Exhaust Emissions Of HC Research Articles

Remote sensing study of emissions from motor vehicles in the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City.

Remote sensing was employed for the first time to measure nitric oxide (NO) levels of on-road light-duty motor vehicles of the Metropolitan Area of Mexico City (MAMC). The sensor placed at 12 different sites also measured the concentration of CO2, CO, and total hydrocarbons (THC) in the exhaust emissions. A database was compiled containing 122 800 readings, of which 84 650 (69%) records were valid emissions measurements. CO, HC, and NO valid readings were 68.9, 63.4, and 62.9%, respectively, of the total attempted measurements. Furthermore, 42 822 vehicles were number-plate-matched to model year with the information provided by the Inspection/Maintenance Program. The mean emissions of total valid readings for CO, HC, and NO were determined to be 1.31 vol %, 440 ppm (propane), and 914 ppm, respectively. In 1991 and 1994, remote sensing measurements of CO and HC tailpipe emissions were performed in the MAMC in five different locations (30 000 valid readings). Large drops in both pollutants were observed for the intervening years, but sufficient vehicle information was not available at that time to fully explain the observed trends. Compared with those reports, our results point out to a steady decrease in CO and HC exhaust emissions with vehicle model year. The fleet emissions measured exhibit a gamma-distribution, with 10% of the most polluting fleet studied being responsible for 45%, 25%, and 29% of the CO, HC, and NO emissions, respectively. NO emissions in taxis are the highest among the vintage of vehicles, a matter of concern since according to the distance traveled per year, they represent 22% of the total activity in the MAMC.

Worldwide On-Road Vehicle Exhaust Emissions Study by Remote Sensing

The remote sensing technology developed by the University of Denver provides the first practical approach to routinely characterize real-world, on-road automobile CO and HC exhaust emissions. It has been used to measure the exhaust emissions of more than 1 000 000 vehicles in many locations. This study presents an analysis and comparison of 22 fleet profiles collected by the remote sensor in different regions around the world. Three patterns of emissions distributions and contributions of the fleets are revealed by a hierarchial cluster analysis. The importance of vehicle maintenance on average CO and HC emissions is revealed by a quintile analysis. Good maintenance practices in Gothenburg, Sweden, contrast with other locations such as Los Angeles, CA, and Melbourne, Australia. The absolute emissions differences between well- and badly maintained vehicles of any age are considerably larger than observable effects of emission control technology and vehicle age.