Advanced
Power Systems International Inc.
| COMPANY/LOCATION: |
Advanced Power Systems International Inc., Kent, Connecticut |
| PRODUCT: |
Hydrocarbon fuel combustion catalyst |
| YEARS IN BUSINESS: |
4 |
| EMPLOYEES: |
3 |
| SITUATION: |
Advanced Power Systems, a four-year-old start-up company that produces
the Fitch Fuel Catalyst, needed technical assistance with the analysis
of gasoline and diesel fuel before and after treatment with the company's
product. Advanced Power Systems was referred to the Oak Ridge Centers for
Manufacturing Technology after the company began a search for a secure
facility with the capability to conduct gas chromatography mass spectroscopy
(GC/MS). |
| PROJECT: |
Technical experts at the Advanced Propulsion Center at ORCMT conducted
the GC/MS analysis of the fuel. They provided the company with a written
report detailing the scientific basis for the combustion shift in the gasoline
and diesel, which allowed the company to see the reformulation of the fuel
brought on by the catalyst.
The analysis determined how the catalyst affected the composition of
the fuel by forming hydrocarbon products that burn more cleanly and efficiently,
resulting in increased fuel economy and reduced emissions. |
| RESULTS: |
Chris Wright, president of the company, said that the technical assistance
was excellent. He estimated that the assistance helped his company add
two new jobs in 1995 and possibly ten in 1996, and reduced production costs
by as much as $100,000 in 1995 and potentially up to $500,000 in 1996.
Wright indicated that the ORCMT assistance also helped his company increase
sales potential by up to $500,000 in 1995 and more than $1 million in 1996,
as the company increases its marketing presence in developing countries
with environmental and air quality concerns.
"Working with Oak Ridge gives us a greater degree of credibility. We
have been extremely pleased with the staff and the facility. We were very
pleased with the feedback, the quality of the people, and their technical
expertise," Wright said. |
Technical assistances provided to the private sector by the Oak Ridge
Centers for Manufacturing Technology (ORCMT) and its manufacturing extension
partners throughout the United States.
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