Fuel-Neutral Studies of Particulate Matter Transportation Emissions
EMSL Project ID
36995
Abstract
Customers and governments are demanding greater fuel efficiency in light duty engine applications. Since the majority of light duty engines in North America are fueled by gasoline, gasoline engine technology must be targeted in order to achieve a dramatic and immediate impact on fuel savings in our region. Efforts to curb carbon dioxide emissions, which have been implicated in global climate change, have added new urgency to the drive towards higher fuel efficiency standards. It is also recognized, however, that higher fuel efficiencies must also be accompanied by reductions in other potentially harmful emissions, including particulates. To this end, novel engine modes and various fuel blends are being examined and re-examined. Spark ignition direct injection (SIDI) gasoline engines are one example of a possible technology for dramatically increasing fuel efficiency in light duty vehicles through combustion modes which are more similar to those found in current diesel engines. One concern, however, is that SIDI engines may just like diesel engines generate more particulate matter (PM) than port fuel injection (PFI) gasoline engines. Diesel particulate filters (DPF)s are considered necessary to meet new particulate emissions limits for diesel engines in Europe, Japan, and North America. Similar measures may also be necessary for gasoline engines employing new combustion technologies such as SIDI. Even if the particulate matter counted on a mass basis is much less than that observed with diesel engines, on a number counted basis the distinction may not be so clear, since the combustion of shorter chain fuels can generally be expected to lead to more and smaller soot particles. In addition to engine operation modes, new flexible engines operated on a variety of fuels are being examined, adding more uncertainty to the nature and quantity of particulate emissions. A study designed to elucidate the effect of engine mode and fuel blend on PM generated in a fuel-neutral engine would therefore be of considerable value in the drive toward future high efficiency transportation in the light duty arena. Understanding the nature of the particulate matter derived from an energy efficient fuel-neutral engine will then enable a pathway to optimal particulate filter technology for this particular application. To meet these challenges, a new initiative comprising Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, GM Research and the University of Wisconsin will examine the properties of particulates derived from a fuel-neutral engine, and then subsequently explore filtration and oxidation strategies for effective mitigation.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2009-10-20
End Date
2010-10-24
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Farron C, N Matthias, DE Foster, M Andrie, R Krieger, K Narayanaswamy, A Solomon, P Najt, and A Zelenyuk. 2010. "Particulate Characteristics for Varying Engine Operation in a Gasoline Direct Injection, Spark Iginition Engine." In The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). PNNL-SA-75795, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA. [Unpublished]
Matthias N, C Farron, DE Foster, M Andrie, R Krieger, K Narayanaswamy, A Solomon, P Najt, and A Zelenyuk. 2010. "Particulate Matter Sampling and Volatile Organic Compound Removal for Characterization of Direct Injection Spark Ignited Engine Emissions." In The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). PNNL-SA-75815, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA. [Unpublished]
Stewart ML, TR Gallant, DH Kim, GD Maupin, and A Zelenyuk. 2010. Fuel Efficient Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Modeling and Development . PNNL-19476, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.