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MOBILE EMISSIONS CHARACTERIZATION TEAM (HANDOUT)
Citation:
Kimbrough*, E S. MOBILE EMISSIONS CHARACTERIZATION TEAM (HANDOUT).
Description:
The handout describes the Mobile Emissions Characterization Team of EPA's Office of Research and Development, National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division. The team conducts research to characterize and evaluate emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and carbon monoxide (CO) from mobile sources, which contribute to urban and regional ozone (O3) formation. Also, air toxic compounds and particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter are of concern because they affect urban and regional visibility and health. Highway motor vehicles are the largest anthropogenic source of O3 precursor emissions (VOCs and NOx) in urban areas. This team is researching and developing a new modal emissions model that can give detailed analyses of highway transportation control systems and is expected to provide important input on the effectiveness of future highway intelligent control systems. The research program consists of developing a modal emissions model based on a geographic information system, an instrumented automobile, remote sensing device development, and heavy-duty diesel vehicle (HDDV) emissions characterization. Research facilities used include a computer laboratory for vehicular transportation model development; an instrumented automobile equipped to measure VOC, NOx, and ammonia emissions; a remote sensing van used to classify vehicle on-road emissions rates and link these to vehicle make, model, and engine characteristics; and an HDDV equipped as an on-road mobile test facility to characterize the real-world emissions of heavy-duty trucks.