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Transport Refrigeration Unit, or TRU, is an example of a diesel emission source that will be regulated in the future. The TRU is used to provide refrigerated space during the transport of fruits, vegetables, meat, pharmaceuticals, beverages, and any other product that needs a temperature controlled environment while being transported. TRUs are used in all modes of transport, on rail cars, on ocean going shipping containers, over the road truck trailers and even on airplane Unit Load Devices. Policy making bodies, understanding the adverse effects of diesel emissions, noise pollution, and fuel consumption have started to pass legislation in an effort to curtail transport diesel emissions. At the local level many states as well as some municipalities have instituted policy designed to eliminate these sources of pollution.

In this paper a model of Trailer Refrigeration Units, TRUs, has been developed to quantify the fuel economy and emissions benefits of alternative power systems. Trailer refrigeration units (TRUs) are refrigeration systems typically powered by a separate diesel engine, and they are used to deliver fresh and frozen food products. The products can be very sensitive to temperature variation and maintaining the proper environment is very important. The diesel engines currently used to power the refrigeration system can contribute to high amount of local emissions at the loading warehouse. A promising future alternative is the use of fuel cell auxiliary power units (APUs). In this paper we have developed a MATLAB/Simulink based modeling of TRUs, and we have used the model to quantify the benefits of alternative power systems. The simulation model consists of an unsteady thermal modeling of TRUs that is coupled to the APU.

In recent years emission control agencies have turned their attention to to the cleanup of diesel engines, both mobile and stationary. This paper is one of the first attempts to characterize the load and emissions of a subsection of stationary diesel emissions, specifically Truck/Trailer Refrigeration Units (TRUs). These devices are used to keep refrigerated or frozen cargo cold when it is being shipped/delivered. Two general sizes of TRUs were tested, smaller TRUs for cooling box trucks, used for local deliveries, and large TRUs, used for long hauling and very large deliveries. After observing a matrix of these units over a large spectrum of temperatures it was found that, although there were multiple control strategies, they all heavily relied on pulling the trailer down to the set point temperature as fast as the engine and refrigeration unit would allow.

As part of a California Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) system demonstration and evaluation project [13], the authors and their industrial partners have conducted engine dynamometer emissions tests of SCR systems. The transient Federal Test Procedure (FTP) cycle and 13 Mode European Stationary Cycle (ESC) were conducted using certification diesel fuel with 300-500 ppm of sulfur. This paper reviews the performance of the first system to meet the goal of attaining 1 g/bhp-hr NOx emissions in the transient FTP cycle on a 1999 DDC Series 60 engine that has an initial 4 g/bhp-hr level. This paper discusses key characteristics of a typical automotive SCR system and then presents the results and analysis of the engine dynamometer emission testing of a SCR system. The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges involved in on-road operation of the system.

Line-haul truck engines are frequently idled to power hotel loads (i.e. heating, air conditioning, and lighting) during rest periods. Comfortable cabin climate conditions are required in order for mandatory driver rests periods to effectively enhance safety; however, the main diesel engine is an inefficient source of power for this conditioning. During idle, the diesel engine operates at less than 10% efficiency, consuming excess diesel fuel, generating emissions, and accelerating engine wear. One promising alternative is the use of small auxiliary power units (APUs), particularly fuel cell-based APUs. The Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS-Davis) developed an ADVanced VehIcle SimulatOR (ADVISOR)-based model to quantify the costs and benefits of truck fuel cell APUs. Differences in accessories, power electronics, and control strategy between the conventional engine idling and APUequipped systems are analyzed and incorporated into the model.

Recently public agencies have been promulgating idling bans in an effort to mitigate the environmental effects of heavy-duty truck idling. In order to make rational choices, regulators, manufacturers, and consumers will need to compare idling reduction strategies, such as truck stop electrification and auxiliary power units. Truck driver behaviors, such as idling time, idling location, and accessory use will significantly influence the cost-effectiveness of the various technology options. Truck driver attitudes toward idling and idling alternatives will influence adoption of the technologies. A pilot survey of 233 line-haul truck drivers was administered in Northern California as the first step in assessing truck driver behaviors and attitudes related to idling. Initial findings reveal that line-haul truck drivers idle primarily to power climate control.

At the present time there are rapid changes occurring in the fleets of transit buses that are used in cities. These changes involve improvements in conventional diesel buses, Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, and more recently hybrid electric vehicles. In order to evaluate the performance of the transit buses, driving cycles have been developed, and two of the most popular are the New York City, NYC, and the Central Business District, CBD. These cycles have proven to be very valuable for predicting both performance and emissions of the transit buses, however they do not well characterize some of the unique characteristics of certain cities, such as San Francisco with its hills and high grade. In this paper we present the results of Chassis dynamometer measurements and modeling of the performance of four different types of transit buses on the typical grades that exist in San Francisco.

In the immediate future the introduction of a wider variety of fuel types will play a significant role in reducing emissions and in solving the energy needs of the transportation industry. Both compressed natural gas, CNG, and hydrogen are expected to play significant roles, and the present paper shows that these fuels, when used together, can offer large benefits in NOx emissions. Significant reductions in NOx emissions will be required for CNG transit buses and heavy duty trucks, if they are to meet the future stringent emissions standards that come into effect in the year 2007. In the present paper we have applied a newly developed engine model with detailed chemical reactions to predict the “in cylinder” production to NOx under realistic engine conditions.

This paper presents model-based predictions of the performance of diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), and hybrid buses on bus routes in the City of San Francisco. The bus route details were obtained by recording time-series measurements of speed and grade during actual runs of buses on the city streets under different traffic conditions. The transit buses' physical and mechanical characteristics were obtained from manufacturers' data and chassis dynamometer testing of the buses on different city cycles. Both the bus routes and the bus performance characteristics were put into the simulation package ADVISOR from the National Renewal Energy Laboratory (NREL). The most extreme results were for the San Francisco routes that have high grades. The high grades cause performance and emissions problems for both the diesel and CNG buses relative to the hybrid bus.

In the last five years, there have been multiple demonstrations of fuel cell auxiliary power units (APUs) which provide power in lieu of idling of the main vehicle engine. The Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California Davis has designed and evaluated a retrofitted, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell APU for powering accessories in heavy-duty truck cabs. The performance objectives for the system were determined based on truck driver feedback and industry design guidelines. The final FC APU system was developed to run for 3 days between refueling at a power output of 1.8 kW. The primary goals were to utilize exclusively commercially available components and to minimize costs. This paper discusses the performance targets, design tradeoffs, and evaluation of the developed system.