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A series of chassis dynamometer test trials were conducted to assess the performance of a Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) system developed for on-road vehicle exhaust emissions measurements. Trials used a EURO 1 emission compliant SI passenger car which, alongside the FTIR, was instrumented to allow the routine logging of engine speed, road speed, throttle position, air-fuel ratio, air flow and fuel flow in addition to engine, exhaust and catalyst temperatures. The chassis dynamometer facility incorporated an ‘industry standard’ measurement system comprising MEXA7400 gas analyzer and CVS bag sampling which was the ‘benchmark’ for the evaluation of FTIR legislated gas-phase emissions (CO, NOx, THC and CO2) measurements. Initial steady state measurements demonstrated strong correlations for CO, NOx and THC (R2 of 0.99, 0.97 0.99, respectively) and a good correlation for CO2 (R2 = 0.92).

Exhaust emissions were measured under real world urban driving conditions using a set of in-vehicle FTIR emission measurement system, which is able to measure 65 emission components simultaneously at a rate of 0.5 Hz. The test vehicle was a EURO 2 emission compliant SI car equipped with real time fuel consumption measurement and temperature measurement along the exhaust pipe across the catalyst allowing the matching of thermal characteristics to emission profiles and monitor fuel consumption. The temperature profile indicated that the light-off of the catalyst took about 150∼200 seconds. The warm up of the lubricating oil and coolant water required a longer time than the catalyst did. The impact of ambient temperatures on lubricating oil and coolant water warm ups was greater than that on the light-off of the catalyst. The heat loss and energy balance were calculated during the whole cycle period. The influence of cold start on fuel consumption was investigated.

Condensable and gaseous hydrocarbon emissions and speciation of the hydrocarbons have been investigated using a EURO1 emissions compliant SI (Spark Ignition) car. Exhaust gas samples were simultaneously collected upstream and downstream of the catalyst using a system containing cold ice trap, resin, particulate filter block and Teflon gas sampling bag. GC (Gas Chromatography) was employed to analyze for hydrocarbons and 16 of the more significant hydrocarbons are reported. The test was carried out using both cold start and hot start driving cycles. Results show that the benzene and toluene were major species emitted from the tailpipe under cold start conditions. Methylnaphthalene was a dominated hydrocarbon under hot start conditions. The cold start had significant influence on hydrocarbon emissions. The catalyst out benzene emissions for cold start was thirty times higher than that for hot start.

An in-vehicle FTIR emission measurement system was used to investigate the exhaust emissions under different real world urban driving conditions. Five different driving cycles were developed based on real world urban driving conditions including urban free flow driving, junction maneuver, congested traffic and moderate speed cruising. The test vehicle was a EURO 2 emission compliant SI car equipped with temperature measurement along the exhaust pipe across the catalyst and real time fuel consumption measurement system. Both regulated and non-regulated emissions were measured and analyzed for different driving cycles. All journeys were started from cold. The engine warm up features and emissions as a function of engine warm up for different driving conditions were investigated.

An investigation was conducted into particulate PAH emissions from a heavy duty DI diesel engine using; a typical diesel fuel, 100% methyl ester derived from waste cooking oils, and 100% rapeseed oil supplied as fresh cooking oil. This study quantifies the particulate PAH levels emitted at two steady state load conditions, with comparison of the oxidation catalyst efficiency for the main species identified. The engine used was a 6 cylinder, turbocharged, intercooled Perkins Phaser engine, with emission compliance of EURO 2. Particulate samples were also analysed for VOF and carbon content. Both biofuels resulted in reductions in the most abundant particulate PAH species, particularly at the lower load condition. Larger species such as Benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene and benzo (k)fluoranthene were detectable for all fuels upstream of the catalyst but were oxidized to near or below detection limits downstream of the catalyst.

EURO 1, 2 3 and 4 SI (Spark Ignition) Ford Mondeo passenger cars were compared for their real world cold start emissions using an on-board FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) exhaust emission measurement system. The FTIR system can measure up to 65 species including both regulated and non-regulated exhaust pollutants at a rate of 0.5 Hz. The driving parameters such as speed, fuel consumption and air/fuel ratio were logged. The coolant water, lube oil and exhaust temperatures were also recorded. A typical urban driving cycle including a loop and a section of straight road was used for the comparison test as it was similar to the legislative ECE15 urban driving cycle. Exhaust emissions were calculated for the whole journey average and compared to EU legislation. The cold start transient emissions were also investigated as a separate parameter and this was where there was the greatest difference between the four vehicles.

This work investigates the heating of unprocessed rapeseed oil as a means to improve fuel delivery by reducing the fuel viscosity, and to assess the effects on combustion performance. The results show that a simple low power heater with thermal insulation around the fuel line and pump can effectively raise the operational fuel temperature at delivery to the pump. The results show that even with a moderate temperature increase, the fuel flow limitations with rapeseed oil are reduced and the legislated gaseous emissions are reduced at steady state conditions. As one of the main reasons for the conversion of straight oils to the methyl ester, ie biodiesel, is to reduce the viscosity, this work shows that heating the oil can have a similar effect. An emissions benefit is observed with biodiesel compared to rapeseed oil but this is not large. There is also a significant greenhouse gas and cost benefit associated with straight vegetable oils.

An on-board emission measurement system (PEMS), the Horiba OBS 1300, was installed in Euro 1-4 SI cars of the same model to investigate the impact of vehicle technology on exhaust emissions, under urban driving conditions with a fully warmed-up catalyst. A typical urban driving loop cycle was used with no traffic loading so that driver behavior without the influence of other traffic could be investigated. The results showed that under real world driving conditions the NOx emissions exceeded the legislated values and only at cruise was the NOx emissions below the legislated value. The higher NOx emissions during real-world driving have implications for higher urban Ozone formation. With the exception of the old EURO1 vehicle, HC and CO emissions were under control for all the vehicles, as these are dominated by cold start issues, which were not included in this investigation.

A Euro 2 SI (Spark Ignition) Mondeo was investigated for a fully warmed-up vehicle on a simple urban driving loop. Emissions were monitored using an on-board Horiba OBS (On-Board emission measurement System) 1300. 10 laps of a 0.6 km loop were driven by each driver and this involved 4 junctions per lap. Statistical analysis of 20 drivers was made over 27 repeat junction events for each driver. The statistical analysis of the data showed that for all drivers the CO₂, speed and throttle position were more typical Gaussian in their distribution. NOx and CO on the other hand were lognormal in their distribution. Acceleration, positive and negative throttle jerks (rate of change of throttle angle) were borderline Gaussian. HC (Hydrocarbon) emissions were not Gaussian and there was some evidence for a gamma distribution and for a lognormal distribution. Comparison of mean HC emissions between the drivers was therefore not reliable.

The emissions from vehicles in real world driving are of current concern, as they are often higher than on legislated test cycles and this may explain why air quality in cities has not improved in proportion to the reduction in automotive emissions. This has led to the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) legislation in Europe. RDE involves journeys of about 90km with roughly equal proportion of urban, rural and motorway driving. However, air quality exceedances occur in cities with urban congested traffic driving as the main source of the emissions that deteriorate the air quality. Thus, the emissions measured on RDE journeys may not be relevant to air quality in cities. A Temet FTIR and Horiba exhaust flow measurement system was used for the mass emissions measurements in a Euro 4 SI vehicle. A 5km urban journey on a very congested road was undertaken 29 times at various times so that different traffic congestion was encountered.

Different driving test cycles, the Leeds-West Park (LWP) loop and the Leeds-High Park (LHP) or HPL-A and B (Leeds-Hyde Park Loop-A or B, hereafter referred as HPL-A or B cycle) loop were selected for this urban intersection research and results are presented in this study. Different emissions-compliant petrol passenger cars (EURO 1, 2, 3 and 4) were compared for their real-world emissions. A reasonable distance of steady state speed was needed and for the analysis made in this paper were chosen vehicle speeds at ~20, ~30 and ~40 km/h. Specific spot of periods of driving at the speeds mentioned above were identified, then the starting and ending point was found and the total emissions in g for that period divided by the distance was calculated. A typical urban driving cycle including a loop and a section of straight road was used for the comparison test as it was similar to the legislative ECE15 urban driving cycle.

The Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emission from a EURO 3 diesel van over a real-world driving cycle were investigated utilizing part of the Leeds University - Headingly Ring Road (LU-HR) driving cycle, which comprises both an urban (congested) and extra-urban (high speed) driving section. The vehicle used in this research was a 1.8-liter Ford Connect TDCi diesel van. Emissions were monitored by a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) incorporating an on-board FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) exhaust emission measurement system, a Horiba On Board emissions measuring System (OBS 1300) which measured the exhaust flow rate and air/fuel ratio, and a RaceLogic VBOX II differential GPS system provided geographical position, speed and acceleration data. Route topography is known to have substantial influence on vehicle emission.

The objective of this work was the development of an on-road in-vehicle emissions measurement technique utilizing a relatively new, commercial, portable Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR) Spectrometer capable of identifying and measuring (at approximately 3 second intervals) up to 51 different compounds. The FTIR was installed in a medium class EURO1 spark ignition passenger vehicle in order to measure on-road emissions. The vehicle was also instrumented to allow the logging of engine speed, road speed, global position, throttle position, air-fuel ratio, air flow and fuel flow in addition to engine, exhaust and catalyst temperatures. This instrumentation allowed the calculation of mass-based emissions from the volume-based concentrations measured by the FTIR. To validate the FTIR data, the instrument was used to measure emissions from an engine subjected to a real-world drive cycle using an AC dynamometer.

Small diesel engines are a common primer for micro and mini-grid systems, which can supply affordable electricity to rural and remote areas, especially in developing countries. These diesel generators have no exhaust after-treatment system thus exhaust emissions are high. This paper investigates the potential of introducing simulated synthetic gas (syngas) to diesel in a small diesel engine to explore the opportunities of widening fuel choices and reducing emissions using a 5.7kW single cylinder direct injection diesel generator engine. Three different simulated syngas blends (with varying hydrogen content) were prepared to represent the typical syngas compositions produced from downdraft gasification and were injected into the air inlet. In-cylinder pressure, ignition delay, premixed combustion, combustion stability, specific energy consumption (SEC), and gaseous and particle emissions were measured at various power settings and mixing ratios.

Mass weighted size distributions of particulate emissions as a function of oil age were investigated using a set of Anderson Impactors on an IDI passenger car engine test. This engine was fitted with an on-line bypass lubricating oil recycler aiming to extend the oil life, reduce fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. A stop start test cycle was used with a cold start each time and a typical cycle period of 2∼3 hours. The whole test was carried out for nearly 500 hours. The first 310 hours of testing were with the oil recycler fitted and thereafter the test continued with the oil recycler disconnected. The results show that 60∼80% of mass particulates were smaller than 1.1 μm in aerodynamic diameter with the oil recycler fitted and this percentage was reduced to 40∼60% after disconnection of the oil recycler. The changes in size distribution with oil age mainly happened in the size ranges of 1.1∼0.65 μm, 0.65∼0.43 μm and <0.43 μm.

The influence of ambient temperature on exhaust emissions for an instrumented Euro 1 SI car was determined for urban congested traffic conditions. In UK cities cold-starting vehicles directly into congested traffic conditions is a common occurrence that is not currently taken into account when modeling urban traffic pollution. In-vehicle emission samples were taken directly from the exhaust, upstream and downstream of the catalyst, using the bag sampling technique. The first bag was for the cold start emissions and approximately the first 1.1 km of travel. The following three bags were with a hotter catalyst. The cold start tests were conducted over a year, with ambient temperatures ranging from 2°C to 30°C. The results showed that CO emissions for the cold start were reduced by 70% downstream of the catalyst when the ambient temperature rose from 2°C to 30°C. The corresponding hydrocarbon emissions were reduced by 41% and NOx emissions were increased by 90%.

A method of cleaning diesel engine lubricating oil on-line was investigated using a bypass fine particulate filter followed by an infra-red heater to remove water vapour and light diesel fractions in the oil. The impact of this oil recycler on the gaseous and particulate emissions was investigated over a 300 hour oil age period. A Ford 1.8 litre IDI passenger car diesel engine was used with engine out emission sampled every 15-20 hours. The tests were carried out at 2500rpm (52% of the maximum speed) and 12.3 kW with 47 Nm load (43% of the maximum load and 29% of the maximum power). The EGR level at this condition was 15%. A stop start test cycle was used with a cold start each time and a typical test period of 2-3 hours. The results showed that the recycler had its greatest influence on emissions for fresh oil when there was a large reduction in particulate emissions due mainly to large reductions in the ash, carbon and unburned lubricating oil fractions.

SYNOPSIS A method of cleaning the oil on line was investigated using a bypass fine particulate filter followed by an infra red heater to remove water and light diesel fractions in the oil. This was tested on a range of on road vehicles and a Ford 1.8 litre IDI passenger car engine on a test bed. Comparison was made with the oil quality on the same vehicles and engines without the on-line recycler. Test times were from 200 to 1500 hours of oil ageing and some of the tests showed that the oil quality was still good after 4 times the normal oil life. The results showed that the on line oil recycler cleaning system reduced the rate of fall of the TBN and rate of increase of the TAN. There was a very significant reduction in the soot in oil and the fuel dilution. There was also a consistent reduction in all the wear metals apart from copper and a decrease in the rate of reduction of oil additives. There was also measured on the Ford IDI engine a 5% reduced fuel consumption.

TWC exposure to extreme temperature could result in irreversible damage or thermal failure. Thus, a strategy embedded in the engine control unit (ECU) called catalyst overheating protection (COP) will be activated to prevent TWC overheating. When COP is activated, the command air-fuel ratio will be enriched to cool the catalyst monolith down. Fuel enrichment has been proven a main prerequisite for ammonia formation in hot TWCs as a by-product of NOx reduction. Hence, COP events could theoretically be a source of post-catalyst ammonia from petrol vehicles, but this theory is yet to be confirmed in published literature. This paper validated this hypothesis using a self-programmed chassis-level test. The speed of the test vehicle was set to constant while the TWC temperature was raised stepwise until a COP event was activated.