Desulfurizer for JP-8 Fueled Tier 4 Engines (JP8T4)

Tier 4 diesel engines are not compatible with JP-8, the single fuel forward for expeditionary operations, because these engines require ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) that contains less than 15 ppm of sulfur. The high sulfur in JP-8 (up to 3,000 ppm) can damage the engine-emissions components that are designed for ULSD. Navy expeditionary forces currently satisfy this JP-8 requirement via the retrofitting of lower-tier engines. However, these lower-tier engines are difficult to procure. Even if they are available, they are costly to integrate with the commercial items designed with Tier 4 engines for the U.S. market. Altex has overcome the challenges with removing sulfur from JP-8 for use in fuel-cell systems. Altex is proposing to utilize this technology as an ideal solution for enabling Tier-4 engines to work on JP-8 in addition to ULSD. The solution will not negatively impact lifecycle cost and engine performance. Under Phase I, Altex will design the system and define any data gaps. Testing and analysis will be used to fill the data gaps and produce a design that enables the current Tier-4 equipment to operate on JP-8 or USLD, interchangeably. The preliminary economic analysis included in the proposal will be updated to define the savings the Navy would receive by implementing the solution. The resulting design will be the basis for a successful Phase II effort to produce and demonstrate a prototype of the solution for a variety of engines utilized by expeditionary forces.