Estimation of engine CO2 and NOx emissions and their correlation with the not-to-exceed zone for a tractor ploughing fields of various sizes

Abstract

Abstract In agriculture, the engines of working tractors burn large quantities of fuel and emit combustion gases into the environment. Fuel consumption in field operations depends on a number of factors such as, mainly, soil properties, but also the configuration, technical properties, and management of the machinery and the selected operating modes. Therefore, a problem arises in the selection of a method for the proper estimation of the impact of tractors and economic activity on the environment. Conventional methods for estimating and monitoring the impact of economic activities on the environment do not include analysis of engine emissions for specific operation periods of tractors or for actual agricultural operations. The purpose of this study was to analyse the potential of using the information stored in tractor control processors for estimating the CO2 and NOx emissions of engines and to determine their relationship with the Not-To-Exceed (NTE) engine control zone during cultivation (ploughing) operations in fields of various lengths. It has been determined that for a tractor engaged in soil cultivation (ploughing) operations, the emissions do not fall into the NTE control zone when the engine is running at low rotational frequency and has developed a low torque. The shorter the field to be cultivated, the lower the amount of exhaust gases that falls into the NTE control zone. To estimate the amount of tractor engine emissions more accurately, it is necessary to analyse maps of actual operational parameters. Also, by applying the factor of a tractor's operation time efficiency in the estimation of the field size, it is possible to assess a tractor's negative impact on the environment more accurately in relation to the fuel consumption and emissions for soil cultivation in fields of various sizes.