Reduction of particulate matter emissions from diesel backup generators equipped with four different exhaust aftertreatment devices

Diesel particulate matter (PM) reduction efficiencies for backup generators (BUGS) (> 300 kW) equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), DOC+fuel-borne catalyst additive combination (DOC+FBC), passive diesel particulate filter (DPF) and an active DPF were measured. Overall, the DOC and DOC+FBC technologies were found to be effective in reducing mainly organic carbon (OC) emissions (56-77%) while both DPFs showed excellent performance in reducing both elemental carbon (EC) and OC emissions (> 90%). These findings demonstrate the potential for applying DOCs to older engines where PM is dominated by the OC fraction. In most modern engine applications, where the PM consists of mainly EC, the DOC will be largely ineffective. Alternatively, passive and active DPFs are expected to be efficient for most engine technologies. Measurements of particle size distributions provided evidence of the high temperature formation of sulfate nanoparticles across the control technologies despite the use of ultralow sulfur diesel. Changes in the particle size distribution and the organic fraction of PM indicate that the OC component of PM is primarily found in the smaller sized particles.