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A Retrofittable Fuel Usage Monitor and Economizer

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Army
Contract: W56HZV-10-C-0079
Agency Tracking Number: O071-E10-4033
Amount: $749,747.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: OSD07-E10
Solicitation Number: 2007.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2007
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-05-28
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2012-05-27
Small Business Information
1410 Sachem Place Suite 202
Charlottesville, VA 22901
United States
DUNS: 120839477
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Jason Burkholder
 Principal Research Scient
 (434) 973-1215
 burkholder@bainet.com
Business Contact
 Connie Hoover
Title: General Manager
Phone: (434) 973-1215
Email: barron@bainet.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

An affordable, retrofittable vehicle performance and fuel economy maximization system would have widespread application to military tactical and non-tactical ground vehicles as well as commercial vehicles. Barron Associates, Inc. and Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) conducted a successful Phase I effort to demonstrate the feasibility of the Fuel Usage Monitor and Economizer (FUME) – an intelligent, open architecture vehicle monitoring and fuel efficiency optimization system. FUME will feature two primary components: (1) vehicle and engine health monitoring and (2) real-time operational guidance to maximize fuel efficiency and extend equipment life. Key underlying technologies include mathematical modeling of dynamic systems, real-time adaptive parameter estimation, model-based diagnostics, and intelligent usage monitoring. Integration of these technologies will result in a FUME architecture that unequivocally satisfies the stated SBIR objectives. The overarching objectives of the Phase II effort are to mature the FUME technology and to demonstrate a prototype FUME in a hardware-in-the-loop laboratory environment that includes a real engine and a real-time vehicle dynamics emulator. FUME will feature vehicle performance and fuel economy optimization algorithms that learn online, adapt to changing environments, tolerate inter-vehicle variations, and self-calibrate to accommodate inter-sensor variations. FUME will improve reliability, maximize fuel efficiency, and enable a cost-saving condition-based maintenance program.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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