The CLEERS Focus Group was established under the auspices of the DOE Advanced Engine Crosscut Team to promote collaboration and information sharing among the Crosscut Team member institutions and their partners from emissions control companies, universities and DOE national laboratories.  The primary mechanism for interaction among the Focus Group participants is through regularly scheduled teleconferences open only to Focus Group members.  The teleconferences usually center on technical slide presentations from recognized emission control experts on recent advances (often pre-publication) in emission control technology development and modeling. Example discussion topics include:

• Computational simulations concerning the impact of kinetic, physical and numerical parameters of emissions control devices on vehicle fuel efficiency and emissions performance;
• Experimental data from laboratory flow reactor and engine dynamometer experiments;
• Proposed experimental protocols for characterizing new emissions control catalysts and materials; and
• New instrumentation and diagnostic procedures for revealing details about chemical and physical mechanisms.

In order to promote sharing of non-competitive technical information among members, participation in the Focus Group is limited to Crosscut Team member institutions and their collaborators among emissions control suppliers, universities, and national laboratories. Participation by non-Crosscut Team organizations in Focus Group activities is contingent upon endorsement by at least one Crosscut Team member company. Member organizations are expected to provide technical contributions to the Focus Group by giving teleconference presentations, participating in technical discussions, and providing feedback to the CLEERS Coordinating Committee regarding topics for Focus Groups discussions and overall emissions control R&D priorities.