Carbon monoxide from engines in warehouse operations

Abstract

Tests were conducted by the Agricultural Engineering Staff at North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, during the summer of 1970 to evaluate the production of carbon monoxide gas due to internal combustion engine operation in warehouses. Tests compared gasoline engines and LP gas engines, equipped with regular and catalytic mufflers and with the fuel system at normal and 10% rich air-fuel ratios. The engines were operated on a cycle of load and no load conditions to approximate actual usage. Exhaust gases were piped to a 10,000 cubic foot sealed room and intake air was taken from the same room. Gas from the test room was sampled periodically and analyzed for carbon monoxide and other gases.

A method was devised to estimate the probable CO levels in a warehouse, knowing the volume and infiltration rate of the warehouse and the specific engine being used in the warehouse.