West Virginia University unveils 1065-compliant transportable laboratory

8 September 2009

West Virginia University (WVU) unveiled a 1065-compliant transportable vehicle emissions testing laboratory at the 2009 DEER Conference held last month in Dearborn, MI. The US 2007 heavy-duty diesel engine emissions legislation has mandated a significant reduction in regulated exhaust emissions—in some cases an order of magnitude decrease in pollutant levels—and introduced new procedures for emission measurement, outlined in 40 CFR Part 1065. To meet these new measurement requirements, West Virginia University’s Center for Alternative Fuels, Engines, and Emissions (CAFEE), with assistance from the US DOE, has designed and constructed the ‘next generation’ of transportable emissions measurement laboratories.

The WVU 1065-compliant analytical system is comprised of dual primary full-flow dilution tunnels and provides laboratory-grade level emissions analyzers and components that can be used for on-road emissions measurement, with a high level of adaptation to a variety of specific emissions measurement requirements. The portable trailer-mounted laboratory constitutes a self-contained unit that can be transported to and set up at or near the home base of the vehicles to be tested. The laboratory is housed in a standard container, which can be accompanied by a heavy-duty chassis dynamometer for truck and bus emissions testing. In addition, the laboratory has the ability to measure the emissions from heavy trucks operating over-the-road and on-board a locomotive or marine vessels.

West Virginia University’s CAFEE is an internationally recognized research program in the area of vehicles, engines, emissions and alternative fuels. The new 1065-compliant laboratory is the latest in a series of mobile emissions testing laboratories that have been developed at WVU. The emissions data generated by the mobile laboratories have been used to evaluate engine, vehicle and emissions reduction technologies, support the development of emissions inventories, and to develop models to predict vehicle performance, fuel consumption and emissions under real-world operating conditions. Results developed by WVU’s mobile laboratories have been published in over 100 technical papers and presented in over 360 professional society conference presentations.

Source: WVU CAFEE