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Pursuing Commercialization Proving the technology works


is one thing; establishing a path to commercial feasibility is another. REL Inc., with the success of its ARPA-E project, believes it has solved the first half of the equation; the cast A206 aluminum tank can improve CNG storage. Now, the goal is to produce the tanks in a commer- cially viable way. “It’s important to find resources to make that transition,” Adam Loukus said. “Who’s going to help you go from proving out the technology to getting prototypes out on the road?” Now that REL Inc. is approach- ing the end of its participation in ARPA-E, the company has reached a partnership with Houston-based Southwestern Energy (SWN), the third largest producer of natural gas in the continental U.S. Improving CNG storage and use in automobiles


and trucks holds obvious commercial appeal for SWN, which led to the company’s $2.1-million, three-year investment in December 2014. “We want to get the tank under


the bed,” said John Gargani, vice president, SWN. “Tanks today sit in the bed and take up a lot of the space, which is a drawback to the consumer.” Michigan Technology Univ.,


Houghton, Michigan, also will participate in the project by help- ing to optimize materials used for the tank. MTU will conduct test- ing of the castings after they are produced by REL Inc. “Tere will be mechanical engi-


neering and materials science stu- dents and faculty working together at Tech,” said Greg Odegard, professor of computational mechanics, MTU. “Once the tank is fabricated, REL will give it back to us and we’ll test


it—put it on a pickup truck, mount it, drive it around. REL and Michigan Tech are positioned ideally to develop this tank.” With its own fleet of CNG


vehicles, SWN has the potential to be REL Inc.’s first customer. A more environmentally friendly fuel than gasoline, CNG is also more affordable, costing drivers between $1-$1.50 per gallon. While recent decreases in gas prices limit cost savings in the near future, CNG’s cost savings compared to gasoline are expected to be a major advantage of the altneratively fueled vehicles in the long-term. “We have proven the technology is


viable,” Adam Loukus said. “Te next step is a matter of making it competi- tive. I think this project has shown a lot of potential. Now it’s about improving our processes and materi- als so these castings are the best we can produce.” ■


Mar/Apr 2016 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 25


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