West Virginia University's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Training Program
The Alternate Fuel Vehicle Training Program (AFVTP) Newsletter is a monthly feature of the AFVTP and is intended to be keep the lines of communication open between our training team, students, advisors and other interested parties. Many of you receiving the newsletter this month are new to our roles and we hope that you find it useful. As such, a short introduction to the AFVTP is appropriate. Please contact the program if you have questions.
The AFVTP was formed in response to U.S. EPA's commitment to develop national infrastructure to support future vehicle types. Specifically, WVU was contracted to develop a nationally recognized alternative fueled vehicle Train-the-Trainer program for automotive technologists. Our target audience and clients are automotive instructors at Vo-Tech schools and community colleges, fleet managers, OEM trainers, utility relations personnel, and private training industries.
Products include training seminars and special courses, training manuals, teaching aids, and in-service support. Natural gas vehicles was emphasized in the initial training manuals, but other fuel types will be encompassed in separate training modules to help promote the fuel neutrality of our sponsor. Presently, our team is working on training courses for propane (LPG) and emissions testing to complement the NG material previously developed.
Our team trainer, Bill McGlinchey, has just returned from a seminar on MESA's NGV system and its installation.
In mid-October, the AFVTP staff will move into their new facilities here in Morgantown. Extensive remodeling and equipment additions have resulted in an exemplary training center in which we shall be conducting our courses. Staff offices adjoin classroom areas, library, laboratory and 6 bay shop. Our program shares this building with Automotive Research Technology which is an active player in the conversion business and is working with equipment vendors to supply OEM components from its manufacturing division. West Virginia's Natural Gas Coalition has organized Clean Tour '94 - a caravan of natural gas vehicles touring West Virginia. Up to 70 vehicles are scheduled to visit Martinsburg, Morgantown, Clarksburg, Flatwoods, Charleston and other cities. Industries are encouraged to meet the caravan and evaluate NGVs for their own use. Fleet mandates are coming!
Do adults and adolescents approach training courses and learning with different viewpoints? Your high school students may have a very different basis and motivation to learn than your adult, one night a week student.
Adults tend to participate and work at learning and comprehension because the see the need and importance of the topic, derived from experiences gained in the regular jobs. Students on the other hand, may not be aware of the larger impact of their skills and responsibilities once placed in the workforce. Enlightened coaching on your part will expose them to their future working environment and make them want to learn.
Mosaic is quickly becoming the most popular way to share on-line information and we expect it to grow even more. You can bring the Mosaic program to your computer by ftping to ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu and downloading the appropriate files. Please email the editor if you have questions about this procedure.
The MESA design team has certainly done their homework as this system indicates. A novel piston style primary regulator is mounted to the frame rail underneath and in the rear close to the tanks, eliminating the more dangerous high pressure lines all the way to the front. Pressure and temperature sensors in the regulator provide more accurate mass data than ordinary pressure gauges alone.
Fuel metering is done with either three (3) SPI injectors or six (6) Bosch injectors depending upon the engine application. The entire electronics package is well configured and easy to install with plug in connectors for each line. Minimal soldering was needed to tie in the dash fuel gauge and fuel selection switch. This switch and an indicator light are the only dash alterations made.
In one afternoon the class installed two (2) complete systems on GM 5.7L pickups. A test drive, complete with a portable PC plugged into the cigarette lighter and diagnosing the system confirmed a successful job. The fuel cylinders and receptacle were previously added, but this kind of turn-around time is quite a change for some of us.
All the manufacturers are developing family specific kits anticipating OEM opportunities. MESA has set a high level of performance that will make the competition intense.
For more information about any topics here or WVU's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Training Program, fax or write the AFVTP Information Service (Attn: Randolph Churchill, PhD) at 304-293-6689 (fax); PO Box 6106, Morgantown, WV 26506-6106. All typos and errors are solely the responsibility of the editor. Please submit corrections, address changes, comments, anecdotes and articles to same.