE department.

Figure 14: Solar Regional Test Site

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ALTERNATIVE ENERGY RESEARCH BUILDING (AERB)

The 4,000 sq ft Alternative Energy Research Building (AERB) located in Hancock is home to the spray and combustion laboratory.

The spray and combustion laboratory construction was funded from an NSF MRI development grant in 2006 titled: “A Combustion Vessel for the Study of Gas and Dispersed Liquid Phase at Elevated Pressure and Temperature,” and became operational in 2009. Several upgrades and enhancements have been added since including the addition of numerous diagnostics tools. The spray and combustion vessel facility is setup with a use rate which is renewed annually. The last renewal was in October of 2020 through September 2022.

Two APS Lab’s full-time staff work in the AERB; Henry Schmidt and Bill Atkinson. Henry Schmidt, APSRC research engineer II, is responsible for operations of this laboratory including financial, administrative, technical, and safety facets. Bill Atkinson, APS Labs research engineer was hired in 2017 as the lab saw growth and need for more technical staff. Bill came from industry where he had 7 years of experience prior. He has worked for Briggs and Stratton, Charter Steel, Kohler, and Nostrum Energy LLC. Bill is responsible for conducting research and managing graduate research assistance on his projects.

The use rate facility has a rate of $140/hour. The total revenue for the CV for FY21 was $211,624.

The optically accessible spray and combustion vessel (S&CV) research facility is used to investigate ignition systems, fuels, and fuel injector spray technologies for industry partners. Accompanying the lab is a fuel delivery system, high speed camera for imaging liquid, vapor, and combustion, custom solenoid drivers and other supporting equipment. The facility provides testing at thermodynamic conditions relevant to internal combustion engines including peak charge pressures in the chamber to 350 bar and temperatures to 1400 K at the time of spray injection prior to combustion. The chamber is 1 liter in volume with dimensions of 100x100x100mm in the form of a cube. Optical access is provided through up to four multiple orthogonal 100 mm windows-ports providing nearly complete optical access to the chamber. The chamber can be electrically heated to 180°C.

Additional equipment was purchased during FY21 to expand capability. A second Photron Fastcam SA 1.1 high speed camera was purchased to allow for simultaneous imaging of spray and combustion events in the S&CV with multiple diagnostics. This addition allows the lab to increase throughput and allows the lab to offer more data per test ultimately creating better value for sponsors.

Safety is paramount in APS LABS and the AERB building. Henry Schmidt is MIOSHA Level 1 certified safety supervisor for general industry and provides AERB building specific safety training to all employees. Employees are trained on hazards that are present in the AERB building and procedures to ensure a safe workplace.

Figure 15 shows a diagram layout of the combustion vessel. Figure 16 shows pictures of the combustion vessel itself, the electronics monitoring room for the vessel, and some testing.

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Figure 15. AERB Layout showing spray and combustion lab.

Figure 16. Spray and Combustion Laboratory, (Upper left – constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC), upper center – control room, upper right showing vessel with injector setup, lower right – CVCC auxiliaries

including gas mixing panel and optical setups).

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13. EDUCATION & TRAINING

Although primarily a sponsored research center, support of sponsored education and training does fit within the center operational model.

Education & Training services are provided almost exclusively using the APSRC’s Mobile Lab as the primary delivery tool. The Mobile Lab is an assemblage of synergistic assets that can be utilized for the delivery of a wide range of STEM related activities.

The centerpiece of the Mobile Lab is a 53’ foot double wide expandable semi-trailer. The trailer contains a classroom, two full-function powertrain test cells, and lab benches. The ML operates a fleet of over 30 test vehicles ranging from conventional IC powered to full battery powered and most configurations of hybrid. The fleet includes light duty, medium duty, heavy duty, military applications, and a small bus. All vehicles are instrumented to acquire, at a minimum, ECU parameters, while some include extensive control and calibration capability in addition to a full suite of temperature, digital, and analog channels. The vehicle fleet is transported by a second semi-truck, which is an 8-place auto transport. The ML also consists of a portable vehicle chassis dynamometer, and an extensive inventory of various automotive sub-systems (including engines, transmissions, electric propulsion motors & drives, propulsion batteries, etc.) and components used as teaching aids and as teardown items. See Figure 17 and 18.

Figure 17: Examples of outreach with the Mobile Lab. Clockwise from Top Left: Navy Pier

Chicago IL, Capitol Hill, Washington DC, USA Science & Engineering Festival Washington DC, Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth TX.

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Figure 18: Professional Development Training and Research with the Mobile Lab.

Direction of the center's education and training activities fall under the responsibility of Jeremy Worm, Associate Director of APSRC, with Grant Ovist, as the operations manager. Other staff, Undergraduate students, and graduate students support Mobile Lab Operations on an as-needed basis.

The ML operates as a service provider to both external and internal sponsors. As a service provider, the ML has four primary operational modes:

● Training ● STEM outreach ● Technology & Product Awareness ● Support of Sponsored Research

These operational modes will be discussed further.

TRAINING

Training activities fall into two sub-categories;

(1) Professional Development Training, and (2) support of Michigan Tech curriculum-based courses.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The ML offers very unique, and competitive training options for any organization seeking short-duration, high-impact training for their employees. For professional development, the ML is deployed on-site at the sponsor’s location. Unless requested otherwise by the sponsor, professional development training modules are 2.5 days in duration. 2.5 days is strategic in that it

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1) allows packaging of two modules into a 5-day work week at the sponsor’s location, and 2) 2.5 days is equivalent to 20 contact hours. 20 contact hours, when combined with pre and post assignments, as well as an exam, qualifies for 1 academic credit hour. This may be attractive to sponsor employees that are degree seeking, or simply seeking stackable credentials. Even more so than on-site deployment, the other unique aspect of the Mobile Lab is that all professional development training includes highly involved experimental activities integrated throughout the entire training module.

Thirty-two training modules are available covering a wide range of topics from systems overviews to highly detailed topics. These modules have been developed based on either curriculum courses or as custom training requests from sponsors. The ML is also unique in the flexibility of the team and facility to develop and provide custom training options.

Once a sponsor selects the training subject matter the Mobile Lab team identifies and assembles the instructional team. The instructional team may be composed of faculty from across Michigan Tech, and has historically included Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Materials Science Departments, as well as external collaborations.

CURRICULUM COURSES

The Mobile Lab is also used to support Michigan Tech curriculum courses. The following are 3-credit courses spanning the 14-week fall / spring semesters that utilize the Mobile Lab for delivery of lab assignments:

● EE/MEEM 4296: Experimental Studies in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (Fall Semester) ● EE/MEEM 5296: Powertrain Integration in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (Spring Semester) ● MEEM 5255: Advanced Powertrain Instrumentation and Experimental Methods (Spring

Semester) ● EE 5365: In-Vehicle Communications (Fall Semester, 1 assignment only)

Additionally, the Mobile Lab is used for 100% of the delivery of several 1-credit accelerated short courses taking place during the summer and spanning 2.5 days. These 1-credit courses are particularly relevant for students seeking stackable credentials and credits. The following are 1-credit curriculum courses that are delivered in their entirety from the Mobile Lab.

● MEEM 5202: Fundamentals of Diesel Engines ● MEEM 5204: Diesel Engine Controls and Calibrations ● MEEM 5990: Experimental Studies in Vehicle Dynamics ● MEEM 5201: Fundamentals of SI Engines ● MEEM 5203: SI Engine Controls and Calibrations ● MEEM 5990: Automotive Transmission Systems

STEM OUTREACH

The Mobile Lab is an ideal facility for STEM outreach. Care has been taken in shaping the ML’s presence in outreach as to be synergistic, not redundant, with the world class outreach offered by other Michigan Tech units (e.g. the Center for Pre-College Outreach). ML STEM outreach is delivered primarily to individual’s grade 9 and above, and primarily to individuals who already

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have an interest in science and engineering. By targeting this demographic, the ML can deliver outreach at an in-depth level. All outreach is hands-on, with experiments and presentations scoped for the specific audience.

One example of STEM outreach that the Mobile Lab has developed and delivered for several years, and is an example of synergistic collaboration between the APS LABS Mobile Lab and the Center for Pre-College Outreach is a week-long module that is offered as a unique session in the Michigan Tech summer youth program. This session, “Women in Automotive Engineering” was specifically designed for a corporate sponsor, FCA, to encourage young Women to pursue careers in Automotive Engineering. Participants attend the session on competitive scholarships funded by the corporate sponsor. Participants are primarily high school juniors and seniors from the continental US, but have also included Puerto Rico, Pakistan, and Korea. The content is designed to introduce the young Women to the broad field of automotive engineering, helping them find the areas most interesting to them, and showing them the ways in which they can impact society as automotive engineers. See Figure 19. Feedback from the participants as well as the corporate sponsors has been overwhelmingly positive. The corporate sponsor for FY 2021 was Dana.

Not all STEM outreach is targeted toward a youth demographic. Other demographics for Outreach through the Mobile Lab have included corporate and governmental policy and decision makers. It is also worth noting that many large governmental grants require an outreach component. The ML is an established outreach resource with proven successes. As such, both internal and external researchers are encouraged to leverage the ML to strengthen their proposals and increase their overall ROI on awarded projects.

TECHNOLOGY & PRODUCT AWARENESS

Being not only highly configurable, but also memorable, the Mobile Lab provides an ideal venue to disseminate knowledge and increase awareness of new technologies. Operating in this mode for a corporate sponsor can take many forms depending on the goals of the sponsor. In this mode of operation, the ML has been set up in exposition halls during conferences, has been on-site at corporate technical campuses and headquarters, and has held closed door invite only type technical information sessions.

SUPPORT OF SPONSORED RESEARCH

Although not education and training in the strictest sense, the Mobile Lab does support sponsored research. The Mobile Lab is a high-technology, well equipped, and highly configurable laboratory. As such, it can support a wide range of research projects. This could include propulsion system research in the test cells, vehicle or emissions research as a class 8 Heavy Duty truck, traffic or freight haul studies, and vehicle to read interactions. Its classroom and, high-powered generator, and mobile office work well as a mobile command center for field studies.

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FINANCE; EDUCATION & TRAINING

The Mobile Laboratory was set up with a use rate in November 2015. This significantly streamlined the financial management of the ML. In FY21 $155,851 was billed to the Mobile Lab use fee, this is down from previous years prior to the COVID-19 crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic had created a drastic impact on business operations around the world. With many of our typical external customers furloughing and laying off employees, the climate was not right to attempt to secure new funding for training, outreach, etc. Early indicators show that the market for these types of activities is rebounding and Mobile Lab contracts are expected to rise to pre-pandemic or at least close to pre-pandemic levels for FY22.

14. SAFETY:

The Shared facility annual inspection was completed with a pass on February 12th 2021 by Dave Dixon, and Jeffrey Lewin. A low-level action was noted to updated contact information on lab hazard information poster, which was completed promptly in the days following the inspection.

As an essential component of the centers operating principle, providing and maintaining a safe work environment is critical to the center, its staff, and participating faculty and students. Significant efforts are underway for continuous improvement. As part of this, The Operations Managers for the APSRC Building and AERB, Paul Dice and Henry Schmidt respectively, are MIOSHA Level 1 general industry certified and are both working toward Level 2 certification. Moreover, they each hold several additional safety related certifications including, Fire & Rescue, 1st Responder, Respirator, Haz Mat, etc.

APS LABS staff engineers, Henry Schmidt and Paul Dice have developed, and administer, extensive laboratory specific safety training to new users of both buildings, as well as specialty safety training for instrumentation, machine tools, Forklift, fuel handling, etc.

MEANS OF ACCESS AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR AERB AND APSRC BUILDINGS

The AERB and APSRC buildings are accessed via Tech ID proximity card. Card access is turned on by APSRC Administrative Aid Alex Normand once he receives confirmation of safety training from the appropriate building Operations Manager, and receives a projected access end date by the new users supervisor / advisor.

This system allows access to be restricted to certain interior doors within each building, and restricted to certain days and times. Core center faculty and staff have unlimited 24/7 access to every door in each building, however, for example, at the APSRC building students can only access the main lab space M-F 7AM to 10PM, the front office space M-F 8AM – 5PM, and may not have any access to specialty lab spaces depending on the project they are working on. As part of Alex’s standard work, he reviews the building access lists three times per year, at the start of each new semester, primarily to remove individuals who no longer require access.

In the event that access for student laboratory work is needed outside normal hours, the PI for the project, or their supervisor / advisor can meet them at the building to let them in and verify what their work will be for that day. As long as there are going to be a minimum of two people remaining

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in the building at all times, and all individuals are either an MTU employee or a supported graduate student, the PI / Advisory / Supervisor may then leave. Furthermore, if students are going to be working outside of normal hours of operation they must also send Paul Dice ([email protected]) if working in the APSRC or Henry Schmidt ([email protected]) if working in the AERB, an email when they start work and when they leave. In the interest of safety, no work is allowed after 10pm or before 7am any day of the week.

To ensure access is limited to only authorized personnel, no unattended doors are to be left open, and if a faculty, staff, or student sees anyone they are not familiar with they are to check with the person about why they are there and what projects they are working on.

GENERAL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

There are several safety requirements in place to work within the APSRC and AERB facilities. All users must first complete their departmental general safety training, then complete the APSRC or AERB building safety training, and finally complete a specific area safety training conducted by the manager of that area. Documentation of training at each level is kept on record by Paul Dice or Henry Schmidt per facility. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is covered in the various forms of safety training and is required to be used as indicated this includes all lab spaces in the APSRC Building. At minimum EVERYONE (including students, guests, and employees) must wear close toed shoes, safety glasses, and long pants at all times when in lab and machine shop areas. These areas are marked when you enter. As per departmental safety training, students are required to provide their own PPE equipment. Safety glasses are available for guests at each entrance but must be cleaned and returned, ear plugs are provided for comfort in areas where they may be desired, and their proper use is covered in the training for that specific area. These policies are under a strict enforcement plan at all times.

SPECIFIC LAB EQUIPMENT SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

Due to the wide range of research at the APSRC and AERB buildings, a large number of unconventional research equipment exists and it would not be practical to train each student on every piece of equipment. Instead, laboratory specific training is provided to each student by the training supervisor for the area where the student is working to ensure that locations, procedures, safety equipment, PPE, etc. are all clear before any work can be done. Afterward, case-by-case training of specific equipment is handled by the lab supervisor and the additional training is recorded. Determination of specific equipment training is subject to the “hoses or wires” policy, anything that has hoses or wires requires contacting the lab supervisor before use. Forklift training falls under this category and is handled by an annual training session provided onsite at the APSRC by Paul Dice.

MACHINE SHOP EQUIPMENT IN APSRC

Machine shop equipment use is handled in a similar way to lab equipment; however, the student must first take the training for the equipment in their respective departmental training session on

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

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that specific tool before APSRC machine shop training. This serves to make sure that the student is familiar with the operation in a formal training session, and then can be shown the differences in the equipment at the APSRC before operation.

WORKSPACE CLEANLINESS

Users of the APSRC and AERB are required to put all tools and equipment in their proper location, clean up any fluid spills, and sweep loose debris from the floor. If a project is ongoing at the end of the work day, the investigators are required to place their components and supplies in the temporary project shelves and cabinets provided. Receptacles for the disposal of all waste are provided and their use covered during general lab orientation. Repeated offences of this policy will result in loss of access to the building and facilities.

15. HIGHLIGHTS

I. Effective July 1 of FY22, APSRC has been established as its own organizational department.

II. Continued to build upon industrial sponsored and federal partnered research. This includes significant increase in research in driveline systems with multiple OEM’s and Tier I and II suppliers.

III. $8.5M in awarded research contracts, and $5.6M in research expenditures, demonstrating solid growth of the center’s research portfolio.

IV. Successful demonstration of connected and autonomous vehicle energy savings of 20% within in the ARPA-E NEXTCAR Program, which resulted in Phase II awarded $4.5M for L4/L5 CAV Enabled Energy Reduction.

V. The ARPA-E NEXTCAR project has led to follow-on working including a $6M DOE EERE VTP EEMS project in partnership with the American Center of Mobility and MTRI.

VI. Further expansion in this area including professional development and training leveraging the Tech Forward Initiative are in process.

VII. Installation of Solar Region Test Site, which has led to three industrial contracts in FY21 since its completion.

VIII. New Staff were hired, bringing the total Center Staff to 18(1)

• Dr. Basha Dudekula has been hired as a full-time regular employee as a Research Engineer. He joined APS LABS in June 2020 in a temporary position, working in connected and autonomous systems. Dr. Dudekula earned his PhD from Michigan Tech in 2020.

• William Hansley has been hired as a Research Test Engineer in support of setup, testing and analysis of components being tested the laboratories.

1 This number includes Dr. Jeffrey Naber, who is faculty by university appointment, however, is included in this count because he is the Center Director.

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• Frederick (Adam) Bryce has been hired to a temporary position as a Fabrication Associate to support numerous project builds.

• Due to increased awards the Center will be looking to increase staffing to include a test engineer, and electronics, software and controls engineer.

• In addition: three undergraduates were hired for full time internships during the summer of 2021.

IX. Key faculty and staff have 26 journal articles and conference proceedings, and a publication tracking system has been established where the APSRC is acknowledged in research publications.

16. ACKNOLWEDGMENTS

Accomplishments of the Center as provided above are due to the dedication and capabilities of the APSRC staff and the support of the University, Department and VPR office.

advanced power system research center and shared

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