Mission of the CLEERS Focus Groups

The CLEERS Focus Groups have been established under the auspices of the DOE Advanced Engine Crosscut Team (http://cleers.org) to promote collaboration among the team member institutions and their partners from emissions control companies, universities and DOE national laboratories. The Focus Groups are organized around common technical interests in simulation and modeling of lean combustion engine exhaust emissions control, including removal of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), unburned hydrocarbons (HCs), and carbon monoxide (CO).

Originally, CLEERS Focus Group activities were primarily centered around three specific emission control technology areas: NOx control with urea-based selective catalytic reduction (urea-SCR), NOx removal with catalytic lean NOx trapping (LNT, also referred to as NOx Storage and Reduction, NSR), and catalytic diesel particulate filtration (DPF or CDPF). More recently, the CLEERS Focus Groups have also directed attention toward diesel oxidation catalysis (DOC), hydrocarbon selective catalytic NOx reduction (HC-SCR), and optimization of engines and emissions control devices as integrated systems. Areas of interest among the Focus Group members continue to adapt to changing industry priorities and new technology developments.

Besides promoting direct one-on-one interactions among members, the CLEERS Focus Group leaders organize regular technical (non-public) telecoms open to all Focus Group members. Typically scheduled on a monthly basis, the telecoms include technical slide presentations by recognized emission control experts on recent emission control technology developments (often pre-publication) and results of simulation and modeling studies. Example discussion topics include:

• Computational simulations concerning the impact of kinetic, physical and numerical parameters of emissions control devices on vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions performance;
• Experimental data from laboratory reactor and engine dynamometer experiments;
• Proposed experimental protocols for characterizing new emissions control catalysts and materials; and
• New instrumentation and diagnostic procedures for revealing details about chemical and physical mechanisms.

In addition, the CLEERS Focus Groups provide a mechanism for the Crosscut Team members and their collaborators to:

• Address and evaluate cutting edge technical issues as they arise;
• Share the latest pre-competitive technical information;
• Identify the most fruitful areas for government supported research;
• Generate input for the CLEERS emissions control database; and
• Facilitate one-on-one collaborations.

Benefits to the participants include:

• Access to non-proprietary validation data and simulations to provide a technology wide benchmark for simulation
• A non-competitive forum for communication of device technology issues and concerns
• Facilitated collaborations (possibly proprietary) with other focus group members (esp. national labs and universities)
• Reduced need for companies to maintain broad in-house expertise on all aspects of the associated fundamental science

In order to promote sharing of non-competitive technical information among the Focus Group members, participation in these groups is limited to Crosscut Team member institutions and their close collaborators among emissions control suppliers, universities, and national laboratories. Participation by non-Crosscut Team organizations in Focus Group activities is contingent upon endorsement by at least one Crosscut Team member company. Participation does not require any funds-in, but each participant is expected to provide regular contributions of data, technical analysis, or feedback on the usefulness/validity of information presented by others. Individuals interested in joining the CLEERS Focus Groups should contact one the Focus Co-leaders listed below:

Stuart Daw, Oak Ridge National Lab, dawcs@ornl.gov, 865-946-1341
Mark Stewart, Pacific Northwest National Lab, mark.stewart@pnnl.gov, 509-375-2179
Darrell Herling, Pacific Northwest National Lab, darrell.herling@pnnl.gov, 509-375-6905
John Kirwan, Delphi, john.e.kirwan@delphi.com, 248-836-1879
Wei Li, General Motors, wei.1.li@gm.com, 586-947-2262