Study on real-world power-based emission factors from typical construction machinery

Construction machinery accounts for a large share of the non-road machinery market and is an important pollutant source. In this study, real-world emission tests were undertaken on 16 excavators and 19 wheel loaders by using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS) to obtain their real-world engine performance and emission factors. The typical operating modes were categorized as idling, moving and working modes. The results show that in the working mode, the engine continuously operated at a high speed, high torque and high load factor, which led to sharp up and down CO, HC, NOx and particle number (PN) emissions. As the emission standards were strengthened, the CO, HC and NOx emissions clearly decreased, and the excavators and wheel loaders showed a higher emission level in the moving mode. A comparison of the excavator and wheel loader in China III displayed that the CO, HC, and NOx total emission factors of the wheel loader were 10.20, 2.70 and 1.79 times higher than those of the excavator, respectively, so the wheel loader contributed more seriously to environmental pollution. The CO and HC measured emission factors of the excavators and wheel loaders were 0.05-1.38 times and 0.13-0.58 times higher than the corresponding Limitation and the recommended values from the national emission inventory Guideline. However, the NOx emission factors were 1.20-3.25 times higher than the corresponding Limitation and the recommended value from the Guideline, which means that the recommended values overestimate CO and HC, and underestimate NOx. A comparison of the emission factors of the excavators and wheel loaders in this study with others demonstrate that the CO and HC power-based emission factors were generally lower, but the NOx emission factor was higher. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

Construction machinery is a significant pollutant source in the non-road machinery market. Real-world emission tests on excavators and wheel loaders show decreasing CO, HC, and NOx emissions with strengthened emission standards. Wheel loaders have higher emissions compared to excavators, especially in the moving mode, with NOx emissions being a particular concern.