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Emissions removal efficiency from diesel gensets using aftermarket PM controls

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Abstract

Diesel particulate matter (PM) has been associated with adverse health effects in humans and is classified as a human carcinogen. Additionally, the strongly light absorbing fraction, black carbon (BC), has been identified as an important climate forcer. For these reasons, the effectiveness of aftermarket controls on reducing PM and BC from three stationary diesel gensets (230, 400, and 600 kW) of varying engine displacement (from 8.8 to 27 L) and physical size was investigated. Uncontrolled emissions were compared with emissions controlled with a passive (P-DPF) and active diesel particulate filter (A-DPF) and a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC). Overall, the DPFs resulted in significant PM mass removal (~80–99 %), while the DOC resulted in statistically insignificant reductions (~0–25 %). Both BC and elemental carbon (EC) removal followed a similar trend, but EC/PM ratios varied from 0 to 0.79 over all test conditions, indicating changes in PM composition with the addition of aftermarket controls or changes in load. Further, the single scattering albedo of PM was slightly decreased from the DPFs compared to the uncontrolled case. Particle number concentrations were also significantly reduced when using DPFs, with a greater than 97 % reduction in particle concentrations with the P-DPF and greater than 82 % reduction with the A-DPF. The DOC exhibited much lower particle reductions, reducing the particle concentration by only 5–35 %, depending upon the genset or load. These results demonstrate that while DPFs are effective at reducing PM and BC emissions, the particle characteristics are altered from those of uncontrolled emissions.

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Notes

  1. 40 CFR part 89 and 40 CFR part 1039. Control of Emissions from New and In-Use Nonroad Compression Ignition Engines

  2. 40 CFR part 63, subpart ZZZZ. National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE)

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to Carl Singer (ARCADIS International) for aiding in system design and data reduction, Daniel Janek (ARCADIS International) for genset operation and data collection, Melanie King (U.S. EPA) for regulatory guidance and support, and the members of Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA) for use of PM control devices for testing. The research described in this article has been reviewed by the U.S. EPA National Risk Management Research Laboratory and approved for publication. The contents of this article should not be construed to represent Agency policy nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, APTB, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, 109 T.W. Alexander Drive, E-365, Research Triangle Park, NC, 27711, USA

    Tiffany L. B. Yelverton & Amara L. Holder

  2. Sustainable Transport Unit, European Commission, Joint Research Center, Institute for Energy and Transport, Ispra, Italy

    Jelica Pavlovic

Authors
  1. Tiffany L. B. Yelverton
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  2. Amara L. Holder
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  3. Jelica Pavlovic
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Correspondence to Tiffany L. B. Yelverton.

Additional information

Jelica Pavlovic was a ORISE postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Research Triangle Park, NC at the time the research and analysis were completed.

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Yelverton, T.L.B., Holder, A.L. & Pavlovic, J. Emissions removal efficiency from diesel gensets using aftermarket PM controls. Clean Techn Environ Policy 17, 1861–1871 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-015-0900-6

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