Measurement of automobile N 2 O from bag and continuous stream by quantum cascade laser spectroscopy

Abstract

N₂O emission from automobile has been regulated by the United States Environment Protection Agency due to its higher global warming potential compared to CO₂. Responding to this, an instrument for fast sensing of ultra-low concentration of N₂O from automobile has become an urgent need. In this study, an instrument based on the quantum cascade laser spectroscopy has been developed and applied for certification testing of ultra-low N₂O in automobile exhaust. The pulsed quantum cascade laser can emit coherent lights in the mid-infrared region where N₂O shows strong absorption and better control of wavelength. Therefore, a very low detection limit can be achieved and interference of co-existing gases can be avoided using a super fine resolution of the mid-infrared spectrum. The US Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1065/1066 allows measuring N₂O from sample storage bags, from a continuous dilute stream or a raw exhaust stream. Typically, batch (bag) sampling has better accuracy and repeatability, but continuous sampling is more efficient in terms of test cell running time and provides test-mode emissions. In this study, the quantum cascade laser analyzer has been applied to investigate correlations between bag sampling and continuous dilute exhaust sampling using a fleet of vehicles with a wide range of N₂O emission levels all meeting United States Environment Protection Agency emission standards. Very good correlation between these two sampling methods was observed for the majority of tests conducted and in best case the difference was less than ±1%. The direct injection gasoline vehicle emits higher N₂O than conventional port injection gasoline vehicles. The quantum cascade laser analyzer has been successfully applied for United States Environment Protection Agency N₂O certification test.