ABSTRACT
Considering the recent stringent regulations governing diesel NO(x) emission, an aftertreatment system for the reduction of NO(x) in the exhaust gas has been proposed and studied. The proposed system is a hybrid method combining nonthermal plasma and NOx adsorbent. The system does not require precious metal catalysts or harmful chemicals such as urea and ammonia. In the present system, NO(x) in diesel emission is treated by adsorption and desorption by adsorbent as well as nonthermal plasma reduction. In addition, the remaining NO(x) in the adsorbent is desorbed again in the supplied air by residual heat. The desorbed NO(x) in air recirculates into the intake of the engine, and this process, i.e., exhaust gas components' recirculation (EGCR) achieves NO(x) reduction. Alternate utilization of two adsorption chambers in the system can achieve high-efficiency NO(x) removal continuously. An experiment with a stationary diesel engine for electric power generation demonstrates an energy efficiency of 154 g(NO2)/kWh for NO(x) removal and continuous NO(x) reduction of 70.3%. Considering the regulation against diesel emission in Japan, i.e., the new regulation to be imposed on vehicles of 3.5-7.5 ton since 2016, the present aftertreatment system fulfills the requirement with only 1.0% of engine power.
ABSTRACT
NO(x) emitted from a stationary diesel engine generator was treated with a hybrid system comprising NO(x) reduction by nonthermal plasma (NTP) and temperature swing adsorption (TSA) driven by engine waste heat. TSA produces a low-volume gas mixture of N(2) and highly concentrated NO(x), which is effectively reduced by NTP treatment. Improved treatment performance and efficiency are achieved by re-injecting the NTP-treated gas mixture into the engine intake. The system comprises two switchable adsorption chambers; the operation of this system was simulated by using a one-chamber system. The maximum energy efficiency for NO(x) treatment is 200 g(NO(2))/kWh. The respective contributions of NTP and injection of N(2) and NO(x) to the performance were theoretically analyzed. The analysis predicts that high energy efficiency and high NO(x)-removal efficiency can be simultaneously achieved with this system but miniaturization of the adsorption chambers will be a challenge.
Subject(s)
Air Pollution/prevention & control , Nitrogen Oxides/chemistry , Vehicle Emissions , Adsorption , Equipment Design , Hot TemperatureABSTRACT
Odor control has gained importance for ensuring a comfortable living environment. In this paper, the authors report the experimental results of a study on the detailed characteristics of a laminated film-electrode and a laminated film-electrode packed-bed nonthermal plasma reactor, which are types of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor used for odor control. These plasma reactors can be potentially used for the decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and reduction of NO(x). The reactor is driven by a low-cost 60-Hz neon transformer. Removal efficiencies under various experimental conditions are studied. The complete decomposition of the main odor component, namely, NH(3), is achieved in a dry environment. The retention times are investigated for the complete removal of NH(3) in the case of the film-electrode plasma reactor and the film-electrode packed-bed plasma reactor. The removal efficiency of the former reactor is lower than that of the latter reactor. Mixing another odor component such as CH(3)CHO in the gas stream has no significant effect on NH(3) removal efficiency.
