This thesis documents research carried out to investigate the possibility of reliably and affordably predicting NOx emission levels from diesel engines. NOx emissions are of increasing concern, principally due to the various detrimental health and environmental impacts that they can have. These emissions are also on the increase with diesel engines contributing significantly to their formation. This contribution is set to continue and is likely to become magnified, particularly with diesel engines enjoying strong market share in a range of industries and increasing influence in other market areas in recent years. Despite the above mentioned concerns and the existence of some understanding of NOx formation in diesel engines, it is very difficult to quantify the amount of NOx that a diesel engine is producing. A range of potential benefits from being able to achieve this are identified in the research documented in this thesis. Subsequently, possible solutions, in terms of measurement and prediction, are investigated and prediction is determined to potentially be the more successful approach. Detail is provided of how test facilities are designed and empirical data is collected to help with the development of the NOx prediction software. A range of data analysis techniques were considered with the chosen ones being selected on the basis that they best meet the defined criteria. The way in which the chosen techniques are applied is described both in terms of the research itself and in terms of how the method will be employed by the sponsoring company and/or the company's customers. Throughout the research consideration was maintained of how the technique would ultimately be used and consequently this had a significant impact on how the research was carried out. The results obtained from the developed method have been compared with the equivalent empirical results. The comparison shows that the developed method can effectively predict the NOx emission levels from a diesel engine over a range of operating conditions. In addition to the conclusions drawn in relation to the research findings, a number of potential future developments are proposed; both in terms of the commercial implications of the findings and also how the developed method might be advanced further.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:504698 |
| Date | January 2008 |
| Creators | Lidstone, Liam |
| Publisher | University of Manchester |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
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