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Increasing concern, about the health risk due to solid aerosols from engine combustion, has provoked more stringent imission limits, for soot particles in the range of pulmonary intrusion, at critical work-places (e.g. tunnel sites, see Table 1). Within the scope of the joint European project VERT, these emissions were characterized and their effective curtailment through exhaust gas after-treatment investigated. Diesel engines, irrespective of design and operating point, emit solid particulates in the range of 100 nm, at concentrations above 10 million particulates per cm3. Engine tests showed that a drastic curtailment of pulmonary intruding particulates seems not feasible by further development of the engine combustion, nor by reformulation of fuels, nor by deployment of oxidation catalytic converters. Particulate traps, however, can curtail the total solid particulate count, in the fine particulate range 15-500 nm, by more than two orders of magnitude.

Particulate traps are mechanical devices for trapping soot, ash and mineral particles, to curtail emissions from Diesel engines. The filtration effectiveness of traps can be defined, independent of the pertinent engine, as a function of the particle size, space velocity and operating temperature. This method of assessment lowers cost of certifying traps for large-scale retrofitting projects [1,2]. VERT [3] is a joint project of several European environmental and occupational health agencies. The project established a trap-verification protocol that adapts industrial filtration standards [4] to include the influence of soot burden and trap regeneration phenomena. Moreover, it verifies possible catalytic effects from coating substrates and deposited catalytic active material from engine wear or fuel/ lubricant additives.

Diesel engines are irreplaceable in tunnel construction. The particulate emissions of present day engines are so high that the imission limits valid since 1991 cannot be attained by ventilation alone. This problem had to be solved preparatory to the large tunnel projects in Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Several retro-fitting measures were investigated both in the laboratory and in field tests, within the scope of the Project VERT. Oxidation catalytic converters, exhaust gas recirculation, and the usage of special fuels cannot be recommended. Particulate trap deployment, in different systems, was mostly successful. Particular attention was focused on the dependable filtration of finest particulates < 200 nm. The VERT proved that exhaust gas after-treatment with particulate traps is feasible, cost effective and controllable in the field. Pertinent directives are in discussion.

There is growing concern about the risk potential of Diesel particulates. This prompted two Swiss R&D projects focused on the capabilities of different soot trap concepts for filtering finest particulates. Eight different filter media, some in numerous variants, were tested on four different Diesel engines. All traps attained their gravimetric target. However, there are noticeable performance differences for finest particulates at or smaller than 50 nm. Fiber deep filters seem to be noticeably better than other filter types. If the carcinogens are mainly the finest particulates, then this criterion may become important in future trap evaluation.

The acceleration response of a supercharged diesel engine passenger car, equipped with a particulate trap, is studied using a simulation program. The superchargers evaluated are the Comprex(R) pressure-wave supercharger as well as turbochargers with fixed and variable-geometry. The particulate trap is placed before the supercharger to promote the trap regeneration and to reduce the pumping gas-exchange work. Particulate traps currently used are such a large thermal sink that the acceleration response is unacceptable. There are promising innovations in progress to develop a particulate trap with less than a quarter of the present mass. The computations demonstrate that the acceleration response should then be acceptable.

Ceramic fibers, in a knitted structure, offer an elastic deep-filter medium having a very high specific surface. The robustness of this trap, and its invulnerability to thermo-shock, was demonstrated during a further year of development and tests. By using new manufacturing techniques, the filtration efficiency was further improved, pressure losses reduced, and the required volume diminished. New insight was obtained regarding the employment of the fiber medium for catalysis. The filter concept permits regeneration either electrically or by fuel-additives. The layout versatility facilitates deployment on vehicular and stationary engines, in the pre-turbo position, too.

The Comprex(R) is a pressure-wave supercharger (PWS) for passenger car diesel engines. It has many features which ideally suit it for the continually increasing demands on driveability, fuel economy and reduction of exhaust pollutants. To counter the disadvantages of the previously required belt drive, a free-running machine was developed. It is self driven by the kinetic energy of the exhaust gas; made possible by employing a rotor having reduced inertia. In addition to the well known Comprex features, this advanced development offers advantages such as rapid response, high efficiency, compactness and freedom in placement. The paper discusses the design of the free-running PWS, its construction, supercharging characteristics and preliminary experience.

New Diesel exhaust gas aftertreatment systems, with combined DPF*) and deNOx (mostly SCR) systems represent a very important step towards zero emission Diesel fleet. These combined systems are already offered today by several suppliers for retrofitting of HD vehicles. Reliable quality standards for those quite complex systems are urgently needed to enable decisions of several authorities. The present report informs about the international network project VERT *) dePN (de-activation, de-contamination, disposal of particles and NOx), which was started in Nov. 2006 with the objective to introduce the SCR-, or combined DPF+SCR-systems in the VERT verification procedure. Examples of results for some of the investigated systems are given. These investigations included parameters, which are important for the VERT quality testing: besides the regulated gaseous emissions several unregulated components such as NH3, NO2 and N2O were measured.

1 Small scooters are very much used in the congested centers of the European cities. Even if there is a continuous technical progress, the small two-wheelers are a remarkable source of air pollution. During the research programs of the Swiss Federal Office of Environment Forests and Landscape (FOEFL) - and as a contribution to the European project ARTEMIS *) analysis of limited and nonlimited emissions of scooters was performed. Exhaust emissions measurements of two Scooters: 4-stroke 125 cc and 2-stroke 50 cc have been performed with and without catalyst. Identical driving cycles have been repeated and the influence of the cooling duration on limited the emissions at cold start was investigated. A cold start in the temperature range of 20 - 25 °C can be regarded as a “summer cold start”. As nonlimited emissions the nanoparticulate emissions at cold and warm operating conditions were measured by means of SMPS, ELPI and NanoMet *).

1 During the research programs of the Swiss Federal Office of Environment Forests and Landscape (FOEFL) - and as a contribution to to the European project ARTEMIS*) analysis of limited and nonlimited emissions of motorcycles was performed. Exhaust emissions measurements of two motorcycles without catalyst: 4-stroke 750 cc and 1100 cc have been performed in the present work. Identical driving cycles have been repeated and the influence of the cooling duration on the emissions at cold start was investigated. A cold start in the temperature range of 20 ÷ 25 °C can be regarded as a “summer cold start”. As nonlimited emissions the nanoparticulate emissions at cold and warm operating conditions were measured by means of SMPS and NanoMe**). The measurements were performed at steady state and at transient operating conditions. The present work cleared up several details about the emissions of strong motorized motorcycles.

1 Sequential multipoint portinjection of compressed natural gas (CNG) offers several advantages to CNG-engines. With the Trans-Valve-Injection system (TVI) a high speed gas jet is pulsed from the intake port through the open intake valve into the combustion chamber, where it causes effects of turbulence and charge stratification particularly at engine part load operation. The system is able to diminish the cyclic variations and to expand the limit of lean operation of the engine. The flexibility of gas pulse timing offers the potential advantage of lower emissions and fuel consumption. The TVI-System including special two-stage injectors was developed at Lucerne School of Engineering. In the present project this system was tested on a 2.8 litre natural aspirated CNG-IVECO-engine, at the Biel School of Engineering, Switzerland.

Most particulate traps efficiently retain soot of diesel engine exhaust but the potential hazard to form secondary emissions has to be controlled. The Diesel Particle Filter (DPF) regeneration is mainly supported by metal additives or metallic coatings. Certain noble or transition metals can support the formation of toxic secondary emissions such as Dioxins, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), Nitro-PAH or other volatile components. Furthermore, particulate trap associated with additive metals can penetrate through the filter system or coating metals can be released from coated systems. The VERT test procedure was especially developed to assess the potential risks of a formation of secondary pollutants in the trap. The present study gives an overview to the VERT test procedure. Aspects of suitability of different fuel additives and coating metals will be discussed and examples of trap and additive induced formation of toxic secondary emissions will be presented.

Transport Refrigeration Units (TRU) powered by small diesel engines emit high PM and cause locally high PM levels. The concomitant health risks spurred efforts to devise a cost-effective curtailment of these emissions. Diesel particulate filters (DPF) of ceramic honeycomb construction very efficiently trap PM emissions, even ultrafines in the lung penetrating size range of below 300 nm. A fuel borne catalyst (FBC) can facilitate trap regeneration, by lowering the exhaust temperature requirements, but cannot alone guarantee reliable regeneration under all operating conditions of the TRU. A Swiss development team together with industrial partners therefore developed a fully automatic active regeneration system for the California Air Resources Board.

Metallic substances, usually added to fuel as organic compounds are, as fuel additives proven to curtail particulate emissions from diesel engines and, as fuel borne catalysts (FBC), to promote regeneration of particle traps. During combustion, these substances form catalytic metal oxides and exit the combustion chamber as ultra-fine solid clusters in the mobility diameter range of 5-30 nm. Particles of this size and composition have a health impact and should not enter the respiratory air. FBC should therefore only be used together with particle traps, which can efficiently collect these metal oxide particles at all operating conditions. This and other requirements are stipulated in the VERT suitability tests for particle trap systems. The approval procedure includes a particle size-specific analysis to verify trap penetration in trace quantities.

Four of these Particulate Reduction Systems (PMS) were tested on a passenger car and one of them on a HDV. Expectation of the research team was that they would reach at least a PM-reduction of 30% under all realistic operating conditions. The standard German filter test procedure for PMS was performed but moreover, the response to various operating conditions was tested including worst case situations. Besides the legislated CO, NOx and PM exhaust-gas emissions, also the particle count and NO2 were measured. The best filtration efficiency with one PMS was indeed 63%. However, under critical but realistic conditions filtration of 3 of 4 PMS was measured substantially lower than the expected 30 %, depending on operating conditions and prior history, and could even completely fail. Scatter between repeated cycles was very large and results were not reproducible. Even worse, with all 4 PMS deposited soot, stored in these systems during light load operation was intermittently blown-off.

The development of particulate-traps for big engines is more difficult than for automobile applications. The usual placement, after the turbocharger, necessitates complex solutions to challenges in size, flow distribution and regeneration. The placement of the particulate trap ahead of the turbocharger has technical and financial advantages, and has previously been extensively investigated, but did not prevail because of poor reliability of the monolithic traps. This paper investigates the knitted fiber trap, a mechanically and thermically dependable unit, developed for integration into the engine. A modular design makes the trap very compact. Filtration rate and pressure loss are satisfactory. The filter element has not shown any weakness. A typical deficiency of this application, that needs further investigation, is worsening of the engine's transient response by the thermal inertia of the filter material.

Some alternative fuels which can be produced in the agriculture may be suitable for engine applications, particularly in the cases of self-supply. Use of pure alcohol and crude plant oil as fuels poses some problems. This paper analyzes several potential applications using mixtures of ethanol, crude rape oil or a combination of both. The analysis of injection, combustion and of the total emissions was carried out. Additives influences on emission and combustion characteristics depend on the engine's operational range. In general ethanol decreases particulate emissions, increases ignition delay due to the lower cetane number and shortens combustion duration. Crude rape oil increases the emissions of particulates and affects less the combustion speed. Both diminish full load torque due to the lower caloric value. 30 % ethanol - 15 % rape oil mixtures were used to obtain on the investigated HD-DI-engine emissions, similar to conventional diesel fuel.

Knitted fiber particulate traps facilitate deep-bed structures. These have excellent filtration properties, particularly for ultra-fine particulates. They are also suitable as substrate for catalytic processes. The two characteristics are: high total surface area of the filaments, and good mass transfer. These are prerequisites for intense catalytic activity. The deposited soot is uniformly distributed. Therefore, temperature peaks are avoided during regeneration. The tested coatings lower the regeneration temperature by about 200°C to burn-off temperatures below 350°C. Further improvements seem attainable. Thus, a purely passive regeneration appears feasible for most applications. The system is autonomous and cost effective. However, in extreme low load situations, e.g. city bus services, the necessary exhaust temperatures are not attained. Hence, burners or electrical heating is necessary for trap regeneration.

1 The VERT project aimed at curtailing the construction site diesel emissions of ultra-fine particles to 1% of the raw emissions. Thus, compliance with occupational health legislation should be achieved. Particulate traps have attained this target. In contrast, engine tuning, reformulated fuels and oxidation catalytic converters are almost ineffective. This paper reports on the concluding project stage in which 10 traps were field tested during 2 years. Subsequent detailed measurements confirmed the excellent results: > 99% filtration rate was achieved in the nano-particulate range. The PAH, too, were very efficiently eliminated. Trap deployment becomes therefore imperative to fulfill VERT-targets.

1 Occupational Health Authorities in Germany and Switzerland require the use of particulate traps (PT) on construction machines used in underground and in tunneling since 1994. Swiss EPA has extended this requirement 1998 to all construction sites which are in or close to cities. During the VERT*-project, [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]**, traps systems were evaluated for this purpose and only those providing efficiencies over 95% for ultrafine particles < 200 nm have received official recommendation. 10 trap-systems are very popular now for these application, most of them for retrofitting existing engines. Efficiency data will be given as well as experience during a 2-years authority-controlled field test. LIEBHERR, producing their own Diesel engines in Switzerland and construction machines in Germany is the first company worldwide supplying particulate traps as OEM-feature (Original Equipment Manufacturing) on customers request.