On-Road Emission Rates of PAH and n-Alkane Compounds from Heavy-Duty Diesel Vehicles

Abstract

This paper presents the quantification of the emission rates of PAH and n-alkane compounds from on-road emissions testing of nine heavy-duty diesel (HDD) vehicles tested using CE-CERT's Mobile Emissions Laboratory (MEL) over the California Air Resources Board (ARB) Four Phase Cycle. Per mile and per CO2 emission rates of PAHs and n-alkanes were highest for operation simulating congested traffic (Creep) and lowest for cruising conditions (Cruise). Significant differences were seen in emission rates over the different phases of the cycle. Creep phase fleet average emission rates (mg mi(-1)) of PAHs and n-alkanes were approximately an order of magnitude higher than Cruise phase. This finding indicates that models must account for mode of operation when performing emissions inventory estimates. Failure to account for mode of operation can potentially lead to significant over- and underpredictions of emissions inventories (up to 20 times), especially in small geographic regions with significant amounts of HDD congestion. Howeverthe PAH and n-alkane source profiles remained relatively constant for the different modes of operation. Variability of source profiles within the vehicle fleet exceeded the variability due to different operating modes. Analysis of the relative risk associated with the compounds indicated the importance of naphthalene as a significant contributor to the risk associated with diesel exhaust. This high relative risk is driven by the magnitude of the emission rate of naphthalene in comparison to other compounds.