Stec Awarded NSF/SBIR Grant for Eliminating Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Stec Technology awarded prestigious government grant for work on reducing greenhouse gases in marine diesel engines. The NSF/SBIR Phase I Award of $242,890 is part of eligibility for Phase II funding and additional supplements totaling up to $2 million.

BRISTOL, RI / ACCESSWIRE / February 9, 2023 / According to Walt Schulz, Stec’s CEO, “It is very gratifying that the people at the National Science Foundation (NSF)/Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) acknowledged our work to reduce greenhouse gases that affect global warming. This grant award is a big help in allowing us to continue forward with our development of our RCI (reactive cyclical induction) marine diesel exhaust emission systems. Four years ago, we found that land-based emissions controls like SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) commonly used in trucks and buses were totally unsuitable for boats due to the excessively high heat necessary to make catalytic reduction systems work. Boat engine rooms cannot withstand the 800°F/400°C temperatures created by SCR systems. Our breakthrough came when we discovered that the salt in seawater could be a major factor in reducing harmful emissions. We have been granted a US patent on our RCI exhaust system and are in the process of obtaining additional international patent coverage.”

Proposals submitted to the NSF/ SBIR program undergo a rigorous merit-based review process and only about 5% of applicants nationwide received this funding from the National Science Foundation. “NSF is proud to support this technology of the future by thinking beyond incremental developments and funding the most creative, impactful ideas across all markets and areas of science and engineering”, said Andrea Belz, Division Director of Innovation and Partnerships at NSF.

The Stec RCI diesel exhaust system was developed as a solution to a problem that Schulz, a marine engineer, naval architect and founder of Shannon Boat Company in Bristol, R.I., encountered while working on his new design for a hybrid diesel-electric hydrofoil boat called the Shannon Amphfoil. In 2015 Schulz, along with many other boat building companies, expected that land-based SCR diesel exhaust systems would be suitable for marine vessels. While Schulz was in the testing phase on the Amphfoil it became quickly apparent that SCR, due to the required extreme heat, could not be used on the Amphfoil hydrofoil vessel. While certain models of the Amphfoil can be operated solely with electric motors powered by 100% emissions-free lithium batteries, Amphfoils designed for wind farm crew transfer use and government long-range operations are best suited as hybrid craft using electric motors and batteries recharged by diesel generators. Schulz’s goal of designing the Amphfoil to be a breakthrough vessel with reduced diesel exhaust emissions required his marine engineering expertise to develop the RCI system. This NSF/SBIR grant recognizes RCI’s vast potential to contribute to the reduction of pollution from diesel exhaust marine emissions on all types of vessels.

According to Stec’s website, marine vessels emit 40 times more greenhouse gases than cars and trucks on the road today. NOx and CO2 from the exhaust of marine craft have been identified as an increasingly important pollution issue. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 3 million people have died and countless more suffer respiratory problems due to toxic marine diesel engine emissions.

Schulz went on to say, “There are approximately 4 million diesel-powered boats in the world less than 200’/60m long with new boats being built every day. The diesel motors on these boats currently have no viable system to reduce NOx or CO2 emissions. Unlike other diesel gas emissions, a large percentage of harmful gases stay low in the troposphere damaging people’s lungs. Nitrogen oxide alone is considered a bigger health hazard than second-hand smoke from cigarettes. In addition, maritime transport worldwide is responsible for about 2.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually”.

Stec’s website also states, unlike automobiles, trucks and construction equipment that have government-mandated regulations controlling exhaust emissions, 98% of marine vessels under 200ft/60m have zero pollution abatement equipment installed on their respective diesel engines. Yet, in just the US alone, over 2 billion gallons of diesel fuel are burned in boats annually. For every gallon of diesel fuel burned by marine craft over 9 pounds of nitrogen oxides (NOx) are emitted into the air and water. This documented fact equates to over 100 million tons of dangerous NOx produced by boats annually in the USA marine sector based on 2018 statistics. When all the international marine vessels such as ferries, commercial craft and recreational boats that use diesel engines are included, the pollution statistics are staggering. NOx is an odorless and invisible poison gas that has been totally ignored by the marine industry and international governmental agencies throughout the world.

Stec will continue in the water RCI exhaust testing on their 32-foot test boat and construction of the prototype exhaust units take place at their facility in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Contact:
William Ramos, VP
STec Technology
19 Broad Common Road Bristol, RI 02809
401 253 2441 Mobile 401 639 9075
Email: [email protected]
www.stec-dev.com www.amphfoil.com www.shannonyachts.com

SOURCE: Stec Technology Inc.