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Fresh Sea Breeze

Delphi and Perko team up to help keep the sea breezes a little fresher—and help boat builders meet new evaporative emissions standards.

A relationship between a leader in evaporative emissions technology and a premier supplier of marine products is helping limit the amount of hydrocarbon vapors escaping into the environment from gasoline-powered boats.

Delphi, which has provided emissions canisters for vehicle manufacturers for more than 30 years, has leveraged that expertise to develop a marine evaporative emissions canister designed to capture hydrocarbon vapors that could otherwise escape from a boat's fuel system into the atmosphere. And Perko, Inc., with its established distribution network and reputation for quality in the marine industry, is a natural choice as the exclusive distributor. Together, Delphi and Perko are making it easy for boat manufacturers to re-engineer fuel systems to take advantage of the new technology.

And just in time, too.

With new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards set to take effect in 2010, boat manufacturers will be required to reduce evaporative emissions in boats with fixed fuel storage (i.e., with on-board fuel tanks) by 70 percent from current levels. Delphi's marine evaporative canisters can help achieve that target. The canisters also meet the California Air Resources Board's limits for hydrocarbon emissions, as well as other recommendations made by the American Boat and Yacht Council and the National Marine Manufacturers Association.

	Delphi Marine Evaporative Emissions Canister

These diurnal emissions standards are a new challenge to the marine industry. Perko serves more than 500 boat manufacturers, many with portfolios of 50 or more models. Most build fewer than 100 boats a year—potentially more than 5,000 unique fuel systems will need to be redesigned before the new standards take effect. Most boat builders simply do not have the sophisticated engineering expertise to meet the deadline. And neither Delphi nor Perko could satisfy the demand alone.

"This is a way for Delphi to share our expertise at minimizing evaporative emissions and demonstrate the value of Delphi evaporative emissions canisters," said Craig Grambush, marine industry account manager, evaporative emissions systems, Delphi Powertrain Systems. "Delphi has manufactured more than 200 million canisters for vehicles and attained high customer quality ratings. We committed to work with the EPA, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the American Boat and Yacht Council to develop the industry's marine canister program and now bring our high quality and reliability to marine fuel systems. Perko's vast knowledge of the marine manufacturing industry can help fuel tank manufacturers and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) implement strategies for meeting the new regulations. In some instances, tank manufacturers will supply system solutions to OEMs, and in other cases, OEMs will take on the responsibility of integrating separate components into a system themselves."

To help meet the new standards, new products are needed, including waterproof vents, special fills, and connection manifolds. Delphi and Perko are up to the task, combining in-house manufacturing capabilities and engineering resources. For more than 100 years, Miami-based Perko has provided a broad range of products to marine manufacturers, as well as to other industries. As the exclusive distributor of Delphi's marine evaporative canisters, Perko is able to offer its customers canisters that have been tested to stringent automotive standards for safety and reliability.

"Many of our customers have been with us for decades buying a broad range of our products—they know us well, have confidence in our products, and naturally look to us for help," said George Bellwoar, Perko vice president of sales and marketing. "Delphi's expertise in overall fuel system design and its willingness to work with our customers has already helped to reduce the impact of tough conversions. Plus, Delphi is doing a great job helping us train our sales force about the components needed in re-engineered fuel systems. Together, we have the right mix of products, engineering resources, manufacturing capabilities, an experienced sales force, and customer relationships. While we certainly have challenges ahead of us, I think we are perfectly positioned to meet them, and in the process help the industry provide consumers with better, safer products."

Getting its sea legs

Delphi began development of an evaporative canister for marine applications in 2005. Much of the technology is leveraged from vehicle evaporative canisters. In both designs, as fuel vapors enter the canister, hydrocarbon molecules in the vapors are attracted to the surfaces of a carbon bed.

To meet the unique demands of the marine environment, Delphi's marine canisters use a passive system to purge vapors, as opposed to an active system typically found in vehicle canisters. The canister is purged as fresh air is drawn in as the surrounding air cools, and the vapors are returned to the fuel tank.

"Emissions can occur during refueling, as well as during the daily heating and cooling of the fuel tank, known as a diurnal process," said Sue LaBine, chief engineer, Delphi Powertrain Canisters and Evaporative Controls, Delphi Powertrain Systems. "A boat tends not to be run as frequently as a vehicle, and can sit on a trailer or at a dock for extended times, allowing for the heating/cooling cycle to repeat many times, making the passive system the logical choice."

Another unique aspect of the marine canister design is the use of carbon pellets that meet higher water-resistant requirements than the pellets used in vehicle applications.

Finally, Delphi's marine canister bodies are constructed of extruded nylon rather than molded, enhancing the design flexibility to meet different shapes and sizes for various mounting requirements on the hull, fuel tank, or engine compartment. The extrusion process also is more cost-effective for the production quantities.

Delphi can provide canisters ranging in size from one to four liters, and can also be tailored to meet specific customer requirements.

Testing the waters

In addition to evaporative emissions canisters, Delphi produces other powertrain components for use in the marine market, including marine engine management systems that integrate air and fuel delivery sub-systems for improved quality and performance. Other Delphi products suited for the marine market include Navy mil-spec electrical and fiber optic connection systems and cable assemblies, custom interconnects for towed array applications, overmolded wire harnesses and cable assemblies, and custom ruggedized board-to-board interconnects.

"Our rich experience in the field may have been focused on the automotive market, but our marine evaporative emissions canisters are specifically optimized for marine applications," said Grambush. "They meet design, manufacture, test, and application guidelines and have been pre-tested to meet vibration, thermal, impact, vapor cycling, and humidity environment requirements. They have also been in-service tested in boat fleets."

Delphi produces millions of evaporative emissions canisters each year. And Delphi is the only canister supplier entering the marine market that can lay claim to 35 years of experience. In addition, Delphi boasts full engineering capabilities in North America and Europe, allowing it to help manufacturers meet evolving evaporative emissions regulations and support the global reduction of hydrocarbons.

"Delphi has been recognized as a leader in automotive emissions canisters for more than 30 years," said Grambush. "Now, thanks to our relationship with Perko, the leading supplier of combination fuel fills and vents, Delphi extends our expertise to the marine industry with a variety of environmentally friendly, cost-effective solutions in advance of changing regulations."

For more information about Delphi's Marine Evaporative Emissions Canisters, click here. For more information about Delphi and Perko's agreement, click here. Learn more about Delphi's Evaporative Emissions Canisters here or Delphi's Small Engine Evaporative Emissions Canisters here.

Note: Boats photo courtesy of Richard A. Cozier