HEADLINES
A Fuel-Saving, Carbon-Footprint-Reducing Option? By Ryan Gray
Diesel engines are generally more efficient than their gasoline
counterparts. But even at an improved 25 to 35 percent conversion of fuel chemical energy, diesel school bus operators are seeking in- creased efficiency as they struggle to make ends meet amid reduced budgets and skyrocketing fuel prices. One of the best ways to realize increased fuel mpg, and environmental benefits, is to increase the air-fuel mixture entering the combustion chamber, says a company new on the scene. Tat’s the premise behind the Vortex XS-Flo System, not to be
confused with the Vortec Cyclone or similar after-market products that promise to increase fuel economy or horse power on auto- mobiles. Vortex is not a fuel additive but a polyester-coated yellow piece of stainless steel that resembles a fan and is inserted into the air intake of a diesel turbo charger with two to three additional pieces added to the inter-cooler line coming from the engine. Te Vortex XS-Flo was first invented in Costa Rica in 2005 by en-
gineer Domingo Musmanni and patented in Brazil. Licensed since last year for manufacture and sale in the United States by Vortex G.E.T., LLC, the product was first tested on school buses in 2006 by Shelby County Public Schools in Columbiana, Ala., which realized a nearly 20-percent increase in fuel economy, from an average of 6.1 mph in 1999 and 2001 model-year Tomas Built Buses with Cummins 5.9 L V8 engines to 7.3 mpg after installing the Vortex XS-Flo. Mike Largin, Shelby County’s fleet operations manager said the price per mile also fell by almost 17 percent to $0.25. “We ended up putting it on 40 to 50 buses. What we intended
on doing was buying 20 of them and installing them and then later on buying 20 to 30 more and installing them,” said Largin. “We got that far, and then the [school] board cut us off on it,” he said. “Even though we could show we had saved a certain amount of fuel over a period of time, in which they would have paid for themselves, at the same time they didn’t want to come up with enough money to put them on all of them. Tey’d rather we maintain what we have.” Te district operates 390 school buses. At about $150 per unit,
and buses need two to three depending on the engine, the district would have needed $125,000 to $175,000 to outfit the entire fleet. “We were so impressed with them on the buses that we went
back and put them on all of our service trucks, and some of us even paid and put them on our personal trucks. I’m one of them,” added Largin, who retired last month. “When these chemical people come around, you can pour this in your fuel and it’ll do this and that; I’ve had so many of them I don’t want to see an- other one. But we were real impressed with this.” Te Alabama Department of Transportation ran similar tests
and saw fuel economy increase by 3 to 5 mpg in its fleet support vehicles, including Chevrolet C1500 pickups with 5.3 L engines, according to a June 21, 2006 letter written by Roger Williams, the equipment maintenance superintendent. Meanwhile, Ford F-350 trucks saw increases of 3 mpg, and Freightliner DD 60S with
24 School Transportation News Magazine July 2011
Tandem cabs increased by 2 mpg. At the time, Williams said he was in the process of ordering 287 units. Several calls to Williams went unreturned as of this writing. For years, companies such as Chiquita Brands, Pepsi and Dole
have used the Vortex XS-Flo in fleets operating in the Caribbe- an, Central America and South America. Dole recently certified the XS-Flo for use worldwide. Vito Collucci, managing partner of Vortex G.E.T., said it’s easier to track the cost savings on fleet vehicles like school buses because the routes and drivers tend to be the same every day. Additionally, diesel school buses generally aren’t equipped with mass-air sensors like some automobiles are. So far, he said the Vortex XS-Flo has been tested in the United
States by an EPA third-party company on gasoline-powered U.S. Postal Service vans and independently-tested on diesel-powered refrigerated containers for Crowley Maritime Corporation and an Evinrude Corporation distributor with similar results on outboard engines. And voiding warranties is not an issue, said Collucci. Still, 30-year industry veteran Craig Chananie, the fleet manager
for Clifton Public Schools just west of Passaic, N.J., was skeptical when approached by Collucci. It was only after Collucci had seen that the Clifton Board of Education showed interest in the product and agreed to do trial testing that he offered to donate the Vortex XS-Flo System for 27 of the district’s 49 buses, a $12,500 premium. Clifton runs all urban routes at low speeds with many stops, so Cha-
nanie said he had yet see data at higher speeds or on hilly roads. But he added the fleet is showing anywhere between 10 and 12 percent improved fuel economy. And the transportation budget is feeling the positive effects of “substantial savings.” Te fleet operates over a total of 400,000 miles each school year. Similar to how water spins down a drain, the XS-Flo delivers the
air-fuel mixture more quickly to the engine. But while the one-piece, stainless steel product resembles a tiny fan, there are no moving parts, and it doesn’t spin. Installation takes about 10 minutes. So far, the Vortex XS-Flo has increased fuel economy between
6 and 10 mpg. Te district runs several different bus models from different manufacturers, from Blue Birds to IC Bus to Tomas Built Buses. Chananie said he expects to install the XS-Flo throughout the fleet. He also said the product can be uninstalled from a bus, for example when it comes time to retire a vehicle per the district’s 12-year replacement cycle, such as model-year 2000 through 2002 Blue Bird on a GM chassis, and install it in a new bus. Te Vortex XS-Flo is also demonstrating reductions in the
fleet’s carbon footprint. Te City of Clifton said it figures to save 56 tons of solid carbon waste each year. ■
See a video of a Vortex XS-Flo install at Clifton (N.J.) Public Schools and an interview with Fleet Manager Craig Chananie in the August digital edition of School Transportation News. Visit
www.stnonline.com/magazine/recent-issues.
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