Experimental study of particle emission characteristics of a heavy-duty diesel engine and effects of after-treatment systems: Selective catalytic reduction, diesel particulate filter, and diesel particulate and NOx reduction

This investigation focused on the particle emission characteristics of a heavy-duty diesel engine and the effects of after-treatment systems such as diesel particulate filter and selective catalytic reduction. The test engine was operated on the worldwide harmonized transient cycle mode, which is a new transient cycle for Euro 6, and the conventional European transient cycle mode. Four combinations of after-treatment systems, engine-out, selective catalytic reduction, diesel particulate filter, and diesel particulate and nitrogen oxide reduction, were evaluated for the transient cycles, respectively. The whole test procedure, as part of the Korea particulate measurement programme and the inter laboratory correlation exercise for domestic heavy-duty diesel engines, complied with the recommended method of particulate measurement programme. The particles that were extracted through the golden particle measurement system the constant volume sampler tunnel consisted of solid particles like carbonaceous fraction, metal ash, etc. The particles emitted from the tail-pipe, as analyzed by the differential mobility spectrometer, included volatile or soluble particles like sulphate fraction, nitrate fraction, and organic fraction. The test results showed that the particle number and size distribution depended on the catalytic activity or filtration efficiency of the after-treatment system. Compared to the accumulation mode, the nucleation mode was easily caught or oxidized by the after-treatment system. Additionally, the nucleation mode was sharply increased by excessive ammonia injection because nitrogen dioxide-assisted diesel particulate filter regeneration resulted in reduced conversion efficiency of the selective catalytic reduction.