TRUCKS ON TREADMILLS – AIR QUALITY
STUDIES TOP PRIORITY FOR ENGINEERS AT UH
Facility Unveiled that Develops and Tests Technologies
to Reduce Diesel Engine Emissions
A program to clean up diesel emissions in Houston is ready to
shift into high gear as the University of Houston and the City of
Houston join forces to clean up our air.
UH’s Diesel Vehicle Research and Testing Facility, initiated
in advance of the Bush administration’s Clean Air Nonroad
Diesel Rule signed by the EPA in May, will be unveiled to the public
during a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Houston Mayor Bill White at
3 p.m., Monday, June 28.
In an effort to improve the region’s air quality, the City
of Houston is providing $3.8 million to the University of Houston
to test new technologies that will help reduce emissions from the
city’s diesel fleet of 2,800 vehicles. The focus of the five-year
project, headed by UH’s Department of Chemical Engineering,
is to conduct diesel testing and data analysis, emission research
and technology development. Cash and in-kind contributions from
the university bring the total project cost to nearly $5 million.
“Technologies emerging and being researched at our facility
are beginning to offer promising possibilities for reducing the
polluting emissions found in diesel engine exhaust,” said
Michael Harold, professor and chair of UH’s Department of
Chemical Engineering and the principal investigator on the air quality
project. “Our task is to systematically evaluate the effectiveness
of these technologies, especially in reducing nitrogen oxides and
particulates. The project is part of a larger UH Cullen College
of Engineering effort to develop cleaner engine technology.”
Nitrogen oxides (NOx) are precursor chemicals that react in the
atmosphere to form ozone, a key component of smog. Common sources
of NOx include cars, trucks, marine vessels, power generation and
industrial processes. When the EPA announced in April its determination
of the air quality in communities across the nation, the Houston-Galveston
nonattainment area did not meet the stricter national standard for
ozone.
Scientists are expecting measures such as the new EPA rule and
the new UH facility to have as big a health benefit as removing
lead in gasoline and installing catalytic converters on cars. The
UH facility includes what is essentially a treadmill for heavy-duty
trucks and a state-of-the-art emission analysis system that will
put diesel-powered vehicles through a series of tests under simulated
driving conditions.
“With the notable shortage of facilities to test diesel emission
control technologies for their effectiveness, UH fills a need in
Southeast Texas,” Harold said. “By analyzing data taken
before and after the vehicles are modified, we can evaluate how
effective the new devices are in reducing emissions, thereby helping
the city make informed decisions about how to invest taxpayer dollars
in technologies to reduce emissions in its fleet.”
UH’s chemical engineering department is particularly well
suited to take on this project, as chemical engineers played a key
role in the development of the automobile catalytic converter during
the 1970s. Several of UH’s chemical engineering faculty are
experts in this area, and students also are participating in the
research associated with the project.
WHO: |
Mayor Bill White, City of Houston
Michael Harold, UH Department of Chemical Engineering
Art Vailas, vice president for Research and Intellectual Property
Management at UH
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WHAT: |
Ribbon Cutting, Tours, Interviews |
WHEN: |
3 to 4 p.m., Monday, June 28 |
WHERE: |
UH Diesel Vehicle Research and Testing Facility
University Business Park, Bldg. 14
500 Gulf Freeway (I-45)
Houston, Texas
(One mile south of The University of Houston main campus)
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