Date of Graduation

2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

Committee Chair

Nigel N. Clark

Abstract

Four fleets of heavy-duty diesel engine vehicles were emissions characterized using the West Virginia University (WVU) Transportable Heavy Duty Vehicle Emissions Testing Laboratory chassis dynamometer. Diesel exhaust emissions are comprised of a mixture of gases, liquid aerosols and substances made up of trace elements. They contain complex products of combustion including; carbon (soot), nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, aldehydes, hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and water. With tougher laws and regulations being implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to achieve cleaner air in the future, pressure has been mounting on vehicle users, factories, power plants, and construction activities to ensure exhaust gas emissions contain minimal emissions. Several advanced technologies have been employed to combat excessive exhaust gas emissions including reformulated fuels and continuously regenerating diesel particulate filters. Four San Diego School District school buses with Amtran 3000RE/Navistar chassis with Navistar 530E engines were selected for the characterization. Two were operated on California (CA) specification diesel (CARB), two were operated on ARCO ECD with an Engelhard catalyzed soot filter (DPX). Four Class 8-tanker trucks with a Kenworth Class 8 chassis with Cummins M11 engines were also selected for testing with two bein

g operated on CARB diesel. Two were operated on ECD with Johnson-Matthey continuously regenerating technology (CRT). iii

Other heavy-duty trucks tested were LA City refuse haulers with Cummins engines and Ralphs Grocery Class 8 trucks with Detroit Diesel Series 60 engines. Four refuse trucks were selected with two being operated on CARB, and one on ARCO ECD with an Engelhard DPX and one on ARCO ECD with a CRT. Twenty Ralphs Grocery trucks were emissions tested with five being operated on CARB, five operated on ECD, five operated on ECD with an Engelhard DPX and five operated on ECD with a CRT.

Four test schedules, the 5-Mile Route, City-Suburban Heavy-Vehicle route (CSHVR), Central Business District (CBD), and Orange County Garbage Truck (OCGT) Cycles were employed for the emissions characterization. The following results indicate percentage reductions without diesel particulate filters (DPF). For the Ralphs trucks, the ECD reduced NOx by 15% and PM by 15% over the CARB diesel for the CSHVR test cycle. NOx were reduced by 17.5% for the double 5-Mile route but saw an increase in PM of 10%. ARCO tanker trucks saw NOx reduced by 15% and PM by 17.6% over the CARB diesel for the CSHVR. San Diego school buses had NOx reduced by 9.5% and PM by 12.6% over CARB diesel for the CSHVR. L.A. City refuse haulers had PM reduced by 13% while NOx were reduced by 10% and 13% for the CBD and OCGT cycles respectively. There was, however, a 37% PM increase for the OCGT cycle. Results from all fleets revealed that ECD offered little reduction in PM emissions without the use of DPF or CRT, but with their use on vehicles fueled with ECD, PM was virtually eliminated. The testing results also indicated >90% reductions in hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) with the use of particulate filters.

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