Vehicle mass emission measurement

• US 6,085,582 A
• Filed: 04/29/1998
• Issued: 07/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sensors, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sensors, Inc.
• Inventors: Tripathi, Pradeep R., Zummer, Robert K., Ensfield, Carl D., Soenen, Donald M., Ryan, Harold M., Eden, Gideon
• Primary Examiner(s): Oen, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stevens, Maurice
• Application Number:
  US09/069,551
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 73/23.31, 73/23.32, 73/118.1, 73/116, 73/23, 73/28, 73/863.41
• US Class Current: 73/114.71
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/102 by monitoring exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/104 using oxygen or lambda-sensors testing catalytic converters F01N3/18, F01N11/007
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0018 by diluting a gas

Abstract

A method and apparatus for measuring vehicle exhaust emission includes sampling vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air. A first analyzer measures concentrations of gas components of undiluted vehicle exhaust. A second analyzer measures concentration of at least one exhaust gas component present in the dilute mixture gas component. The at least one dilute mixture gas component is a particular exhaust gas component measured by the first analyzer which is also present in ambient air in substantial quantity. Flow rate of the dilute mixture, the concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component and undiluted gas concentration are analyzed by a microprocessor to produce mass emissions of the vehicle exhaust gas components.

Claims

1. A vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer, comprising:

an exhaust inlet adapted to collect vehicle exhaust;

a dilution air inlet connected with said exhaust inlet to provide a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and dilution air;

a first analyzer which measures concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components from said exhaust inlet;

a second analyzer which measures concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component, said at least one dilute mixture gas component being a particular exhaust gas component measured by said first analyzer which is also present in ambient air in an accurately measurable quantity;

a meter which measures flow rate of said dilute mixture; and

a processor which computes mass of the exhaust gas components from said concentration of the undiluted exhaust gas components, said concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component and said flow rate of said dilute mixture.

2. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 1 wherein said second analyzer comprises an oxygen analyzer.

3. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 2 wherein said oxygen analyzer comprises a heated zirconium-oxide medium.

4. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 3 wherein said processor compensates the mass of exhaust gas components for chemical reaction of said at least one dilute mixture gas component and said exhaust gas components.

5. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 4 wherein said chemical reaction results at least in part from heating of said dilute mixture by said oxygen analyzer.

6. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 4 wherein said processor compensates the mass of exhaust gas components by an iterative calculation or model.

7. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 4 wherein said processor compensates the mass of exhaust gas components by:

(a) calculating an initial dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air, (b) compensating measured concentration of said at least one dilute mixture gas component as a function of said initial dilution ratio and measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, (c) resolving measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components and compensated concentration of said at least one dilute mixture gas component to compensated dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air.

8. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 7 including repeating steps (b) and (c).

9. The vehicle mass emission analyzer in claim 1 wherein said processor compensates the mass of exhaust gas components for chemical reaction of said at least one dilute mixture gas component and said exhaust gas components.

10. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 1 including a flow proportionalizer to divert a portion of the dilute gas mixture wherein said second gas analyzer measures said concentration of said particular one dilute gas component in the diverted portion of dilute gas mixture.

11. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 10 wherein said second analyzer comprises an oxygen analyzer which is heated above dilute mixture temperature.

12. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 1 including a blower for propelling dilute mixture of exhaust and dilution air.

13. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 1 wherein said processor resolves the concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, the concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component and the flow rate of said dilute mixture to the mass of said exhaust gas components using the formula:

##EQU2## where;

V_e is volume of the exhaust;

V_d is volume of the dilute mixture;

P_d, P_a, and P_e are the density coefficients of the dilute mixture, ambient air, and exhaust gas, respectively;

C_d is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component in the dilute mixture;

C_a is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component in ambient air; and

C_e is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component undiluted in the vehicle exhaust.

14. A vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer, comprising:

an exhaust inlet adapted to collect vehicle exhaust;

a dilution air inlet connected with said exhaust inlet to provide a dilute mixture of exhaust and dilution air;

a first analyzer which measures concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components from said exhaust inlet;

a second analyzer which measures concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component, said at least one dilute mixture gas component being a particular said exhaust gas component also measured by said first analyzer;

a meter which measures flow rate of said dilute mixture; and

a processor which calculates mass of the exhaust gas components from the concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, the concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component and the flow rate of said dilute mixture, wherein said processor compensates mass of exhaust gas components for chemical reaction of said at least one dilute mixture gas component and said exhaust gas components.

15. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 wherein said chemical reaction results at least in part from heating of said dilute mixture by said second analyzer.

16. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 wherein said processor compensates the mass emissions of exhaust gas components by an iterative calculation.

17. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 wherein said processor compensates the mass emissions of exhaust gas components by:

(a) calculating an initial dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air, (b) compensating measured concentration of said at least one dilute mixture gas component as a function of said initial dilution ratio and measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, (c) resolving measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components and compensated concentration of said at least one dilute mixture gas component to compensated dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air.

18. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 17 wherein said processor repeats steps (b) and (c).

19. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 including a flow proportionalizer to divert a portion of the dilute gas mixture wherein said second gas analyzer measures the concentration of said at least one dilute gas component in the diverted portion of dilute gas mixture.

20. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 including a blower for propelling dilute mixture of exhaust and dilution air.

21. The vehicle exhaust mass emission analyzer in claim 14 wherein said processor resolves the concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, the concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component and the flow rate of said dilute mixture to the mass of said exhaust gas components using the formula:

##EQU3## where;

V_e is volume of the exhaust;

V_d is volume of the dilute mixture;

P_d, P_a, and P_e are the density coefficients of the dilute mixture, ambient air, and exhaust gas, respectively;

C_d is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component in the dilute mixture;

C_a is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component in ambient air; and

C_e is measured concentration of the at least one dilute mixture gas component undiluted in the vehicle exhaust.

22. The vehicle exhaust emission analyzer in claim 14 wherein said second analyzer is an oxygen analyzer.

23. A method of measuring vehicle exhaust mass emission, comprising:

sampling undiluted vehicle exhaust and a dilute mixture of vehicle exhaust and ambient air;

measuring concentrations of undiluted gas components of said vehicle exhaust;

measuring concentration of at least one dilute mixture gas component, the at least one dilute mixture gas component being a particular exhaust gas component which is accurately measurable in ambient air;

measuring flow rate of said dilute mixture; and

calculating mass emissions of the exhaust gas components from said concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, said concentration of said particular component and said flow rate of said dilute mixture.

24. The method of claim 23 including sampling only ambient air in order to provide a calibration before or after said sampling.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein said particular exhaust gas component is oxygen.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein said resolving includes compensating measured oxygen for chemical reaction of oxygen and the exhaust gas components.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein said measuring concentration in said dilute mixture comprises using a heated zirconium-oxide medium.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein said chemical reaction results at least in part from heating of the dilute mixture.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein said compensating comprises performing an iterative calculation.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein said compensating includes:

(a) assuming an estimated dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air, (b) compensating measured concentration of oxygen in said dilute mixture as a function of said estimated dilution ratio and measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, and (c) resolving measured concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components and compensated concentration of oxygen in said dilute mixture to compensated dilution ratio of exhaust gas and dilution air.

31. The method of claim 30 including repeating steps (b) and (c).

32. The method of claim 23 wherein said resolving includes compensating said particular gas component for chemical reaction of said particular component and said exhaust gas components.

33. The method of claim 23 wherein said resolving said concentration of undiluted exhaust gas components, the concentration of said particular gas component and the flow rate of said dilute mixture to the mass of said exhaust gas components includes:

##EQU4## where;

V_e is volume of the exhaust;

V_d is volume of the dilute mixture;

P_d, P_a, and P_e are the density coefficients of the dilute mixture, ambient air, and exhaust gas, respectively;

C_d is measured concentration of oxygen in the dilute mixture of the gas component present in both ambient air and vehicle exhaust;

C_a is measured concentration of ambient air of the gas component present in both ambient air and vehicle exhaust; and

C_e is measured concentration in the vehicle exhaust of the gas component present in both ambient air and undiluted vehicle exhaust.