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Studies have been conducted at Michigan Technological University (MTU) for over twenty years on methods for characterizing and controlling particulate emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines and the resulting effects on regulated and unregulated emissions. During that time, control technologies have developed in response to more stringent EPA standards for diesel emissions. This paper is a review of: 1) modern emission control technologies, 2) emissions sampling and chemical, physical and biological characterization methods and 3) summary results from recent studies conducted at MTU on heavy-duty diesel engines with a trap and an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC) operated on three different fuels. Control technology developments discussed are particulate traps, catalysts, advances in engine design, the application of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and modifications of fuel formulations.

A computational lumped parameter model (MTU-Filter-Lumped) was developed to describe the performance of diesel particulate filters (DPFs) during loading and regeneration processes. The model was formulated combining three major sub-models: a filtration model, a pressure drop model, and a mass and an energy balance equation for the total filter volume. The first two sub-models have been widely validated in the literature, while the third sub-model is introduced and combined with the first two sub-models in the present study. The three sub-models combined can give a full description of diesel particulate filter behavior during loading and regeneration processes, which was the objective of the present work. The total combined lumped parameter model was calibrated using experimental data from the literature covering a range of experimental conditions, including different catalytic regeneration means and engine operating conditions.

Model-based control strategies are important for meeting the dual objective of maximizing NOx reduction and minimizing NH3 slip in urea-SCR catalysts. To be implementable on the vehicle, the models should capture the essential behavior of the system, while not being computationally intensive. This paper discusses the adequacy of two different reduced order SCR catalyst models and compares their performance with a higher order model. The higher order model assumes that the catalyst has both diffusion and reaction kinetics, whereas the reduced order models contain only reaction kinetics. After describing each model, its parameter identification and model validation based on experiments on a Navistar I6 7.6L engine are presented. The adequacy of reduced order models is demonstrated by comparing the NO, NO2 and NH3 concentrations predicted by the models to their concentrations from the test data.

This is the fourth in a series of tests conducted as a Coordinating Research Council cooperative program to evaluate the measurement methods used to analyze diesel exhaust gas constituents. A multi-cylinder engine was circulated to 15 participants who measured emissions at three engine conditions. All 15 participants measured nitric oxide and carbon monoxide with several laboratories measuring nitric oxide by both NDIR (Non-Dispersive Infrared) and CHEMI (Chemiluminescence). Some participants also measured carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, oxygen, and unknown span gases. The test results are compared with the Phase III cooperative tests which involved simultaneous measurement of emissions by participants. The precision of the results was poorer in Phase IV than Phase III.

A Coordinating Research Council cooperative program was conducted to evaluate the measurement methods used to analyze nitric oxide and carbon monoxide in diesel exhaust. Initially, a single-cylinder test engine was circulated among participants with poor results. Tests were then conducted at one site using a multicylinder diesel engine. Six organizations participated in the program. Exhaust analyses were conducted at steady-state engine conditions and on a 3 min cycle test. Span gases of unknown concentration were also analyzed. The participants results varied but averaged less than ±5% standard deviation both within (repeatability) and among (reproducibility) the instruments. The short cycle test was in good agreement with the steady-state measurements. No significant difference in the use of Drierite, nonindicating Drierite, or Aquasorb desiccants was evident in sampling system tests.

The development of the DDC methanol engine has been an evolutionary process, with each subsequent configuration showing significant durability and/or emission improvement over its predecessor. Sixty demonstration engines are now in service in the field, including fifty-four (54) urban bus engines, five (5) truck engines, and one (1) generator set engine. While nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate emissions from the methanol engine are inherently low, a durable solution to the effective control of hydrocarbon (HC) emissions has been an especially challenging area. The 1991 Federal urban bus transient emission standards (including 0.10 gm/bhp-hr particulate) have been met with several combinations of compression ratio, intake port height, exhaust valve cam profile, injector tip design, and electronic control strategies, and without exhaust aftertreatment devices or fuel ignition improvers.

In this study, the effects of an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC) on regulated and unregulated emissions from a 1991 prototype Cummins I.10-310 diesel engine fueled with a 0.01 weight percent sulfur fuel were investigated. The OCC's effects were determined by measuring and comparing selected raw exhaust emissions with and without the platinum-based OCC installed in the exhaust system, with the engine operated at three steady-state modes. It was found that the OCC had no significant effect on oxides of nitrogen (NOX) and nitric oxide (NO) at any mode, but reduced hydrocarbon (HC) emmissions by 60 to 70 percent. The OCC reduced total particulate matter (TPM) levels by 27 to 54 percent, primarily resulting from 53 to 71 percent reductions of the soluble organic fraction (SOF). The OCC increased sulfate (SO42-) levels at two of the three modes (modes 9 and 10), but the overall SO42- contribution to TPM was less than 6 percent at all modes due to the low sulfur level of the fuel.

This paper focuses on the development of an Extended Kalman Filter for estimating internal species concentration and storage states of an SCR using NOX and NH₃ sensors. The motivation for this work was twofold. First, knowledge of internal states may be useful for onboard diagnostic strategy development. In particular, significant errors between the outlet NOX or NH₃ sensors, reconstructed from estimated states, and the measured NOX or NH₃ concentrations may aid OBD strategies that attempt to identify particular system failure modes. Second, the EKF described estimates not only stored ammonia but also NO, NO₂ and NH₃ gas concentrations within and exiting the SCR. Exploiting knowledge of the individual species concentrations, instead of lumping them together as NOX, can yield improved closed loop urea controller performance in terms of reduced urea consumption and better NOX conversion.

A study was conducted to assess the effects of a water-diesel fuel emulsion with and without an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC) on steady-state heavy-duty diesel engine emissions. Two OCCs with different metal loading levels were used in this study. A 1988 Cummins L10-300 heavy-duty diesel engine was operated at the rated speed of 1900 rpm and at 75% and 25% load conditions (EPA modes 9 and 11 respectively) of the 13 mode steady-state test as well as at idle. Raw exhaust emissions' measurements included total hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and nitric oxide (NO). Diluted exhaust measurements included total particulate matter (TPM) and its primary constituents, the soluble organic (SOF), sulfate (SO42-) and the carbonaceous solids (SOL) fractions. Vapor phase organic compounds (XOC) were also analyzed. The SOF and XOC samples were analyzed for selected polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

The effects of an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC), an emulsified fuel, and their combined effects on particle number and volume concentrations compared to those obtained when using a basefuel were studied. Particle size and particulate emission measurements were conducted at three operating conditions; idle (850 rpm, 35 Nm), Mode 11 (1900 rpm, 277 Nm) and Mode 9 (1900 rpm, 831 Nm) of the EPA 13 mode cycle. The individual effects of the emulsified fuel and the OCC as well as their combined effects on particle number and volume concentrations were studied at two different particle size ranges; the nuclei (less than or equal to 50 nm) and accumulation (greater than 50 nm) modes. An OCC loaded with 10 g/ft3 platinum metal (OCC1) and a 20% emulsified fuel were used for this study and a notable influence on the particle size with respect to number and volume distributions was observed.

The objective of this research was to obtain diesel particle size distributions from a 1988 and a 1991 diesel engine using three different fuels and two exhaust control technologies (a ceramic particle trap and an oxidation catalytic converter). The particle size distributions from both engines were used to develop models to estimate the composition of the individual size particles. Nucleation theory of the H2O and H2SO4 vapor is used to predict when nuclei-mode particles will form in the dilution tunnel. Combining the theory with the experimental data, the conditions necessary in the dilution tunnel for particle formation are predicted. The paper also contains a discussion on the differences between the 1988 and 1991 engine's particle size distributions. The results indicated that nuclei mode particles (0.0075-0.046 μm) are formed in the dilution tunnel and consist of more than 80% H2O-H2SO4 particles when using the 1988 engine and 0.29 wt% sulfur fuel.

The effect of fuel changes on diesel oxidation catalyst performance was studied by comparing the physical, chemical and biological character of the particulate emissions using three different fuels. Baseline (uncatalyzed) emissions were also compared for these same fuels. The fuels used for this study were: a typical No. 2 fuel, a No. 1 fuel, and a shale oil-derived diesel fuel. Comparisons of NOX, NO, NO2, HC and particulate mass emissions using each fuel were made using selected modes from the EPA 13 mode cycle. Changes in the chemical and biological character of the soluble organic fraction (SOF) were also studied. Fuel properties, most notably fuel sulfur content, were found to affect the performance of the oxidation catalyst used. Fuel sulfur content should be kept as low as possible if catalytic converters are used on diesel powered equipment.

Heavy-duty diesel engine particulate matter (PM) emissions must be reduced from 0.1 to 0.01 grams per brake horsepower-hour by 2007 due to EPA regulations [1]. A catalyzed particulate filter (CPF) is used to capture PM in the exhaust stream, but as PM accumulates in the CPF, exhaust flow is restricted resulting in reduced horsepower and increased fuel consumption. PM must therefore be burned off, referred to as CPF regeneration. Unfortunately, nominal exhaust temperatures are not always high enough to cause stable self-regeneration when needed. One promising method for active CPF regeneration is to inject fuel into the exhaust stream upstream of an oxidation catalytic converter (OCC). The chemical energy released during the oxidation of the fuel in the OCC raises the exhaust temperature and allows regeneration.