SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Brochures

Related Information

Contact Us

SwRI Information

Home

	A technician gathers test data to measure fine, ultrafine, and nanoparticle emissions from engines.

Measuring fine, ultrafine, and nanoparticle emissions from engines is an ongoing function of the Engine and Emissions Research Department at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI).  SwRI is a pioneer in automotive emission research and assists industry and government in developing and evaluating technologies to meet present and future standards.

SwRI's team of experts in particulate emission measurement and dilution system design offers clients a broad range of capabilities for understanding and measuring exhaust particulate mass, number, and size distributions in ranges of:

• Fine particles, < 2,500 nm (2.5 µm)

• Ultrafine particles, < 100 nm (0.1 µm)

• Nanoparticles, < 50 nm (0.05 µm)

Exhaust Particle Emission Measurement

Engineers routinely conduct detailed assessments of total particulate emission and characterize particle size and number from:

	Aerosol generation for dilution tunnel calibration using Colison atomizer and scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS)

• Diesel engines

• Traditional gasoline engines

• Gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines

• Natural gas engines

Particle Measurement Instruments

In addition to filter-based measurement of total particulate mass emissions that conforms to current ISO and current and 2007 EPA particulate sampling protocols, SwRI operates a suite of particle measurement instruments to cover a wide range of particle diameters from 7 to 10,000 nm. A listing of particle measurement instruments is given below.

	Traditional and nano scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS) is used for number size distributions covering a range of 3 to 500 nm in electric mobility diameter
	Condensation particle counter (CPC) provides a cumulative number count in the size range of 3 to 2,000 nm.
	Electrical low-pressure impactor (ELPI) gives real-time number-weighted size distribution in the particle diameter range of 30 to 10,000 nm.
	Micro orifice uniform deposition impactor (MOUDI) provides mass-based size distributions covering particle sizes from 56 to 10,000 nm in aerodynamic diameter.
	Nano-MOUDI is used for mass-based size distributions covering particle sizes from 10 to 56 nm in aerodynamic diameter.
	Tapered element oscillating micro-balance (TEOM) provides cumulative mass measurements in real time.
	Solid particle measurement system (SPMS™) relies on catalytic stripper technique (patent pending), for solid particle size, number, and mass measurement.
	Electro-spray and Colison atomizer generates particles in the size range of 3 to 500 nm for challenging instrumentation and performing calibrations.

Additional Instruments Available at SwRI

Other state-of-the-art particle instruments for evaluation at SwRI include the QCM, EEPS, and DMM-230 shown below:

 

	Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM), cumulative mass measurement in real time.
	Engine exhaust particle sizer (EEPS), real-time particle size distribution covering a size range of 3 to 500 nm.
	Diesel mass monitor (DMM)-230, cumulative particle mass measurement in real time.

 

	Solid particle measurement system (catalytic stripper for particle number, size, and mass measurements

These special purpose instruments are used with well-characterized engine exhaust dilution systems:

• Full-flow dilution (current and 2007 PM sampling protocols)

• Mini dilution

• Micro dilution

Engine and Particle Emission Research

SwRI maintains facilities to generate meaningful information about particulate emission mass, number, and size distribution of engine exhaust particulate to study the influence of:

• Combustion chamber design strategies

• Fuel systems

• Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)

• Blowby

• Aftertreatment devices

• Oil types

• Fuel types

• Fuel additives

• Cold start

Other Particle Analyses Available at SwRI

	Particle size distribution emitted from a light-duty diesel pickup truck at idle and 50 mph

The level of analysis for particle sizes ranging from 7 to 10,000 nm includes:

• Transmission electron microscopy

• Scanning electron microscopy

• Energy dispersion spectroscopy

• Vacuum oven sublimation

• Direct injection gas chromatography

• Soxhlet extraction

• Sulfate

• Nitrate

• Metals

Other Fine, Ultrafine, and Nanoparticle Research Activities

• Fuel and oil droplet generation

• Physical impurity analysis

• Critical literature reviews

• Theoretical particle loss analysis

• Dilution system design and fabrication

• Particle instrument evaluation and calibration

• Dilution systems evaluation and calibration

• Development of procedures and protocols for particle measurement

• Quality assurance/quality control

• Consulting services

Comparison between GDI and direct-injection (DI) diesel engines

For more information about the application of particle science to exhaust emission measurement and control, or how you can contract with SwRI, please contact Imad A. Khalek, Ph.D., at ikhalek@swri.org or (210) 522-2536.

ultrafineemissions.swri.org

| Engine and Vehicle R&D Department | Engine, Emissions & Vehicle Research Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 11 technical divisions.

December 28, 2012