Method Comparisons of Vehicle Emissions Measurements in the Fort McHenry and Tuscarora Mountain Tunnels

Experiments were conducted in the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, MD, and in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel in Pennsylvania, during the summer of 1992 to evaluate real-world automotive emissions. Included in these experiments were the first reported measurements of individual vehicle exhaust in tunnels by a remote sensing device (RSD). Results are compared to integrated emission measurements carried out by analysis of concurrent collections of tunnel air into bags, canisters, and adsorbent traps and by conventional Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The vehicles using these highway tunnels proved to be lower emitting than vehicles usually measured by remote sensing in urban areas. At Fort McHenry the RSD-measured CO/CO2 ratios were, on average, high compared to either the bag or FTIR measurements (by a factor of 1.4 ± 0.2) for the four runs monitored. RSD hydrocarbon data were obtained only at the uphill location ( + 3.76% grade). RSD HC/CO2 ratios were lower on average, but statistically indistinguishable when compared with either the FTIR or the integrated uphill measurements. At Tuscarora, the RSD-measured CO/CO2 ratios were in agreement with the CO/CO2 ratios in the tunnel bag measurements and FTIR measurements (within a factor of 1.00 ± 0.16 by one method and 0.82 ± 0.32 by a second, when traffic was dominated by light-duty spark-ignition vehicles). The RSD HC/CO2 ratios were, however, higher than the light-duty vehicle estimates from the integrated (bag/canister/Tenax) tunnel measurements by a factor of 3, and higher than the FTIR (Delta)HC/(Delta)CO2 ratios by an even higher factor, mostly owing to water vapor interferences in the low average RSD measurements. For the first time RSD measurements were collected from a small sample of heavy-duty diesels; comparisons to the heavy-duty emissions contributions for CO and HC were favorable. Analysis of emissions data for vehicle variability at Fort McHenry revealed that low CO emitting vehicles tended to be consistently low but that the minority that were high emitters ( \u3e 2.5% CO) were more likely to be high only at the uphill location. Vehicle mileage information was collected at a toll booth in the case of Fort McHenry and at a service plaza in the case of Tuscarora for comparison against the RSD emissions measurements. This comparison showed little conventional deterioration of CO or HC emissions with mileage. The trend consisted of an increased frequency of high emitters with mileage, rather than an increase in emissions from all vehicles with increasing mileage

Real-world Automotive Emissions—Summary of Studies in the Fort McHenry and Tuscarora Mountain Tunnels

Motor vehicle emission rates of CO, NO, NOx, and gas-phase speciated nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and carbonyl compounds were measured in 1992 in the Fort McHenry Tunnel under Baltimore Harbor and in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, for comparison with emission-model predictions and for calculation of the reactivity of vehicle emissions with respect to O3 formation. Both tunnels represent a high-speed setting at relatively steady speed. The cars at both sites tended to be newer than elsewhere (median age was \u3c 4 yr), and much better maintained as judged by low CO/CO2 ratios and other emissions characteristics. The Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel is flat, making it advantageous for testing automotive emission models, while in the underwater Fort McHenry Tunnel the impact of roadway grade can be evaluated. MOBILE4.1 and MOBILES gave predictions within ± 50% of observation most of the time. There was a tendency to overpredict, especially with MOBILES and especially at Tuscarora. However, light-duty-vehicle CO, NMHC, and NOx, all were underpredicted by MOBILE4.1 at Fort McHenry. Light-duty-vehicle CO/NOx ratios and NMHC/NOx, ratios were generally a little higher than predicted. The comparability of the predictions to the observations contrasts with a 1987 experiment in an urban tunnel (Van Nuys) where CO and HC, as well as CO/NOx, and NMHC/NOx, ratios, were grossly underpredicted. The effect of roadway grade on gram per mile (g mi−1) emissions was substantial. Fuel-specific emissions (g gal−1), however, were almost independent of roadway grade, which suggests a potential virtue in emissions models based on fuel-specific emissions rather than g mi−1) emissions. Some 200 NMHC and carbonyl emissions species were quantified as to their light- and heavy-duty-vehicle emission rates. The heavy-duty-vehicle NMHC emissions were calculated to possess more reactivity, per vehicle-mile, with respect to O3 formation (g O3 per vehicle-mile) than did the light-duty-vehicle NMHC emissions. Per gallon of fuel consumed, the light-duty vehicles had the greater reactivity. Much of the NMHC, and much of their reactivity with respect to O3 formation, resided in compounds heavier than C10, mostly from heavy-duty diesel, implying that atmospheric NMHC sampling with canisters alone is inadequate in at least some situations since canisters were found not to be quantitative beyond ∼ C10 The contrasting lack of compounds heavier than C10 from light-duty vehicles suggests a way to separate light- and heavy-duty-vehicle contributions in receptor modeling source apportionment. The division between light-duty-vehicle tailpipe and nontailpipe NMHC emissions was ∼ 85% tailpipe and ∼ 15% nontailpipe (evaporative running losses, etc.). Measured CO/CO2 ratios agreed well with concurrent roadside infrared remote sensing measurements on light-duty vehicles, although remote sensing HC/CO2 ratio measurements were not successful at the low HC levels prevailing. Remote sensing measurements on heavy-duty diesels were obtained for the first time, and were roughly in agreement with the regular (bag sampling) tunnel measurements in both CO/CO2 and HC/CO2 ratios. A number of recommendations for further experiments, measurement methodology development, and emissions model development and evaluation are offered

Real-World Automotive Emissions-Summary of Studies in the Fort McHenry and Tuscarora Mountain Tunnels

Motor vehicle emission rates of CO, NO, NOx, and gas-phase speciated nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and carbonyl compounds were measured in 1992 in the Fort McHenry Tunnel under Baltimore Harbor and in the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, for comparison with emission-model predictions and for calculation of the reactivity of vehicle emissions with respect to O3 formation. Both tunnels represent a high-speed setting at relatively steady speed. The cars at both sites tended to be newer than elsewhere (median age was \u3c 4 yr), and much better maintained as judged by low CO/CO2 ratios and other emissions characteristics. The Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel is flat, making it advantageous for testing automotive emission models, while in the underwater Fort McHenry Tunnel the impact of roadway grade can be evaluated. MOBILE4.1 and MOBILES gave predictions within ± 50% of observation most of the time. There was a tendency to overpredict, especially with MOBILES and especially at Tuscarora. However, light-duty-vehicle CO, NMHC, and NOx, all were underpredicted by MOBILE4.1 at Fort McHenry. Light-duty-vehicle CO/NOx ratios and NMHC/NOx, ratios were generally a little higher than predicted. The comparability of the predictions to the observations contrasts with a 1987 experiment in an urban tunnel (Van Nuys) where CO and HC, as well as CO/NOx, and NMHC/NOx, ratios, were grossly underpredicted. The effect of roadway grade on gram per mile (g mi−1) emissions was substantial. Fuel-specific emissions (g gal−1), however, were almost independent of roadway grade, which suggests a potential virtue in emissions models based on fuel-specific emissions rather than g mi−1) emissions. Some 200 NMHC and carbonyl emissions species were quantified as to their light- and heavy-duty-vehicle emission rates. The heavy-duty-vehicle NMHC emissions were calculated to possess more reactivity, per vehicle-mile, with respect to O3 formation (g O3 per vehicle-mile) than did the light-duty-vehicle NMHC emissions. Per gallon of fuel consumed, the light-duty vehicles had the greater reactivity. Much of the NMHC, and much of their reactivity with respect to O3 formation, resided in compounds heavier than C10, mostly from heavy-duty diesel, implying that atmospheric NMHC sampling with canisters alone is inadequate in at least some situations since canisters were found not to be quantitative beyond ∼ C10 The contrasting lack of compounds heavier than C10 from light-duty vehicles suggests a way to separate light- and heavy-duty-vehicle contributions in receptor modeling source apportionment. The division between light-duty-vehicle tailpipe and nontailpipe NMHC emissions was ∼ 85% tailpipe and ∼ 15% nontailpipe (evaporative running losses, etc.). Measured CO/CO2 ratios agreed well with concurrent roadside infrared remote sensing measurements on light-duty vehicles, although remote sensing HC/CO2 ratio measurements were not successful at the low HC levels prevailing. Remote sensing measurements on heavy-duty diesels were obtained for the first time, and were roughly in agreement with the regular (bag sampling) tunnel measurements in both CO/CO2 and HC/CO2 ratios. A number of recommendations for further experiments, measurement methodology development, and emissions model development and evaluation are offered

Enhancements of Remote Sensing for Vehicle Emissions in Tunnels

The University of Denver’s remote sensing system for vehicle exhaust has been successfully adapted to the measurement of vehicle emissions in a tunnel environment. Two studies conducted at the Fort McHenry Tunnel in Baltimore, MD and the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel located west of Harrisburg, PA on the Pennsylvania Turnpike are described. The difficulties associated with remote sensing in a tunnel environment have led to a number of improvements in the remote sensing technology. The successful use of a prototype periscope system is described and evaluated along with the first-time measurements of dual lane traffic