Application of the dual Pegasor Particle Sensor to real-time measurement of motor vehicle exhaust PM

Abstract

In this study we explore the performance of a recently introduced exhaust particle detection concept, the dual PPS (dPPS), to simultaneously measure motor vehicle exhaust particle size, number, and mass in real-time. To this end, the dPPS was evaluated in two laboratories in measuring diesel and gasoline direct injection (GDI) exhaust particulate matter (PM) over the US and EU type approval cycles against instruments regularly used for PM emissions measurements. The analysis included inter-correlation testing to validate responses of different PPS units in a dPPS configuration, as well as determination of the optimal operation parameters to minimize data inversion errors. The experimental results demonstrate that dPPS is capable of providing real-time information on exhaust PM emissions, and that its measurement is in close agreement with reference instruments. Given its compact dimensions and raw exhaust sampling capacity, dPPS is an appropriate candidate as a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) to measure both particle mass and number exhaust emissions. The concept and the associated operation algorithm allow to change the lowest particle size detection threshold, thus making the technique suitable to 23nm, which is the current threshold in EU regulations, or a lower one if so desired.