Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/417162
SmartAir sets new standards for no-idle cooling Innovative design distinguishes Peterbilt system When Peterbilt engineers set out to devel- op a Peterbilt-proprietary no-idle cooling system, they did so with the knowledge that the market was already familiar with similar systems. The challenge they faced was to make theirs operate with minimal fuel con- sumption, improved efficiency and pay- load and a reduced footprint — aspira- tions that aren't entirely compatible. "We knew where the benchmarks were, where the bar was set with competitor prod- ucts and previous cooling systems we had offered," says Peterbilt Chief Engineer Landon Sproull. "We aimed to set new standards with our product." The result is the Peterbilt SmartAir system, a battery-based anti-idle cooling system that has been saving users thou- sands in fuel costs and helping customers achieve compliance with anti-idle laws nationwide since its 2012 launch. The development process, as often happens when Peterbilt engineers devel- op new products, began with engineers looking beyond the trucking industry. "We took a step back and looked at other industries, particularly the recre- ational vehicle industry," says Sproull. "That's not necessarily apples to apples because they tend to have the availabil- ity of more charging and plug-in facil- ities. But we were able to learn some things there." Sproull said his team also looked closely at diesel-powered APUs. While an idling engine can burn as much as 1.0 gallons of fuel per hour, a diesel-powered APU used for cooling purposes burns closer to 0.2 gallons per hour. But even that improvement failed to meet the expected changes in the stringent air quality standards set in California, where APUs would soon be expected to operate with aftertreatment systems of their own to reduce their emissions output. "So the question we asked is, 'How do you eliminate a running motor from the process completely?'" Sproull says. "The battery bank was the next best thing." Competitors were arriving at the same conclusion. And in fact, the Technology and Maintenance Council had come up with specifications for a no-idle system, and recommended that such a system should maintain an ambient temperature in a sleeper for a 10-hour period. Meeting this standard would require four batteries in addition to the four start- ing batteries usually present in a Class 8 tractor with a sleeper. But in the first of several design innovations that set the SmartAir system apart, it would employ four deep-cycle, 31-plate, absorbed glass mat PACCAR auxiliary batteries. "We tied our system together so that our no-idle system would draw from all batteries until the starting batteries reached 12.5 volts, or sufficient voltage to start the truck," Sproull says. "Then continued operation of the SmartAir system would pull only from the auxiliary batteries, until they reached 11.3 volts." The system exceeded TMC stan- dards by 30 minutes, according to Sproull. Competitor systems, which draw only from a bank of starting bat- teries, may require an automatic restart "The question we asked is, 'How do a running motor from the process — Landon Sproull SMARTAIR 16 l FIRST CLASS