PNNL

Kenneth Rappe, a chemical engineer at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), has been recognized by the United States Council for Automotive Research LLC—or USCAR—with a 2019 Research Partner Award.

USCAR was founded to further strengthen the technology base of the U.S. auto industry through cooperative research and development. The award recognizes external collaborators who have become essential members of USCAR teams, bringing depth of their home organizations and expanding USCAR’s circle of collaboration.

Rappe, along with collaborator Josh Pihl from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, received the honor “in recognition of contributions and collaborations as a member of the U.S. DRIVE Advanced Combustion & Emissions Control Tech Team.” His colleagues on the team from Fiat-Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors nominated the duo for the award.

Rappe and Pihl were recognized for their efforts leading the development of aftertreatment catalyst test protocols for the transportation industry. They co-authored protocols for testing three-way catalysts, diesel oxidation catalysts, storage catalysts, and NOx reduction catalysts—all topics that are valuable to USCAR industry partners.

“Each protocol took up to nine months of research and testing to complete,” said Rappe. “We were able to provide a full set of catalyst test protocols to enable standardized development of advanced aftertreatment technologies the automotive industry desperately needs to support highly efficient combustion while complying with applicable emission legislation.”

Their efforts also culminated in a journal article in Emission Control Science and Technology.

Rappe has been at PNNL since 1996 and currently manages PNNL’s exhaust aftertreatment portfolio for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office.