A typical long-haul tractor-trailer idles an estimated 1,830 hours per year when parked overnight at truck stops. This consumes millions of litres of additional fuel while sending out harmful emissions.
Approximately 94 percent of all freight in North America is moved by diesel power. Although diesel engines have some environmental advantages, diesel fuel is a major contributor of particulate matter (PM)—extremely small particles that can pass through the throat and nose and enter the lungs.
Particulate matter has been identified as a main contributing factor to a variety of lung-related illnesses, including asthma, emphysema, and bronchitis, and has also been linked to increased risk of cancer.
Efficient Adsorption Process
Although some other research groups and industrial companies are working on components of these technologies, Bahrami says his research plan is unique due to its integration with three major industry players, as well as a partnership with University of Waterloo’s Amir Khajepour, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Mechatronics Vehicle Systems.
Bahrami and Khajepour will turn waste heat from engines and brakes into air conditioning and refrigeration for service vehicles. The sustainable AC-R system will use the process of adsorption, which has a variety of environmental advantages such as using benign refrigerants and porous materials like water, ethanol, and silica gels.
