The Log
2 May 2008: Locomotive Emissions Monitoring Program 2006, a report by the Railway Association of Canada (RAC) outlines progress in emission reduction by Canadian railways (see also press release). The report is published annually, in accordance with the MOU between Transport Canada, Environment Canada and the RAC. The MOU runs through 2010—from 2011 the emissions of air pollutants as well as greenhouse gases from locomotives are expected to become regulated.
25 April 2008: New paper in the Technology Guide discusses low temperature operability properties of diesel fuel including cloud point, pour point, and filterability properties.
23 April 2008: The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposes a 25% increase in fuel economy standards by 2015 [more ...]
22 April 2008: Detroit Diesel announced a software upgrade to regenerate particulate filters on Series 60 engines, which may increase fuel economy by up to 2.5%.
21 April 2008: Adaptive Equipment specializes in automating production of DPFs using advanced robotic, machine vision, processing, and material handling techniques.
7 April 2008: The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved proposed amendments to the MARPOL Annex VI regulations, which would introduce a 0.5% sulfur cap in heavy bunker fuels from 2020 [more ...]
5 April 2008: Updated summary of US emission standards for locomotive engines covers the recently adopted Tier 3/4 regulation.
4 April 2008: EMCON Technologies—formerly ArvinMeritor—is a global exhaust emission control supplier serving worldwide passenger car, commercial vehicle and engine manufacturers.
3 April 2008: A report by WWF, titled “Plugged In: The End of the Oil Age”, advocates electric and hybrid vehicles—including plug-in hybrids—as a solution for the energy and climate change problems faced by humanity. The authors speak against alternative liquid hydrocarbon fuels such as coal-to-liquid, arguing that they would cause more adverse environmental impacts compared with those of hybrid/electric powertrains, even if electrical energy continues to be made from fossil fuels. While cars will remain a major part of the transport equation, future communities should also rely more on public transit, walking and biking [Press release | Summary | Full report].
US EPA announces nearly $50 million in clean diesel grants [more ...]
29 March 2008: Updated Technology Guide paper on diesel particulate filters regenerated by burners and catalytic fuel combustion.
13 March 2008: MTU Detroit Diesel demonstrates interim Tier 4 engine with SCR technology and no particulate filter [more ...]
12 March 2008: Updates in the Technology Guide paper on EGR Systems, mostly in the section on EGR coolers.
26 February 2008: New information has been added in the Technology Guide papers on diesel exhaust and exhaust systems. We also rearranged some of the existing material. The papers are now structured as follows:
- Diesel Exhaust Gas (some additions)
- Engine Exhaust Back Pressure (no changes here)
- Diesel Exhaust Systems (previously titled ‘Noise & Mufflers’, with some additions)
- Exhaust System Materials (new paper)
22 February 2008: The share of diesels in the EU new car market in 2007 reaches 53% [more ...]
11 February 2008: The US EPA will be holding a webcast on February 20, 2008, to discuss clean diesel funding opportunities through the EPA West Coast Collaborative. Under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) authorized $200 million per year for 5 years for implementation of diesel emission reduction projects. The EPA Clean Diesel Program recently received approximately $50 million in Fiscal Year 2008 funding under this authorization.
Diesel Engine & Emissions
Diesel engine is the most efficient power plant among all known types of internal combustion engines. Heavy trucks, urban buses, and industrial equipment are powered almost exclusively by diesel engines all over the world. In Europe, diesel powered cars have been increasingly popular. The diesel engine is a major candidate to become the power plant of the future. Before that happens, however, further progress in diesel emission control is needed.
Internal combustion engines are significant contributors to air pollution, which has a damaging impact on our health and the environment and is suspected to cause global climate changes. Environmental benefits of diesels, such as low greenhouse gas emissions, are balanced by growing concerns with emission of nitrogen oxides and diesel particulates. Increasingly tighter environmental regulations worldwide call for advanced emission controls and near-zero diesel emission levels in the years to come.
DieselNet, the only information service exclusively devoted to engines and emissions, is the internet forum for the exchange of technical and business information on engines, emissions, emission control, and all related issues which, hopefully, will contribute to the development of the clean diesel engine of the future.