Minimizing diesel engine emissions by catalysis
- Kerr-McGee Coal Corp., Oklahoma City, OK (United States)
- National Fuelsaver Corp., Brookline Village, MA (United States)
Emissions of particulates, unburned hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NO{sub x}) and carbon monoxide (CO) from diesel engines are of concern in mines, particularly underground mines. All these undesirable products except NO{sub x} are the result of incomplete combustion in the cylinders. Various approaches to achieving more complete combustion in diesel engines have included different fuel compositions, use of catalysts, fuel additives, engine modifications, and oxygen-enriched intake air. The present study shows that injecting minute quantities of primarily platinum group metal catalysts into the intake air of a Deutz/MWM D916-6 mine diesel engine substantially reduces emissions in the exhaust. The catalyst injection system, which was developed by National Fuelsaver Corporation, transfers catalyst compounds in solution to a stream of air bubbles by a process called Bubble Fractionation. The amounts are so minute that concentrations in the engine exhaust should be well below OSHA/NIOSH Time Weighted Average (TWA) exposure limits at steady state, a fact that was confirmed by analysis of collected particulates in the exhaust. When the catalyst injection was used along with a pleated paper filter to remove exhaust particulates, the filter operating life was shortened greatly. Therefore, this system is not recommended for use on diesel engines equipped with a water scrubber and a filter. It does offer a practical and relatively economical way of reducing exhaust emissions from other diesel engines, such as those in outby mine service.
- OSTI ID:
- 269209
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9506227--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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