Pictured above: (l-r) Andy Clarke (Loughborough University), Lord Stafford and Trevor Fletcher (MD Hardstaff Group)

A patented 'dual fuel' injection system for diesel Heavy Goods Vehicles is set to put a Nottingham based transport technology firm in the running for a regional innovation prize.

The Hardstaff Group's Oil-Ignition-Gas-Injection (OIGI®) system, further developed in collaboration with Loughborough University, has been shortlisted in the Innovation for Sustainability category at the 2010 Lord Stafford Awards after demonstrating its ability to cut engine CO2 emissions by up to 20%.

These reduced emission levels are achieved by substituting around 70% of the diesel fuel used by an HGV with natural gas which burns more cleanly within the engine.  CO2 savings are effectively doubled when fossil based gas is replaced by sustainable bio-methane (renewable natural gas).

Issues surrounding power output, fuel economy and overall durability have all been solved during development as OIGI® does not require access to the manufacturer's Engine Control Unit (ECU), thereby ensuring the integrity of built in onboard systems.

Extensive work was also undertaken by a dedicated team at Loughborough to optimise injector efficiency within the system.  A bespoke gas flow test rig based on an HGV cylinder head was built; allowing design theories to be tested in-house with developments later trialled on a vehicle at Hardstaff's rolling road facility.  

The link with Hardstaff has been of great benefit to the university, helping it build a reputation for excellence in dual fuel research that has led to it being commissioned by the Technology Strategy Board to work on a two-litre engine design.  

Trevor Fletcher, Managing Director of the company, expressed his delight at the nomination:  "The short-listing represents an acknowledgement of the time and money invested over a number of years and provides a boost to the whole company and staff, who have gone beyond normal duty to maintain the development for nearly five years."

He continued: "We have proved that the 20% reduction in emissions is possible by running the system on our own fleet of vehicles over the last 7 years and through continued collaboration with the university it has been developed to the point where it can be retro-fitted to existing vehicles made by other manufacturers.  This has increased the potential market for OIGI® massively."

This widened field of application has led to the company being appointed as a specialist dealer by Mercedes-Benz, who is supplying new vehicles to be converted to the system.  Many existing vehicles are being adapted to OIGI® by leading UK and European fleet operators.  

The technology has also been distributed as far afield as South America, giving the company genuine hopes of a worldwide impact.

"The system has been very successful up to this point and the support of Mercedes-Benz is a major fillip for us. With OIGI® proven across a large number of diesel HGV engines we are pushing on with plans to bring this technology to road cars," said Trevor.

To this end the company has recently purchased a site in Wales complete with 21,000 tonne liquid natural gas storage with a view to it becoming a centre of excellence in the field of bio-methane research.

Established in 1861, the Hardstaff Group has an annual turnover of £20m and provides solutions across a broad spectrum of applications in the industrial transport field.  

Operating from its state of the art Kingston-on-Soar Headquarters it employs around 230 people in the four business arms that make up the group.

In addition to the solid support from Mercedes-Benz, OIGI® technology is under development in industrial vehicles from such manufacturers as Volvo, Iveco and DAF, all of whom are interested in employing the system in order to cut their own carbon emissions. 

Awards Patron Lord Stafford said: "The Awards are an opportunity to show how the region has moved ahead in terms of innovation and collaboration, linking businesses with our world-class universities to encourage knowledge transfer and deliver innovative products, processes and services.

"This partnership between the Hardstaff Group and Loughborough University is a perfect example and this project thoroughly deserves it's nomination in this year's awards."

The winners of the awards, which cover 'Innovation Achieved', 'Innovation in Development' and 'Innovation for Sustainability', will be announced at a high-profile finale on September 9thth at Athena in Leicester.

Sponsors for the event include the East Midlands Development Agency, the East Midlands Universities Association, CFE, Connect Midlands, epm: technology ltd, Swindell and Pearson, Leicester and Leicestershire Leadership Group and the Enterprise Europe Network.

For further information, visit www.thelordstaffordawards.co.uk