March 24, 2011 — The Swiss Federal Office for the Environment has granted accreditation to Southwest Research Institute® (SwRI®) to evaluate engine exhaust filters under stringent new solid-particle emissions standards for diesel engines sold in Switzerland.
Since 2009, non-road diesel engines sold in Switzerland have had to meet the Swiss Federal Ordinance on Air Pollution Control (OAPC). In addition to meeting European Union (EU) emissions regulations, engines sold in Switzerland must meet a stringent solid particle number emission limit for particles in the range from 20 nanometers to 300 nanometers in diameter, according to Dr. Imad A. Khalek, program manager in SwRI's Engine, Emissions and Vehicle Research Division.
For engines equipped with diesel exhaust particle filters, the OAPC requires a solid particle-number filtration efficiency of 97 percent or greater, or verification that the engine meets the Euro VI solid particle-number limit that will apply to on-highway diesels sold in the EU beginning in 2014.
"The OAPC is the most stringent particle emission regulation in the world. It requires special expertise in particle emissions science and technology," Khalek said. "SwRI, with its expertise in this area, was able to accredit its laboratory to perform the OAPC for U.S. engine manufacturers and other engine manufacturers around the globe."
The Swiss accreditation was granted to SwRI on Oct. 13, 2010. In September 2008, the Swiss Federal Council amended the OAPC to set a Jan. 1, 2009, deadline for new construction machines with a power output of more than 37 kW to meet a specified maximum level of particle emissions or be equipped with an OAPC-approved particle filter system. For smaller machines and the retrofitting of older models, other effective dates apply according to output and age.
The testing procedure specified in the OAPC for particle filter systems is based on Swiss standard SNR 277205, an official standard of the Swiss Association for Standardization.
For more information, contact SwRI Solutions.