Diesel-powered Passenger Cars Research Articles

On the impact of using nanoparticles type additives on the altering of diesel fuel jet characteristics

Even though diesel-powered passenger cars and light-duty vehicles may not be sold in the European Union by 2035, possibly in most other countries will be. Truck diesel engines will remain in use after 2035 because electric trucks are not a viable alternative for goods transportation. This involves continuing research and development on diesel engines to reduce their pollutant emissions. Alternative (renewable) fuels with combustion improvers can diminish emissions at the source. Nanoparticle-based additives can enhance the efficiency and emissions of diesel engines through their intense catalytic activity and by improving the fuel injection process. However, their effect on the injection process has not been well tested and published in the dedicated literature. The use of nanoparticles mixed in small fractions with original diesel fuel influences the physicochemical properties of the fuel as well as the formation of fuel jets inside the combustion chamber. This research focuses on the opportunity of using different diesel fuel blends mixed with combustion improver additives such as MWCNT and CeO2 nanoparticles. In this sense, a simulation investigation was conducted using the AVL BOOST Hydsim software. The physicochemical properties of fuels were used to assess the macroscopic characteristics of the fuel spray, such as penetration, spray cone angle, and Sauter mean diameter. When increasing the nanoparticle dosage, the penetration and spray cone angle values are decreasing, while the Sauter mean diameter values are increasing. This tendency is present for both nanoparticle types considered.

Chemical and optical properties of PM2.5 from on-road operation of light duty vehicles in Delhi city

This study reports emission factors of PM2.5, elemental carbon (EC), organic carbon (OC), ions, trace elements and mass absorption cross-sections (MAC) of aerosol emitted from the on-road operation of light duty vehicles of different vintages. A portable dilution system was used to achieve complete quenching of aerosol at near ambient condition. The particles were collected on the filters and analyzed for chemical and light absorbing properties of aerosol. The diesel-powered passenger cars emitted higher PM2.5 (56–356mgkm−1) with a large fraction of EC (37–65%), while emissions from gasoline (46–78mgkm−1), and CNG vehicles (33–34mgkm−1) were low and contained low EC (5–15%) and remarkably high OC (46–91%). The MAC of aerosols for diesel vehicles (32–208m2g−1 of PM2.5) were well explained by EC content (31–62%) and showed similarity with MAC values reported for wood fuel combustion in cooking stoves indicating the two sources cannot be resolved on the basis of light absorption properties in source apportionment studies. Ionic contributions to PM2.5 were highest for 4W-gasoline (11–19%) compared to 4W-diesel (7–11%), and CNG (9–10%). The abundance of ions such as Na+, Ca2+, SO42−, NO3−, and NH4+ could be due to use of lubricant oil and abrasive nature of engine of old vehicles. Trace elements (Al, Fe, Zn, Pb, and Cu) emitted from after-treatment devices, additives in lube oil, and wearing of engine components, were found to be 2–14%, 3–8% and 11–12% of total PM2.5 for 4W of diesel, gasoline, and CNG respectively. This study indicates that aerosol emissions from on-road vehicles show a strong dependency on vehicle maintenance, engine type and after-treatment techniques.

Near-highway aerosol and gas-phase measurements in a high-diesel environment

Abstract. Diesel-powered passenger cars currently outnumber gasoline-powered cars in many countries, particularly in Europe. In France, diesel cars represented 61% of light duty vehicles in 2011 and this percentage is still increasing (French Environment and Energy Management Agency, ADEME). As part of the September 2011 joint PM-DRIVE (Particulate Matter – DiRect and Indirect on-road Vehicular Emissions) and MOCOPO (Measuring and mOdeling traffic COngestion and POllution) field campaign, the concentration and high-resolution chemical composition of aerosols and volatile organic carbon species were measured adjacent to a major urban highway south of Grenoble, France. Alongside these atmospheric measurements, detailed traffic data were collected from nearby traffic cameras and loop detectors, which allowed the vehicle type, traffic concentration, and traffic speed to be quantified. Six aerosol age and source profiles were resolved using the positive matrix factorization model on real-time high-resolution aerosol mass spectra. These six aerosol source/age categories included a hydrocarbon-like organic aerosol (HOA) commonly associated with primary vehicular emissions, a nitrogen-containing aerosol with a diurnal pattern similar to that of HOA, oxidized organic aerosol (OOA), and biomass burning aerosol. While quantitatively separating the influence of diesel from that of gasoline proved impossible, a low HOA : black carbon ratio, similar to that measured in other high-diesel environments, and high levels of NOx, also indicative of diesel emissions, were observed. Although the measurement site was located next to a large source of primary emissions, which are typically found to have low oxygen incorporation, OOA was found to comprise the majority of the measured organic aerosol, and isotopic analysis showed that the measured OOA contained mainly modern carbon, not fossil-derived carbon. Thus, even in this heavily vehicular-emission-impacted environment, photochemical processes, biogenic emissions, and aerosol oxidation dominated the overall organic aerosol mass measured during most of the campaign.

Public Perception and Acceptance of Diesel-Powered Passenger Cars in Malaysia: An Initial Study

Globally, the transport sector consumes the biggest share of the fuel supply. Common fuels used in the transport sector are petrol and diesel. Diesel engines have been proven to be more advantageous over gasoline engines, in the aspects of fuel efficiency and engine reliability. The use of diesel passenger cars is very popular in European countries compared to Malaysia. A wider use of diesel-powered cars in Malaysia may benefit the car users, government and the country. The study of the causes of the low percentage of diesel-powered car usage in Malaysia was examined in this present study by using the latest data available in the literature, and by conducting a survey to measure the perceptions and views of the Malaysian public towards diesel-powered passenger cars. Results of this study showed that most of the respondents admitted that diesel engines give more savings. However, respondent perception that diesel-powered cars emit noise and high air pollution of the environment is the main reason Malaysians not choosing diesel-powered cars.

On-board measurement of emissions from liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline and diesel powered passenger cars in Algeria

On-board measurements of unit emissions of CO, HC, NOx and CO2 were conducted on 17 private cars powered by different types of fuels including gasoline, dual gasoline–liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline, and diesel. The tests performed revealed the effect of LPG injection technology on unit emissions and made it possible to compare the measured emissions to the European Artemis emission model. A sequential multipoint injection LPG kit with no catalyst installed was found to be the most efficient pollutant reduction device for all of the pollutants, with the exception of the NOx. Specific test results for a sub-group of LPG vehicles revealed that LPG-fueled engines with no catalyst cannot compete with catalyzed gasoline and diesel engines. Vehicle age does not appear to be a determining parameter with regard to vehicle pollutant emissions. A fuel switch to LPG offers many advantages as far as pollutant emissions are concerned, due to LPG's intrinsic characteristics. However, these advantages are being rapidly offset by the strong development of both gasoline and diesel engine technologies and catalyst converters. The LPG's performance on a chassis dynamometer under real driving conditions was better than expected. The enforcement of pollutant emission standards in developing countries is an important step towards introducing clean technology and reducing vehicle emissions.

Primary NO2 emissions and their role in the development of NO2 concentrations in a traffic environment

Abstract An assessment of the formation of NO2 concentrations in heavily traffic-influenced environments in Helsinki, Finland was carried out. The proportion of primary NO2 emissions from road traffic was estimated using a statistical model for the relationship between the mixing ratios of nitrogen oxides (NO + NO2) and total oxidant (O3 + NO2) measured in 1994–2009. Based on this analysis, a quantitative estimate was derived for the relative importance of the primary NO2 emissions, ambient NO–NO2–O3 equilibrium and background concentrations in the observed NO2 concentrations. The proportion of primary NO2 in the vehicular NOx emissions increased from below 10% in the 1990s to about 20% in 2009, with a more distinctive increase during the most recent years. This development was related to the changes in the proportion of diesel-powered passenger cars in Finland. Between 1994 and 2004, the photochemical NO-to-NO2 conversion comprised on average 51% of the mean NO2 concentration, while the primary NO2 emissions contributed 31%. The role of the primary NO2 emissions was limited by the steeply-decreasing total NOx emissions. More recent data (2005–2009) yielded higher primary NO2 emission fractions (15 –21%), with a clearly increasing trend. As a result, the contribution of chemical conversion steadily decreased from 54% in 2005 to 43% in 2009, while that of the primary NO2 emissions increased from 32 to 44%. In order not to exceed in future the annual limit of NO2 concentration, set by the European Union, in the busiest street canyons in downtown Helsinki, the primary NO2 emissions need to be addressed alongside the total NOx emissions.

Experimental study of photocatalytic concrete products for air purification

Air quality in inner-city areas is a topic which receives much attention nowadays but in the coming years, the overall interest on this topic will become even bigger. One major concern is caused by the reduction of the limiting values given by the European Council Directive 1999/30/EC [Relating to limit values for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and oxides of nitrogen, particulate matter and lead in ambient air. Official Journal of the European Communities 1999, L 163/41–60] and increasing traffic rates especially for diesel powered passenger cars and freight vehicles. A promising approach for solving the problem of nitrogen oxides (NO x ) is the photochemical conversion of nitrogen oxides to low concentrated nitrates due to heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) using titanium dioxide (TiO 2) as photocatalyst. A variety of products containing TiO 2 are already available on the European market and their working mechanism under laboratory conditions is proven. However, there is still a lack of transforming the experimental results obtained under laboratory conditions to practical applications considering real world conditions. This paper presents the research conducted on photocatalytic concrete products with respect to the evaluation of air-purifying properties. The degradation process of nitric oxide (NO) under laboratory conditions is studied using a test setup for measuring the performance of photocatalytic active concrete products. The test setup uses the UV-A induced degradation of NO and is oriented on the ISO standard ISO 22197-1:2007. Besides the introduction of the test setup, a uniform measuring procedure is presented to the reader which allows for an evaluation and direct comparison of the performance of photocatalytic active concrete products. This kind of direct comparison was not possible so far. Furthermore, the results of a comparative study on varying photocatalytic concrete products of the European market will be discussed.

Biodiesel Effects on U.S. Light-Duty Tier 2 Engine and Emission Control Systems - Part 2

Raising interest in Diesel powered passenger cars in the United States in combination with the government mandated policy to reduce dependency of foreign oil, leads to the desire of operating Diesel vehicles with Biodiesel fuel blends. There is only limited information related to the impact of Biodiesel fuels on the performance of advanced emission control systems. In this project the implementation of a NOx storage and a SCR emission control system and the development for optimal performance are evaluated. The main focus remains on the discussion of the differences between the fuels which is done for the development as well as useful life aged components. From emission control standpoint only marginal effects could be observed as a result of the Biodiesel operation. The NOx storage catalyst results showed lower tailpipe emissions which were attributed to the lower exhaust temperature profile during the test cycle. The SCR catalyst tailpipe results were fuel neutral. The engine-out emissions formation showed increased NOx and decreased HC emissions with the Biodiesel blend. The observed effect specifically on NOx was up to 10% increase with the B20 blend. There was some impact on fuel economy which was attributed to higher combustion efficiency resulting in approximately 2% improved fuel economy with Biodiesel. There was no measurable impact of Biodiesel operation on the engine mechanics including fuel injection system.

Biodiesel Effects on Engine and Emission Control Systems

Raising interest in Diesel powered passenger cars in the USA in combination with the government mandated policy to reduce dependency of foreign oil, leads to the desire of operating Diesel vehicles with biodiesel fuel blends. There is only limited information related to the impact of biodiesel fuels on the performance of advanced emission control systems. In this project the implementation of a NOx storage and an SCR emission control system and the development for optimal performance were evaluated by FEV.

TEM study on volatility and potential presence of solid cores in nucleation mode particles from diesel powered passenger cars

Nucleation mode particles were investigated for their morphology using TEM and the presence or absence of solid cores was addressed. At cold start idle nucleation particles were observed in the exhaust of a diesel passenger car. These particles occurred with both low and high S fuel and were only partly volatile in a thermodenuder, which indicates that the composition was not sulfate and as derived from TEM/EDX (transmission electron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray analysis) probably not ash. It could be high boiling hydrocarbons, or primary soot particles. With all fuels at warm idle no nucleation particles and only soot particles were observed in the SMPS and the TEM. With 3.0×10 11 s −1 the total soot particle number during idle was much less than during driving, e.g. at 120 km h −1 the emission rate was 6.7×10 12 s −1. At high load and high S fuel 10–20 nm nucleation particles were observed by SMPS and TEM. A thermodenuder at 280 °C and TEM showed that all nucleation particles were volatile. EDX gave a weak S-signal only. Some nucleation particles contained smaller spots (1–3 nm) with a very high contrast, which might be due to heavy elements. However, under the electron beam of the TEM these spots disappeared and EDX analysis was not possible. With low S fuel at 120 km h −1 only soot particles and no nucleation particles were observed.

Particle- and gas-phase emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from two-stroke, 50-cm3 mopeds

The emissions of gas- and particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in the exhaust of 10 mopeds (4 EURO-0, 4 EURO-1 and 2 EURO-2) equipped with two-stroke engines with displacement of 50cm3. Sampling was performed on a dynamometer bench both during the “cold-start” and the “hot” phases of the ECE-47 driving cycle.Eighteen PAHs were quantified and total PAH emission factors (∑PAH) ranged from 1790 to 15,059μgkm−1. Expressed in benzo(a)pyrene equivalent (BaPeq), emission factors ranged 4.7–86.3μgkm−1. PAH emissions are reduced according to the legislation class: EURO-0>EURO-1>EURO-2. PAH emission factors were greater during the cold-start phase than the hot phase of the ECE-47 cycle. Results show that despite their small engine size, two-stroke mopeds can emit amounts of particulate PAHs comparable or even higher than PAH emissions reported elsewhere from gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars and light- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Particle-phase Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Emissions from Non-catalysed, In-use Four-stroke Scooters

The emissions of particle-phase polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were evaluated in the exhaust of four (two EURO-0 and two EURO-1) four-stroke engine, in-use scooters with displacement of 150 cc, which were not equipped with catalytic converters. Non-catalysed motorcycles still represent a large proportion of circulating two-wheelers in Italy and, possibly, also in other countries. Tests were performed on a dynamometer bench, using the ECE-40 test cycle procedure. Particulate matter into the exhaust emissions was collected both during the "hot" phase of the ECE-40 driving cycle and including the first two elementary cycles of engine warming-up heating (whole cycle). Fourteen PAHs were quantified and total PAH emission factors (Sigma PAH) ranged from 7 to 169 microg km(-1). Expressed in benzo(a)pyrene equivalent (BaP(eq)), emission factors ranged from 0.6 to 18 microg km(-1). Results from the tested scooters show that despite their small engine size, non-catalysed motorcycles can emit amounts of particulate PAHs that can be comparable or even higher than emissions reported elsewhere from gasoline- and diesel-powered passenger cars and light- and heavy-duty vehicles. In countries where a large number of non-catalysed motorcycles are circulating, PAH emissions in urban areas from this class of vehicles might be of the same order of magnitude of emissions from diesel passenger cars.

Influence of Platinum Precursors on the Activity of Diesel Oxidation Catalysts. An EXAFS Study

The development of oxidation catalysts with low temperature activity for CO and HC oxidation has been the focus of recent developments in automotive emission control of diesel powered passenger cars. Using combined X-ray absorption–model gas activity experiments it could be shown that the platinum precursor is primarily responsible for the activity of diesel oxidation catalysts in the fresh state. The conditioning of catalysts is also very important and further improves the catalytic activity. This study demonstrated that the development of modern automotive emission control catalysts benefits from the progress of advanced analytical techniques like X-ray absorption. The knowledge of microscopic structure correlated to catalytic properties allows the efficient design of tailor-made catalysts for future applications.

A review of the effect of particulate traps on the efficiency of vehicle diesel engines

Particulate traps are becoming more widely used on city buses, some delivery trucks and fork lift trucks. The possible use of diesel particulate traps will lead to a fuel consumption penalty imposed on the baseline engine that is due to the trap back pressure as well as to the energy requirements of the regeneration technique adopted to incinerate the collected soot at will. The combined effect of trap back pressure imposed on the engine and additional energy required for trap regeneration on the overall efficiency of the diesel power plant is examined in this paper. This effect varies according to engine type, trap type and size, regeneration system used, and the vehicle driving mode. Because of the strong interaction among the above parameters, optimization of trap systems on efficiency grounds is complicated. This complexity is even more pronounced in the case of diesel-powered passenger cars, where the full exploitation of their efficiency advantage over gasoline-powered cars is constrained by the necessity of an optimized solution of the particulate emission problem. The main diesel particulate trap regeneration philosophies existing today are reviewed in terms of their effect on the total efficiency of the diesel power plant. This is done by means of representative examples, concerning systems which may be suitable for large-scale application. The conclusions indicate that the price that must be paid for environmental protection, in the case of diesel particulate control systems, may be substantially reduced by system design optimization.

アップグレーディングした石炭液化油混合燃料の実車による評価

To evaluate the feasibility of coal derived oil, we conducted tests on accelerating ability from standstill for a car with a spark-ignition engine and exhaust emissions from a diesel-powered car.Two types of fuels were used. One type of fuel had properties equivalent to motor gasoline (JIS K 2202, Grade 2) and the other to gas oil (JIS K 2204, Grade 2). Two kinds of test fuels (G-A and G-B) equivalent to gasoline were prepared by mixing 20‰ of refined oil (A) and 20‰ of refined oil (B) with usual motor gasoline blend stocks, respectively. The oil A was highly hydrotreated and catalytically reformed naphtha de-rived from brown coal, and the oil B from bituminous coal. Two kinds of test fuels (GO-D and GO-E) equivalent to gas oil were prepared by mixing 20% of refined oil (D) and 20‰ of refined oil (E) with a gas oil, respectivly. The oils D and E were highly hydrotreated oil from brown coal but had different boiling ranges. We also used com-mercial gasoline (G-C) and commercial gas oil (GO-F) for reference. Research octane numbers of G-A, G-B and G-C were 91.2, 90.6 and 90.5, and cetane numbers of GO-D, GO-E and GO-F 48, 50 and 55, respectively.The test car A with a spark-ignition engine used was in conformance with the Japanese emissiom standard for gasoline-fueled passenger cars of 1978, and the test car B with a diesel engine with the Japanese emission standard for diesel-powered passenger cars of 1987. Each car was equipped with an automatic transmission system.In the accelerating ability test from standstill for the test car A, the running time over 400m on a flat and straight test course was measured. Running times of the fuels G-A, G-B and G-C were 18.80, 18.80 and 18.72sec, respectively. From these results, we concluded that there is no difference in accelerating ability among the fuels contain-ing the coal-derived oil and commercial gasoline.The exhaust emissions, CO, HC, NOx, particulate matter (PM) and soluble organic fractin (SOF) in PM from the test car B, fueled with GO-D, GO-E or GO-F, were mea-sured under the condition of the Japanese diesel 10 mode test and of constant engine speeds at idling, 20, 40 and 60km/h. A slight increase in mass emissions of CO, HC and NOx by mixing the coal-derived oil with commercial gas oil was noticed under diesel 10mode condition, but these mass emissions were considerably below allowable limits of emission standard. Therefore, it was concluded that the fuel containing coal derived oil would produce no serious problems in terms of exhaust emissions.

Nitroaromatic carcinogens in diesel soot: a review of laboratory findings.

The automobile industry plans to increase production of diesel-powered passenger cars because diesel engines provide better fuel economy than conventional gasoline engines. Diesel engines, however, produce more soot, and increased use of diesel cars will result in more discharge of diesel soot into the atmosphere. Recently, a new class of chemicals, called nitroaromatic compounds, have been identified in chemical extracts of diesel soot. Some of these nitroaromatic compounds produce mutations when tested in in vitro bacterial and mammalian cell assays, and cancer when tested in animals. Here, we review the relevance of these new laboratory findings to current deliberations over emission standards for particles from diesel cars.