Non-Conventional Plasma Assisted Catalysts for Diesel Exhaust Treatment: A Case Study

This paper reports the application of pulse discharges along with catalysts in treat- ing the exhaust gas at higher temperatures. In the present work a plasma reactor, filled with catalysts, called as plasma catalytic reactor, is studied for removal of oxides of nitrogen, total hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. The experiments are conducted on an actual diesel engine exhaust at no-load and at different temperatures starting from room temperature to 300°C. The removal efficiencies of these pollutants are studied. The experiments are carried out with both con- ventional and non-conventional catalysts. The idea is to explore the pollutant removal efficiency characteristics by non-conventional catalysts. The efficiency results are compared with that of conventional catalysts. The experiments are carried out at a constant pulse repetition rate of 120 pps. Both pellet and honeycomb type catalysts are used in the study.

Determination of arsenic in air particulates and diesel exhaust particulates by spectrophotometry

A method was developed for the determination of trace arsenic by spectrophotometry. The proposed method is rapid, simple, and inexpensive. This method can be used for sensitive determination of trace arsenic in environmental samples and especially in air particulates. The results obtained by this method as a proposed method were compared with those obtained by hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry as a popular reported method for the determination of arsenic and an excellent agreement was found between them. The method was also used for determination of arsenic associated with airborne particulate matter and diesel exhaust particulates. The results showed that considerable amount of arsenic are associated with diesel engine particulates. The variation in concentration of arsenic was also investigated. The atmospheric concentration of arsenic was different in different sampling stations was dependent to the traffic density.

Sensitivity of Lichens to Diesel Exhaust under Laboratory Conditions

Lichen vegetation reacts very sensitively to a variety of air pollutants including increased nitrogen concentrations as well as to traffic exhaust in general, which makes lichens reliable monitoring organisms for atmospheric pollution. Recent environmental studies have shown that decreasing abundance of acidophytic lichen species and the increase of nitrophytic lichens can be explained by elevated levels of atmospheric nitric-compounds adsorbed onto nanoparticles. One major source of these atmospheric compounds amongst a wider pollution inventory is diesel exhaust—a mixture of gases and particle matter. This study aimed to shed light on the impact of diesel exhaust on the viability of six differently sensitive lichen species. Diesel exhaust particle concentrations in the laboratory experiments resembled those at a local highway during rush hour. By incubation in a closed stainless steel chamber we could exclude influences from other pollutants than diesel exhaust providing explicit data about the effects of diesel exhaust on lichens. The investigations revealed effects on the photosynthesis of the lichen photobionts and hence the lichen vitality. The conclusions of this study are that 1) the photobiont is affected stronger as the mycobiont and 2) older parts of the lichen are damaged first. Another remarkable result of this study is that 3) these lichens are regenerating to some extent during incubation-free periods—unless the organism is not damaged too much to restore photosynthetic activity. To our knowledge this is the first study evaluating the impact of diesel exhaust on lichens under laboratory conditions separate from other interfering pollutants.

Plasma cascaded solid wastes for possible adsorption of NO_(2)in diesel exhaust

Extensive use of fossil fuel has led to an increase in solid and gaseous particulates in the environment,which in turn necessitated newer,effective,and economical control strategies to abate pollutants,particularly gaseous pollutants.In the current research work,focus has been placed on utilizing industry wastes to adsorb nitrogen oxides present in diesel engine exhaust,which is pre-treated by plasma.Sampled exhaust from a 5 kW diesel generator is exposed to discharge plasma where the oxidation of nitric oxide to nitrogen dioxide occurs,which is then made to flow through another reactor filled with industry wastes drawn from agriculture,foundry,utility,marine industry,etc.,comprising mulberry waste,rice husk,wheat husk,areca nut husk,sugarcane bagasse,coffee husk,foundry sand,lignite ash,red mud,and oyster shells.While the adsorption of nitrogen dioxide was observed in all the wastes,reduction of nitric oxide was observed in metallic compound-based industry wastes.At about 184 J/L,specific energy plasma cascaded industrial waste red mud yielded 98%NO_(x)removal efficiency,and that with agriculture rice husk waste yielded 53%NOx removal.TiO_(2)/Fe_(2)O_(3)present in industry wastes might have exhibited photo-catalysis in visible light resulting in the possible reduction of NO.A new pathway for recycling the waste can be expected through nitrogen dioxide adsorption,and the results are further discussed with respect to plasma-alone and cascaded plasma adsorbent systems.

DeNOx Study in Diesel Engine Exhaust Using Barrier Discharge Corona Assisted by V_2O_5/TiO_2 Catalyst

A plasma-assisted catalytic reactor was used to remove nitrogen oxides (NOx)from diesel engine exhaust operated under different load conditions. Initial studies were focused onplasma reactor (a dielectric barrier discharge reactor) treatment of diesel exhaust at varioustemperatures. The nitric oxide (NO) removal efficiency was lowered when high temperature exhaust wastreated using plasma reactor. Also, NO removal efficiency decreased when 45% load exhaust wastreated. Studies were then made with plasma reactor combined with a catalytic reactor consisting ofa selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, V_2O_5/TiO_2. Ammonia was used as a reducing agentfor SCR process in a ratio of 1:1 to NOx. The studies were focused on temperatures of the SCRcatalytic reactor below 200℃. The plasma-assisted catalytic reactor was operated well to remove NOxunder no-load and load conditions. For an energy input of 96 J/l, the NOx removal efficienciesobtained under no-load and load conditions were 90% and 72% respectively at an exhaust temperatureof 100 ℃.

Effect of lubricant sulfur on the morphology and elemental composition of diesel exhaust particles

This work investigates the effects of lubricant sulfur contents on the morphology,nanostructure,size distribution and elemental composition of diesel exhaust particle on a light-duty diesel engine. Three kinds of lubricant（LS-oil,MS-oil and HS-oil,all of which have different sulfur contents：0.182%,0.583% and 1.06%,respectively）were used in this study. The morphologies and nanostructures of exhaust particles were analyzed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy（TEM）. Size distributions of primary particles were determined through advanced image-processing software. Elemental compositions of exhaust particles were obtained through X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy（EDS）. Results show that as lubricant sulfur contents increase,the macroscopic structure of diesel exhaust particles turn from chain-like to a more complex agglomerate. The inner cores of the core-shell structure belonging to these primary particles change little; the shell thickness decreases,and the spacing of carbon layer gradually descends,and amorphous materials that attached onto outer carbon layer of primary particles increase. Size distributions of primary particles present a unimodal and normal distribution,and higher sulfur contents lead to larger size primary particles. The sulfur content in lubricants directly affects the chemical composition in the particles. The content of C（carbon）decreases as sulfur increases in the lubricants,while the contents of O（oxygen）,S（sulfur）and trace elements（including S,Si（silicon）,Fe（ferrum）,P（phosphorus）,Ca（calcium）,Zn（zinc）,Mg（magnesium）,Cl（chlorine）and Ni（nickel））all increase in particles.

Diesel generator exhaust heat recovery fully-coupled with intake air heating for off-grid mining operations:An experimental,numerical,and analytical evaluation

The customarily discarded exhaust from the fossil fuel-based power plants of the off-grid mines holds the thermal potential to fulfill the heating requirement of the underground operation.This present research fills in an important research gap by investigating the coupling effect between a diesel exhaust heat recovery and an intake air heating system employed in a remote mine.An integrative approach comprising analytical,numerical,and experimental assessment has been adapted.The novel analytical model developed here establishes the reliability of the proposed mine heating system by providing comparative analysis between a coupled and a decoupled system.The effect of working fluid variation has been examined by the numerical analysis and the possible improvement has been identified.Experimental investigations present a demonstration of the successful lab-scale implementation of the concept and validate the numerical and analytical models developed.Successful deployment of the fully coupled mine heating system proposed here will assist the mining industry on its journey towards energy-efficient,and sustainable mining practices through nearly 70%reduction in fossil fuel consumption for heating intentions.

Stability of Cu-Mn bimetal catalysts based on different zeolites for NO_x removal from diesel engine exhaust

Cu–Mn bimetal catalysts were prepared to remove nitrogen oxides(NOx)from diesel engine exhaust at low temperatures.At a Cu/Mn ratio of 3:2,the NOx conversions at 200°C reached 65%and 90%on Cu–Mn/ZSM‐5 and Cu–Mn/SAPO‐34,respectively.After a hydrothermal treatment and reaction in the presence of C3H6,the activity of Cu–Mn/SAPO‐34 was more stable than that of Cu–Mn/ZSM‐5.No obvious variations in the crystal structure or dealumination were observed,whereas the physical structure was best maintained in Cu–Mn/SAPO‐34.The atomic concentration of Cu on the surface of Cu–Mn/SAPO‐34 was quite stable,and the consumption of octahedrally coordinated Cu2+could be recovered.Conversely,the proportion of octahedrally coordinated Cu2+on the surface of Cu–Mn/ZSM‐5 significantly decreased.Therefore,besides the structure,the redox cycle between Cu+and octahedrally coordinated Cu2+played an important role in the stability of the catalysts.

Injection of N-Radicals into Diesel Engine Exhaust Treated by Plasma for Improved NO_x Removal: A Feasibility Study

Reported in this paper is a feasibility study on the injection of plasma induced N radicals for the abatement of NO and NOx present in the actual diesel exhaust. The radical laden diesel exhaust was further treated by discharge plasma in a dielectric barrier discharge reactor. N radicals were produced in a separate plasma reactor filled with BaTiO3 pellets and were then injected into the treatment zone, There was a significant improvement in the efficiency when the radicals were injected compared to that when there was no radical injection. The efficiency of NOx removal at 0 load with plasma alone was 14% whereas with the injection of N radicals it went up to 38%, The results of the experiments conducted at different loads are discussed,

Removal of Nitrogen Oxides in Diesel Engine Exhaust by Plasma Assisted Molecular Sieves

This paper reports the studies conducted on removal of oxides ofnitrogen (NOx) from diesel engine exhaust using electrical dischargeplasma combined with adsorbing materials such as molecular sieves.This study is being reported for the first time. The exhaust is takenfrom a diesel engine of 6 kW under no load conditions. Thecharacteristic behavior of a pulse energized dielectric barrierdischarge reactor in the diesel exhaust treatment is reported. TheNOx removal was not significant (36/100) when the reactor without anypacking was used.

Unfiltered Diesel Engine Exhaust Treatment by Discharge Plasma: Effect of Soot Oxidation

A cascaded system of electrical discharges (Non-thermal plasma), catalyst andadsorption process was investigated for the removal of oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) and carbonmonoxide (CO) from a Diesel engine raw exhaust. The three processes were separately studied first,and then the cascaded processes, namely plasma-catalyst and plasma-adsorbent, were investigated. Inthis paper main emphasis was laid on the effect of carbonaceous soot oxidation on the plasmatreatment process. While the cascaded plasma-catalyst process exhibits a higher CO removal, thecascaded plasma-adsorbent process exhibits a higher NO_x removal. The experiments were conductedunder no-load. The plasma and adsorbent reactors were kept at room temperature throughout theexperiment while the catalyst reactor was kept at 200℃ / 300℃.

Study of Pulsed Plasma in a Crossed Flow Dielectric Barrier Discharge Reactor for Improvement of NO_x Removal in Raw Diesel Engine Exhaust

Improved performance of plasma in raw engine exhaust treatment is reported. A new type of reactor referred to as of cross-flow dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） was used, in which the gas flow is perpendicular to the corona electrode. In raw exhaust environment, the cross-flow （radial-flow） reactor exhibits a superior performance with regard to NOx removal when compared to that with axial flow of gas. Experiments were conducted at different flow rates ranging from 2 L/min to 25 L/min. The plasma assisted barrier discharge reactor has shown encouraging results in NOx removal at high flow rates.

Promotional effect of phosphorylation on CeSn_(0.8)W_(0.6)O_x/TiAl_(0.2)Si_(0.1)O_y for NH_3-SCR of NO from marine diesel exhaust

A series of phosphorylation and blank CeSn_（0.8）W_（0.6）O_x/TiAl_（0.2）Si_（0.1）O_y catalysts prepared by extrusion molding were tested for NH_3-SCR of NO, and were characterized by techniques of X-ray diffraction（XRD）, Brumauer-Emmett-Teller（N_2-BET）, environmental scanning electron microscope（ESEM）, temperature programmed reduction（H_2-TPR） and temperature programmed desorption（NH_3-TPD）. Effects of phosphorylation on catalytic activity and sulfur-resisting performance of the CeSn_（0.8）W_（0.6）O_x/TiAl_（0.2）Si_（0.1）O_y for NH_3-SCR of NO were mainly studied. Results showed that the phosphorylation improved the catalytic activity and sulfur-resisting performance in an active temperature window of 300–440 °C, and the phosphorylation catalyst with 0.4 wt.% H_3PO_4 exhibited the best catalytic performance and the strongest sulfur-resisting performance. Analysis showed that the phosphorylation increased specific surface area, enhanced the surface acidity and improved redox properties.

Application of Space-time Conservation Element and Solution Element Method in Intake and Exhaust Flows of High Power Density Diesel Engine

A one-dimensional pipe flow model of single-cylinder diesel engine is established to investigate the intake and exhaust flow characteristics of diesel engine in the condition of high power density(HPD).A space-lime conservation element and solution element(CE/SE)method is used to derive the discrete equations of the partial differential equation for the intake and exhaust systems.The performance parameters of diesel engine with speed of 2100 r/min are simulated.The simulated results are in accordance with the experimental data.The effect of increased power density on charging coefficient is analyzed using a validated model.The results show that the charging coefficient is slowly improved with the increase in intake pressure,and is obviously reduced with the increase in engine speed.

Parallel personal measurements of diesel engine exhaust and crystalline silica using dual sampling port

Diesel engine exhaust(DEE) and crystalline silica exposures occur simultaneously in the mining industry,and occupational sampling campaigns can be time-and cost-consuming. The authors evaluated a dualport system for simultaneous sampling of DEE and crystalline silica in laboratory and field conditions.Laboratory tests evaluated the operation of pumps during 8 h sampling and the intensity of the flow variation for various filter loading conditions and for different modes of operation. Field validation was performed in an underground mine. Pumps operated in constant flow or constant pressure modes.Tests in constant flow mode showed that when the flowrate increased on one side of the system, it decreased on the opposite side according to the loading intensity. Tests in constant pressure mode showed that flowrates systematically decreased when using loaded cassettes. However, the higher the backpressure setting, the lower the flow variation was. Flow variations during field tests were generally within the acceptable ±5% range. However, significant flow variations were identified in higher concentrations. A significant negative correlation was found between flowrate variation and total carbon concentration. While the majority of tests support the use of the dual-port for evaluating concomitant exposures, results highlight the possibility of filter overloading as a cause of flowrate changes.

C-Reactive Protein Gene Polymorphisms Correlated with Serum CRP Levels of Diesel Engine Exhaust-Exposed Workers

Objective: To assess the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP), and CRP polymorphisms in the diesel engine exhaust (DEE)-exposed workers. Methods: In 137 DEE-exposed workers and 127 unexposed comparable control workers, six urinary mono-hydroxylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OH-PAHs) and serum CRP levels were assayed. Genotyping of four CRP single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was measured. Results: Serum CRP levels increased in exposed versus control workers (all p < 0.001). In the DEE-exposed workers, two CRP polymorphisms were associated with serum CRP levels, the subjects of rs1205 TT genotype had lower serum CRP levels (p < 0.05 compared to TC or CC). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that polymorphisms in CRP and circulating CRP involved in the inflammatory process may play significant roles in human sensitivity to lung function injury caused by DEE exposure. This study will help investigate the underlying mechanisms of adverse respiratory effects induced by DEE.

Design and Experiment for Exhaust Pipes of Pressure Wave Supercharged Diesel Engine

NOx and soot emissions from diesel engines can be greatly reduced by pressure wave supercharging(PWS).The diesel engine matched with PWS needs redesigning its exhaust pipes.Except for meeting the installation requirements,the exhaust gas must be stable in pressure before rushing into PWS.In this paper the lateral and center ported divergent exhaust pipes are designed,modeled geometrically and analyzed structurally based on a 3-D design software-CATIA to determine the structure of two exhaust pipes having the required inner volume.Then flow analysis for two exhaust pipes is done using a flow analysis software-ANASYS.Moreover,the optimal exhaust pipes are determined comprehensively and cast for engine test.Engine test results show that PWS is superior to turbocharging at low engine speeds and inferior to turbocharging in power and emissions at medium-to-high engine speeds.The performance of PWS engine under high speed operating conditions can be improved by contriving larger surge volume intake and exhaust pipes.

基于进气节流耦合后喷策略的柴油机排气热管理

为研究柴油机颗粒物捕集器(diesel particulate filter,DPF)再生升温过程中排气热管理策略对柴油机氧化催化器(diesel oxidation catalyst,DOC)入口温度、发动机性能及污染物排放的影响,该研究分别选取低速低负荷、低速中负荷及中速低负荷工况,通过试验研究进气节流和喷油控制参数对DOC入口温度、燃油经济性及排放性能的影响。试验结果表明:通过进气节流、推迟后喷正时和增大后喷油量能够有效提高DOC入口温度,主喷正时和喷油压力对DOC入口温度的影响较小。基于Box-Behnken试验设计与响应曲面法对低速低负荷工况下进气节流耦合后喷策略的排气热管理策略进行多目标优化,以进气量、后喷正时和后喷油量为因子,DOC入口温度、有效燃油消耗率(brake specific fuel consumption,BSFC)、氮氧化合物(nitrogen oxides,NOx)和烟度排放为优化目标。响应曲面分析结果表明:各因素对DOC入口温度的影响程度从大到小为进气量、后喷油量、后喷正时;对BSFC和NOx排放的影响程度从大到小为后喷油量、后喷正时、进气量;对烟度排放的影响程度从大到小为进气量、后喷油量、后喷正时。当后喷正时为上止点后30℃A、进气量为87 kg/h、后喷油量为6 mg时,DOC入口温度达到最高,此时BSFC为275.4 g/(kW·h),NOx及烟度排放分别为7.38 g/(kW·h)和1.85 mg/m^(3)。优化后最佳进气量、后喷正时和后喷油量分别为87 kg/h、29℃A和5.4 mg,与优化前相比,DOC入口温度提升43.9℃,BSFC增加31.8 g/(kW·h),NOx和烟度排放分别降低18%和29%。研究结果可为DOC入口温度优化控制提供参考。

石墨烯复合载体催化剂在柴油车尾气NO脱除中的应用

氨气选择性催化还原法有利于柴油车尾气中NO的脱除,为适合柴油车尾气条件和温度,制备一种石墨烯和TiO_(2)复合载体的脱硝催化剂,通过NH_(3)-SCR催化活性评价、X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、比表面积与孔隙度分析仪(BET)和程序升温还原(H_(2)-TPR)等表征得出以下结论:对于TiO_(2)载体催化剂,高含量的Ce有利于提高NH_(3)-SCR催化活性,并扩宽活性温度区间,活性组分Fe有利于其低温活性;对于石墨烯载体催化剂,活性组分Ce的催化活性更优越,但Fe更有利于高温活性;针对TiO_(2)和石墨烯复合载体脱硝催化剂,进一步扩宽了催化活性温度区间,改善催化剂反应过程中的粉化现象,但是催化活性略有下降,其中Fe0.1Ce0.4Ti/10%GR催化剂具有最优的NH_(3)-SCR活性,在220~450℃温度区间内NO转化率达到90%以上。

DPF炭烟和灰分加载对不同增压系统柴油机性能的影响

基于某直列6缸增压柴油机试验台架,构建了柴油机+DPF的一维热力学仿真模型,研究了DPF炭烟和灰分加载对不同增压系统柴油机性能的影响。研究结果表明,DPF炭烟和灰分加载会导致单级增压(1TC)和二级增压(2TC)柴油机排气背压升高,进气充量降低,从而导致动力性下降,有效燃油消耗量升高,NO x排放量下降,soot排放量增加。炭烟因其深床炭烟层和较低的渗透率有利于捕集颗粒,提高了DPF捕集效率;而灰分由于其存在灰分堵头降低了孔道有效过滤长度,导致DPF捕集效率下降。DPF炭烟和灰分加载导致1TC柴油机扭矩和燃油消耗率在1000 r/min分别下降22.8%和29.6%,在2200 r/min分别下降2.1%和2.2%;而2TC柴油机扭矩和燃油消耗率在1000 r/min分别下降6.7%和7.1%,在2200 r/min分别下降10.7%和11.9%。二级增压可以降低DPF炭烟和灰分加载对柴油机性能的影响。