Impact of Active Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration on Carbon Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxides and Particle Number Emissions from Euro 5 and 6 Vehicles under Laboratory Testing and Real-World Driving

Athanasios Dimaratos, Barouch Giechaskiel, Michaël Clairotte and Georgios Fontaras
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Athanasios Dimaratos: Laboratory of Applied Thermodynamics, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Barouch Giechaskiel: European Commission Joint Research Centre, 21027 Ispra, Italy
Michaël Clairotte: European Commission Joint Research Centre, 21027 Ispra, Italy
Georgios Fontaras: European Commission Joint Research Centre, 21027 Ispra, Italy

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-29

Abstract: Particulate mass concentration is a crucial parameter for characterising air quality. The diesel particulate filter (DPF) is the primary technology used to limit vehicle particle emissions, but it needs periodic cleaning, a process called regeneration. This study aims to assess the impact of active DPF regeneration on the performance and emissions of Euro 5 and 6 vehicles. The study examined both carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and pollutant (nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and particle number (PN)) emissions for eight vehicles tested in the laboratory and on the road. Apart from the DPF, a wide range of emission control systems was covered in this experimental campaign, including exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC), lean NO x trap (LNT) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst, revealing the different impacts on NO x emissions. The regeneration frequency and duration were also determined and used to calculate the K i factor, which accounts for the emissions with and without regeneration, weighted over the distance driven between two consecutive regeneration events. Based on these outcomes, representative emission factors (EF) were proposed for the regeneration phase only and the complete regeneration interval. In addition, the effect of regeneration on efficiency was estimated and compared with other energy consumers. The results indicated a significant impact of DPF regeneration on CO 2 , NO x and PN emissions, higher in the case of driving cycle testing in the laboratory. The relevant mechanisms behind the elevated emission levels were analysed, focusing on the regeneration period and the test phase following immediately after. The calculation of the K i factor and the comparison with the official values revealed some weaknesses in its application in real-world conditions; to overcome these, new NO x EF values were calculated, depending on the emission control system. It was revealed that Euro 6 vehicles equipped with SCR could comply with the applicable limits when considering the complete regeneration interval. Finally, it was indicated that the DPF regeneration impact on vehicle efficiency is similar to that of driving with the air conditioning (A/C) system and headlights on.

Keywords: DPF regeneration; real driving emissions (RDE); CO 2; NO x; particle number; regeneration frequency; air pollution; vehicle emissions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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