Meeting the Challenge of Particulate Emissions from Future High-Efficiency Vehicles
EMSL Project ID
47936
Abstract
Advanced low temperature combustion technologies currently under development offer the potential to dramatically increase the fuel efficiency of engines which run on gasoline and similar fuel blends. Technologies such as Spark Ignition Direct Injection (SIDI) and Gasoline Direct Injection Compression ignition (GDICI), and application with a range of fuel blends, will blur the lines that have traditionally existed between gasoline and the more efficient diesel engines. Complex strategies such as the ones described above will likely lead to broad range of particulate emission characteristics. At present our knowledge on the subject is very limited because studies providing detailed characterizations of particulate emission from these new engines are very sparse. Our recent studies point to significant differences between properties of diesel particles and particles generated by SIDI engines, which will require adaptation of existing after-treatment technologies used to reduce particulate emissions and their environmental impact.Moreover, regulation of engine particulate emissions in Europe is moving from mass-based to number-based standards. Due to growing understanding of the health and climate effects of ultrafine anthropogenic aerosols, tighter restrictions on particulate emission will also eventually be applied in the United States. Experience thus far indicates that current and future SIDI engines will likely require filtration to meet the proposed limits. Furthermore, the filtration systems currently used with Diesel engines are not likely to provide adequate filtration efficiency, as the hotter SIDI exhaust limits the accumulation of a soot cake, which performs most of the actual filtration in a typical Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).
The objective of this project is to comprehensively map the physical and chemical characteristics of particulates emitted by new high-efficiency engine technologies and promote the development of suitable mitigation strategies. Investigations will focus on particulate properties relevant to filtration and environmental impact, including size, composition, morphology, fractal dimension, mass, effective density, primary spherule diameter, void fraction, number of spherules and surface area as function agglomerate size. Advanced analytical capabilities provided through EMSL, including SPLAT II, are vital to this effort. Approaches proven recently through application to research engines and laboratory-generated soot particles will be extended to new engine technologies, full production engines, and developmental exhaust after-treatment systems. Advanced particulate characterization analyses will complement rigorous filtration experiments, aimed at accelerating the development of appropriate exhaust treatment systems for next-generation engines. Sub-grid and detailed micro-scale computer models will be developed to guide filtration experiments and generalize knowledge gained.
Thorough characterization of particulates produced by advanced high-efficiency engines and development of appropriate mitigation strategies will help enable dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas and particulate emissions from vehicles over the coming decades. A new collaborative initiative between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, GM Research, the University of Wisconsin, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory will build upon previous successes and provide data needed to achieve ambitious fuel efficiency goals and to evaluate the climatic and health impact of emissions from next-generation vehicles.
Project Details
Project type
Large-Scale EMSL Research
Start Date
2013-10-01
End Date
2014-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members
Related Publications
Viswanathan S, D Rothamer, DE Foster, TD Fansler, A Zelenyuk, ML Stewart, and DM Bell. 2017. "EVOLUTION OF DEEP BED FILTRATION OF ENGINE EXHAUST PARTICULATES WITH TRAPPED MASS." International Journal of Engine Research 18(5-6):543-559. doi:10.1177/1468087416675094