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Emission Test Cycles

Heavy-Duty Supplemental Emissions Test (SET)

The Supplemental Emissions Test (SET) is a 13-mode steady-state engine dynamometer test, first introduced by the US EPA as part of the 1998 consent decrees with US heavy-duty engine manufacturers and then included in the 2007 emission standards for heavy-duty engines. In addition to FTP testing, consent decree engines subject to US EPA 2004 emission standards and model year 2007 and later engines must also demonstrate compliance when tested over the steady-state SET test. There are several versions of this test cycle:

  • A discrete mode cycle (DMC), and
  • Two ramped mode cycles (RMC).

The discrete mode cycle SET is equivalent to the European Stationary Cycle (ESC). It was the test used for engine testing under the 1998 consent decrees.

The ramped mode test is performed as a continuous cycle with ramped transitions between the individual modes. The 2007 ramped mode cycle SET was applicable to 2007-2009 heavy-duty engines, where manufacturers could use either the 2007 RMC-SET or the discrete mode DMC-SET. While the RMC test contains the same operating modes and weightings as the discrete mode test, their order is different and the transition between modes is defined.

For 2010 and later model year heavy-duty engines, manufacturers must use the 2010 RMC-SET. It is similar to the 2007 ramped mode SET with the exception that the order in which the modes are run is the same as for the discrete mode SET and ESC cycles. For the 2010 model year only, manufacturers could continue to use the 2007 ramped mode SET as long as it did not adversely affect the ability to demonstrate compliance with emission standards.

Table 1 summarizes two ramped mode SET cycles. Speeds A, B and C are defined in the same way as for the ESC cycle.

Table 1
Ramped mode cycle SET
RMC Mode2007-20092010 & later
Time, sSpeedTorque, %Time, sSpeedTorque, %
1aSteady-state170Warm idle0170Warm idle0
1bTransition20Linear transitionLinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
2aSteady-state170A100173A100
2bTransition20ALinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
3aSteady-state102A25219B50
3bTransition20ALinear transition20BLinear transition
4aSteady-state100A75217B75
4bTransition20ALinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
5aSteady-state103A50103A50
5bTransition20Linear transitionLinear transition20ALinear transition
6aSteady-state194B100100A75
6bTransition20BLinear transition20ALinear transition
7aSteady-state219B25103A25
7bTransition20BLinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
8aSteady-state220B75194B100
8bTransition20BLinear transition20BLinear transition
9aSteady-state219B50218B25
9bTransition20Linear transitionLinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
10aSteady-state171C100171C100
10bTransition20CLinear transition20CLinear transition
11aSteady-state102C25102C25
11bTransition20CLinear transition20CLinear transition
12aSteady-state100C75100C75
12bTransition20CLinear transition20CLinear transition
13aSteady-state102C50102C50
13bTransition20Linear transitionLinear transition20Linear transitionLinear transition
14Steady-state168Warm idle0168Warm idle0

In 2016, the EPA introduced an additional set of weighting factors for the SET test [2918]. The two sets of weighting factors are shown in Table 2. Weight (A) represents the original weights (identical to those of the ESC), while weight (B) represents the additional set of weights. The weighting factors (B)—developed to account for the downspeeding trend in heavy-duty engines—are used for testing of engine CO2 emissions for the purpose of EPA Phase 2 GHG emission standards. Weighting factors (A) continue to be used for the purpose of pollutant (CO, HC, NOx, PM) emission testing.

Table 2
SET weighting factors
ModeEngine SpeedLoad, %Weight A, %Weight B, %
1Low idle01512
2A10089
3B501010
4B751010
5A50512
6A75512
7A25512
8B10099
9B25109
10C10082
11C2551
12C7551
13C5051
Total100100
Total A speed2345
Total B speed3938
Total C speed235