Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2022 - 4

TECHNICAL
INNOVATIONS
TESTING
Allison's now open for hydrogen testing
SAE INTERNATIONAL
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Srinivasa (Sri) Srinath, Ph.D
President
Jeff Hemphill
2021 President
Todd Zarfos
2023 President Elect
Susan Ying, Ph.D
Vice President - Aerospace
Daniel Nicholson
Vice President - Automotive
Michael Weinert
Vice President -
Commercial Vehicle
Andrew Jeffers
Treasurer
David L. Schutt, Ph.D
Chief Executive Officer
Gregory L. Bradley, Esq.
Secretary
Allison's dyno cells are capable of testing HFCVs with power outputs up to 1180 kW.
With the atomic number 1, hydrogen is the
lightest element in the Periodic Table, but it's
rapidly becoming a heavyweight for the mobility
future. Development of hydrogen fuel cell
vehicle (HFCV) and hydrogen-fueled combustion
engines for commercial-vehicle use is driving
demand for specialized testing and validation
facilities. Allison Transmission is in the
vanguard of this movement, recently launching
a comprehensive hydrogen test capability at its
60,000-ft2
(5,575-m2
) Vehicle Electrification +
Environmental Test Center in Indianapolis.
Prior to its official debut, SAE Media was
provided an exclusive look at the new facility
- which also includes compressed natural gas
(CNG) testing - courtesy of David Proctor, the
test center's general manager, and Tim
Szilveszter, Allison's sales account manager.
" With this facility, we got a head start on the
industry from a testing perspective; we'll be
able to capitalize on those gains with this hydrogen
capability, " Proctor said. " From conversations
with our OEM customers, we got a
clear sense that hydrogen was coming, part of
the industry's move to new propulsion and alternative-fuel
technologies. " After investigating
4 October 2022
what it would take to implement, Allison's
leadership green-lighted the investment for
hydrogen and CNG testing as a late addition to
the construction program (see www.sae.org/
news/2021/02/allison-transmissions-new-vehicle-environmental-test-center).
The
hydrogen capability was completed in
two phases. The first phase installed the safety
systems that are vital to detect and manage
hydrogen gas or flames in the test cell, with
similar capability for CNG safety. Phase Two
added a hydrogen delivery system that feeds
the gas, at low pressure, from tanker trailers
connected outside the facility directly into the
fuel cell onboard the test vehicle. This setup
enables long-duration test runs with minimal
downtime for refueling, according to Proctor.
With the addition of hydrogen and CNG test
and validation, Allison now is able to support
customer programs for vehicles powered by
most major propulsion types including batteryelectric
systems. The Indy facility currently is
one of only two in North America that integrate
hydrogen testing with chassis dynamometers
and full environmental chambers (the
other is at Canada's Emissions Research and
Judy Curran
Rhonda Walthall
Joan Wills
SAE International Sections
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technical or geographic area. The purpose
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SAE Members in a given area. For more
information, please visit sae.org/sections
or contact SAE Member Relations Specialist
Abby Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
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Collegiate Chapters
Collegiate Chapters are a way for SAE
International Student Members to get
together on their campus and develop
skills in a student-run and -elected
environment. Student Members are vital
to the continued success and future of
SAE. While your course work teaches
you the engineering knowledge you
need, participation in your SAE Collegiate
Chapter can develop or enhance other
important skills, including leadership,
time management, project management,
communications, organization, planning,
delegation, budgeting, and finance. For
more information, please visit students.
sae.org/chapters/collegiate/ or contact
SAE Member Relations Specialist Abby
Hartman at abby.hartman@sae.org.
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
ALLISON TRANSMISSION
http://www.sae.org/news/2021/02/allison-transmissions-new-vehicle-environmental-test-center https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/sections https://www.sae.org/participate/membership/collegiate-chapters
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - October 2022

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