Emissions and Fuels Recent Research
The following is a representative list of key recent research areas of the Emissions and Fuels Group:
PM PEMS Validation Testing with a 1065 Compliant PM Laboratory for the PM-PEMS Measurement Allowance Determination for the HDIUT Program
California Air Resources Board (CARB), 5/09-12/10, $573,113. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program. It should be noted that while this program was contracted through CARB, it was part of the cooperative Measurement Allowance program the included the U.S. EPA and the Engine Manufactures Association (EMA).
For this program, UC Riverside provided the on-road validation testing of PEMS using our Mobile Emissions Laboratory (MEL), with an emphasis on the PM measurement capability. This is a fully-1065 compliant laboratory that is house in the back of a 53’ trailer that can be hooked to a standard class 8 truck. The testing involved simultaneous measurements of vehicle exhaust under on-road conditions using the Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS) and the MEL. The on-road test routes include routes from Riverside to San Diego, from Riverside to Palm Springs, and from Riverside towards Las Vegas. Two pilot studies and one follow-up study were conducted in conjunction with this effort that were funded by CARB ($284K), EMA ($193k), and Sensors Inc. ($67k), respectively. The measurements and performance evaluations by UC Riverside played a critical role in the determination of the Measurement Allowance values for PM PEMS being used as part of EPA’s in-use testing requirements.
Measurement Allowance Project
CARB, 7/04-1/08, $500,000. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program. This program was also co-funded through the Measurement Allowance program. UC Riverside on-road validation tests of PEMS using our Mobile Emissions Laboratory (MEL), with an emphasis on their gas-phase emissions measurement capability. The testing involved simultaneous measurements of vehicle exhaust under on-road conditions using the PEMS and the MEL. The testing included routes from Riverside to San Diego, from Riverside to Palm Springs, and from Riverside to Northern California. The measurements and performance evaluations by UC Riverside played a critical role in the determination of the Measurement Allowance values for gas-phase PEMS being used as part of EPA’s in-use testing requirements.
- • Sensors, Inc. “Supplemental Testing of PPMD to Resolve Issues with PPMD Observed During the HDIUT PM MA Program,” 7/10-2/11, $67,338.
- • CARB, “Comparison of PM PEMS for the HDIUT Program with a 1065 Compliant PM Mobile Laboratory,”12/07-6/09, $284,667.
- • Engine Manufacturers Association “PM Measurement Allowance Phase 1: On-Road Testing Using the CE-CERT Mobile Emissions Laboratory.” 11/07-6/09, $192,770.
CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT
Study of In-Use Engine Deterioration in Diesel Off-Road Equipment
11/09-5/11, $300,000. UC Riverside is the prime contractor for this program. For this program UC Riverside will measure PM and gas-phase emissions from approximately 15 pieces of construction equipment using a PEMS system. The PEMS system will consist of a Sensors or AVL gas-phase PEMS coupled with an AVL microsoot sensor (MSS). The microsoot sensor is one of the few instruments available that can accurately measure PM to the standards used in EPA’s in-use measurement regulations. Testing has been conducted on 5 pieces of equipment to date, and UC Riverside is working with CARB to identify further pieces of equipment for testing based on a representative sample of the in-use fleet. This program is being coordinated with the Caltrans program listed immediately below.
Measuring and Modeling PM Emissions from Heavy-Duty Construction Equipment
Caltrans, 7/08-6/11, $150,000. UC Riverside is the prime contractor for this program. For this program UC Riverside will measure PM and gas-phase emissions from approximately 7 pieces of construction equipment using the PEMS equipment described above. The data from these emissions measurements will then be used to develop a real-time emissions model for gaseous and PM emissions. The gas-phase emissions model will be an extension of a model developed as part of a previous Caltrans study. The PM model will be based on real-time PM measurements made with the AVL MSS. This program is being coordinated with the CARB program listed immediately above.
Evaluation of In-Field Emissions Impacts of Biodiesel Fuels
Caltrans, 7/08-12/09, $100,000. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program. UC Riverside measured the gas-phase emissions using a PEMS from various pieces of construction equipment operated on regular diesel fuel, biodiesel blends, and with an aftertreatment system.
Evaluating the Emissions from Heavy-Duty Construction Equipment
Caltrans, 4/05-6/08, $299,641. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program. UC Riverside measured the gas-phase emissions using a PEMS from 12 in-use pieces of construction equipment in the Southern California area. These emissions data were subsequently used in the development of a model that allows the determination of emissions from different pieces of construction equipment or for construction projects as a whole. The model developed is a fuel-based, user-friendly, spreadsheet program that can be readily deployed by program staff at Caltrans, outside contractors or other government agencies.
Evaluation of Emissions from Off-Road Equipment
U.S. EPA, 8/01-3/03, $247,799. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program. For this study, UC Riverside evaluated activity patterns for a subset of in-use construction equipment. In this study, a total of 18 pieces of nonroad equipment were instrumented, with collected data including intake manifold air pressure (MAP), exhaust temperature and, on a subset of vehicles, engine rpm and throttle position. The equipment included backhoes, compactors, dozers, motor graders, loaders and scrappers used in applications such as landfilling, street maintenance and general roadwork. From this data information such as daily actual operating time, number of starts per day, and per idle time was obtained.
ALTERNATIVE FUELS
Alternative Fuels/Mixed Alcohols Testing Program
California Energy Commission (CEC) 7/10-1/13, $1,200,000. UC Riverside is the prime contractor for this program. This program is intended to help establish UC Riverside as a major Center of Excellence in Alternative Transportation Fuels Research, both for the State of California and nationally. The program will include a planning stage with all of the relevant agencies from around the country and a testing stage. The bulk of the testing will be conducted on conventional gasoline and flexible fuel vehicles using a range of alcohol, mixed alcohols, and other alternative fuels. The testing will be conducted in UC Riverside’s light-duty chassis dynamometer facility and will include emissions measurements, measurements of systems parameters, such as catalyst temperature, air/fuel ratio, and others, and potentially evaluations of the vehicle durability.
Assessment of Emissions from Use of Biodiesel as a Motor Vehicle Fuel in California: Biodiesel Characterization and NOx Formation and Mitigation Study
California Air Resources Board (CARB), 6/07-6/09, $1,360,000. UC Riverside is the prime contractor for this program, with UC Davis included as a subcontractor. This is part of the largest study conducted to evaluate biodiesel emissions to date, and was co-funded by an earlier CARB contract ($100k), the South Coast Air Quality Management District ($200k), the National Biodiesel Board ($50k), and Neste Oil, Inc. ($50k). As part of the program, CE-CERT conducted emissions tests on several heavy-duty, on-highway engines in its heavy-duty engine dynamometer facility. CE-CERT also coordinated the test planning and data analysis for associated testing of 4 vehicles at CARB’s heavy-duty chassis dynamometer facility, of a transportation refrigeration unit in CARB’s small engine dynamometer facility, and an off-road engine at CARB’s Stockton facility. UC Davis measured the toxic emissions and evaluated health effects as a subcontractor on this project.
Evaluation of the Performance and Air Pollutant Emissions of Vehicles Operating on Various Natural Gas Blends
California Energy Commission (CEC), 12/07-12/2011, $400,000. UC Riverside is the prime contractor on this program, which is also cofounded by CARB ($150k), and SCAQMD ($50k). This program involves evaluating the emissions of light-duty natural gas vehicles (NGVs) and heavy-duty NGVs on a range of blends with different compositions. The light-duty testing include 2 vehicles and 4 test blends, and was conducted in UC Riverside’s light-duty chassis dynamometer facility. The heavy-duty vehicle testing will include 2 transit buses and 1 refuse hauler, and will be conducted in UC Riverside’s heavy-duty chassis dynamometer facility.
PIER Transportation Research Area Alternative Fuel Research Roadmap and Gaps Assessment
California Energy Commission (CEC) 9/09-10/10, $307,182. UC Riverside was the prime contractor for this program, with Black and Vetch as a subcontractor. For this program, UC Riverside conducted an extensive analysis for the resource availability of different alternative fuels, the technology status of their production techniques, and infrastructure needs for different fuels. Based on this assessment, UC Riverside identified gaps where further research was needed to achieve commercialization for various fuels and developed a roadmap for what fuels and research areas should be supported by funding from the CEC PIER Transportation Research Area.
Effects of Ethanol and Volatile Parameters on Exhaust and Evaporative Emissions
Coordinating Research Council (CRC), 4/03-1/06, $807,979. UC Riverside was the prime contractor on this program. This program is one of the largest programs to date on the impacts of low level ethanol blends on emissions from late model gasoline vehicles. The test matrix included 12 vehicle and 12 test fuels with varying ethanol levels and volatilities. The testing for their program was conducted in UC Riverside’s light-duty chassis dynamometer facility, and include regulated emissions, and speciated volatile organic compounds and carbonyls.
ADVANCED EMISSION CONTROLS
Ammonia Emissions from Late Model Vehicles (E-60)
The reduction of fuel sulfur levels in gasoline is considered to be an important factor in attaining present and future vehicle emissions standards and air quality goals. Although catalysts reduce most emissions, some pollutants, such as ammonia (NH3), can be formed over the catalyst surface, and hence, may react differently to changes in fuel sulfur level. For this study, the emissions impact of fuel sulfur and catalyst age was evaluated for 14 vehicles. The 14 vehicles included 12 California-certified Low-Emission Vehicles (LEV) to Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicles (SULEV) vehicles and 2 European vehicles certified to Euro 3 standards. Each vehicle was evaluated with 3 fuels (5, 30, and 150 ppmw sulfur) using as-received and aged catalysts. Vehicles were tested on each fuel/catalyst configuration over the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and US06 test cycles.The two European vehicles were also tested over the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) cycle on each of the fuel/catalyst configurations. In addition to making measurements of bag and modal regulated emissions, we developed and successfully used a tunable diode laser (TDL) to measure engine-out and tailpipe NH3 in real-time. The TDL offers both the detection limits and the response time necessary to investigate low-level concentrations of NH3 in-situ in vehicle exhaust.
Impact of Engine Oil Properties on Emissions (E-61)
As fuel sulfur levels have been lowered, the potential for sulfur in lubricants to affect catalyst performance and exhaust emissions was raised as a potential issue. The objective of this program was to determine whether sulfur levels in engine oil could have a measurable impact on vehicle emissions. For this study, the emissions impact of oil sulfur was evaluated for 4 ultra-low-emission vehicles (ULEVs) and 2 super-ultra-low-emission vehicles (SULEVs) using oils with sulfur contents ranging from 0.01% to 0.76% and a gasoline with a 0.2 ppmw sulfur content. Vehicles were configured with aged catalysts and tested in triplicate over the Federal Test Procedure (FTP) and at idle and 50 miles per hour (mph) cruise conditions. In addition to the regulated emissions and modal engine-out and tailpipe emissions, engine-out SO2 was measured in near real-time using a novel approach with a differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS).This instrument is capable of measuring SO2 emissions with a detection limit of approximately 0.100 mg/mi over the FTP and a noise level of 30 ppbv at one standard deviation.
(E-67)
Effects of Olefins Content on Exhaust Emissions (E-83)
Coordinating Research Council's Project E-83 investigates the exhaust emissions from two fuels with different olefin contents on a fleet of 15 vehicles. A number of recent CRC and EPA programs have examined the impacts of fuel properties on the emissions of most modern vehicles (sulfur, T50, T90, ethanol content, aromatics content and RVP). The effect of olefins content has not been studied since the Auto/Oil Air Quality Improvement Research Program of the early 1990s. This study will provide information that will significantly improve our understanding of the effects of gasoline olefin content on regulated and toxic exhaust emissions of the newest technology vehicles. The results are also expect to inform a future update of the CARB Predictive Model.
