Argonne opens new vehicle test lab

Bob Larsen, director of Argonne's Center for Transportation Research, and US Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) study the four-whell-drive dynamometer system during the dedication ceremony on November 15. Courtesy of Argonne Web site.

• A four-wheel-drive dynamometer system, which allows road load simulation, monitoring, tractive effort, coastdown, and calibration modes for four-wheel-drive vehicles;
• An emissions-measurement system for gas- and diesel-powered vehicles, which provides particulate and criteria emissions measurement of exhausts at super ultra-low emissions vehicle levels;
• A data-acquisition system, designed for testing fuel-cell, hybrid-electric, and electric vehicles;
• A safety system for testing ventilation of hydrogen, hazardous gas, heat, and smoke; and
• An air-handling system that cleans and conditions test air and provides for ventilation and cooling.

Argonne National Laboratory, the nation's first national laboratory, conducts basic and applied scientific research across a spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology. The University of Chicago operates Argonne as part of the US Department of Energy's national laboratory system.

For more information, contact the Argonne National Laboratory: 630-252-2000; www.anl.gov.