ATTLEBORO - The Army has awarded an $860,000 contract to an Attleboro company to continue development of technologies to improve the efficiency and power output of military diesel engines and generators.

The funds go to Mechanology for additional research and development of its proprietary compressor and expander technologies, which will permit the company to work with manufacturers of military engines and generators on the project.

Fuel is expensive in a combat zone, and can cost the military $50 per gallon, experts say, and transporting fuel and maintaining supply chains can be dangerous.

Deploying the Mechanology device should reduce military fuel consumption while lowering the military's fuel expenses, the company says.

The funding is through an agreement between Mechanology and the Army Research Laboratory. "Our test results have been dramatic," Mechanology President Eric Ingersoll said.

"We are excited about the performance of our technology, and we are proud to be able to work with the Army Research Laboratory.

"With their cooperation and support we'll be able to continue developing our technology and adapt it to military engines," he said.

Working with the Department of Energy, Mechanology has developed and demonstrated a patented machine that can be adapted to improve engine power output.

The device enables an efficient and practical recovery of waste heat from the engine exhaust and coolant and converts that energy into additional power to turn the engine shaft.

Recycling the energy can increase the power of an engine by 15 percent to 25 percent, or it can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 10 percent to 15 percent, the company says.

The engines power the military's combat and transport vehicles, and also used to generate electrical power for modular hospitals and command centers in theaters such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

All of these engines are at best 30 percent to 40 percent efficient in converting fuel to usable power output, the company says.

The rest of the energy is converted into wasted heat that must be removed from the engine. When logistics and transportation are factored in, the cost of fuel can be as high as $50 to $200 a gallon in some theaters of operation.

The Mechanology technology can be adapted to a wide range of engines, and the company said it hopes its success with military use of its technology will eventually benefit the civilian economy while cutting civilian fuel consumption. "We're hoping that our success with military engines will be extended into other areas, so we can really promote energy efficiency nationwide," Ingersoll said.