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Due to the growing demand for traditionally sourced fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, it became necessary to search for new unconventional sources of these raw materials. The latest results of research work targeted the exploration and exploitation of resources of yet another type of fuel – shale gas. According to estimates, Poland alone may have reserves of 5.3 billion cubic meters of natural gas, accumulated in non-conventional sources. This potential can be used in many sectors of the economy, including in transport. Thus, it became reasonable to consider the use of natural gas as an alternative power source for vehicles. The article presents the results of emissions from public buses powered by diesel fuel and compressed natural gas. The study was conducted in real traffic conditions on a regular bus line in Poznan. The measurement of toxic exhaust elements was conducted with the use of a mobile measuring system of exhaust gas analyzers PEMS (Portable Emissions Measurement System). The data obtained were used to determine the average emissions of individual components. Based on the obtained values it can be concluded that the use of different types of fuels to drive public transport vehicles leads to a reduction of air pollutants and thus to improvement in the quality of life in the city.

This article presents investigations of fuel consumption and CO2 emission of a farm tractor operating with a cultivator. The cultivator has been designed to operate at greater speeds of up to 15 km/h. During the tests, the tractor operated with different speeds, which influenced the fuel consumption and the time of operation. An increase in the cruising speed resulted in greater fuel consumption and a reduced time of operation. A fuel consumption curve was determined depending on the tractor speed. At the same time, the authors assessed the quality of the cultivation through soil analysis after the cultivation. The fuel consumption was measured with the carbon balance method – the most accurate method available. Such measurements were performed by the Portable Emission Measurement System (PEMS) equipment. The investigations utilizing the PEMS equipment enable measurements of the exhaust emissions under actual operating conditions, during fieldwork. The methodology used in the research is the most accurate and most reliable one currently available. It takes into account all of the variables of actual operation. This method is a state-of-the-art achievement in exhaust emissions measurement and has great potential. It may be successfully used for research related to assessment of energy consumption of farm tractors depending on the analyzed factors, e.g. type of soil, design of tools, and method of fieldwork. The performed tests allowed formulating conclusions related to the influence of the speed of the farm tractor with the cultivator on fuel consumption and emission of CO2. From the test, it follows that upon reaching a certain operating speed the increment of the fuel consumption is getting smaller while the time efficiency increases. The authors also observed that the above did not have impact on the quality of the cultivation. The presented results of the investigations and their analysis confirm the usefulness of the applied methodology in the assessment of energy consumption of farm tractors and machines during fieldwork operation.

The paper presents the results of investigations on the exhaust emissions carried out under real operating conditions of gasoline engines operating in a power generator and a chainsaw. During the operation of these devices the authors measured the following exhaust emissions: CO, HC, NO x and CO 2 . For the measurements the authors used a portable exhaust emission analyzer SEMTECH DS by SENSORS. This analyzer measures the concentrations of the exhaust gas components in an on-line mode while the engine is running under real operating conditions (road, field etc.). The exhaust emissions tests of non-road engine applications are performed on engine test beds in the NRSC (ISO 8178) and NRTC tests. The presented method is a new solution in determining of the exhaust emissions from such engines. The obtained results were compared with the applicable emission requirements. Besides, based on the performed investigations, the authors attempted an evaluation of the possibilities of the use of the measurement method for development works related to the reduction of the emission from small gasoline engines.

The paper discusses the issues of exhaust emissions from farm tractors most frequently used for transport of loads. Transport is an integral part of food manufacturing at almost every stage of the product life cycle. Ready-to-eat food very often needs processing; it often incorporates transport of half products to appropriate facilities. The transport between the processing facilities and the distribution of food products is carried out by typical road vehicles i.e. heavy and light trucks. In the case of agricultural produce it is very often the farm tractors with appropriate trailer sets that are used for transport. The paper presents a comparison of the exhaust emissions and fuel consumption from a farm tractor and a truck. The tests were performed under actual operating conditions in real traffic. For the tests the authors used PEMS equipment (Semtech by Sensors). Both vehicles covered the same route with the same load.

The paper describes the influence of the start-stop system on the exhaust emissions and fuel consumption. The tests were performed for two vehicles. The first one was a vehicle designed specifically to operate in city conditions. It was fitted with a gasoline engine of the displacement of 0.9 dm3 and maximum power output of 63.7 kW. The other vehicle was an SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) fitted with a diesel engine of the displacement of 3.0 dm3. The measurements of the exhaust emission were carried out on the same route under actual traffic conditions. For the tests a portable exhaust emissions analyzer from the PEMS group SEMTECH DS was used (PEMS Portable Emissions Measurement System).

The paper discusses the problem of exhaust emissions from non-road vehicles. In many cities there are low emission zones for vehicles. Unfortunately non-road engines are excluded from this restriction e.g. construction machinery operates on construction sites, including those located in the said zones. Therefore, the paper presents the results of the exhaust emission tests from an excavator under actual operating conditions. For the tests the authors used a portable exhaust emissions analyzer SEMTECH DS by Sensors for the measurement of gaseous exhaust emissions and SEMTECH LAM for the measurement of the emission of Particulate Matter. The analyzers provide an on-line measurement of the concentrations of the exhaust components under actual operating conditions. The tests performed under actual traffic conditions provide invaluable information regarding the emission during actual operating conditions. In the paper the authors analyzed the relations between the engine operating parameters, vehicle parameters, road conditions (traffic congestion) and the exhaust emissions. The authors, despite differences in the methodology, also presented a comparison of the obtained results with the currently applicable exhaust emission limits in order to draw attention to this issue in urban areas.

The paper presents discusses the application of photovoltaic cells and provides information on solar energy in Poland. Article presents examples of research emission two buses, one of them was equipped with additional auxiliary photovoltaic system. Measurements was carried out in on-road, in urban traffic - bus line public transport. For measurement was used mobile gas analyzer included in Portable Emissions Measurement Systems (PEMS). The results have been developed in such a way as to determine the relative influence of the system implemented on the total environmental performance of the vehicle.

Retrofitting, which means retrofitting old generation engine systems with modern exhaust after treatment systems, is becoming increasingly popular, which allow vehicles to adhere to the newer and more stringent emission norms. This can save the operators of such vehicles money using older engineered designs without the need to design a new unit or buy an expensive new machine or vehicle. At present, there is a growing interest in emissions from off-road vehicles and the introduction of minimum limits for older vehicles that must be met in order to be able to allow for their operation. For the purposes of this article, the Stage IIIA farm tractor has been fitted with a particulate filter in the exhaust system. The study investigated the impact of the use of exhaust after treatment systems on particle emissions in terms of mass, size distribution and number using PEMS analyzers in the modified NRSC stationary test by engine loading, using a mobile engine dynamometer and comparison of test results.

The problem of waste energy recuperation from the exhaust gas of diesel engines has been investigated for many years by the manufacturers of passenger vehicles, heavy-duty vehicles and non-road vehicles. Currently, the energy of the exhaust gas is manly used for driving turbochargers. However, only part of the energy contained in the exhaust gas is used for this process. The outstanding energy is wasted through a heat exchange from the exhaust gas through the exhaust pipe to ambient air. Many scientific research works are aimed at the recovery of energy through transferring it from the walls to heat exchangers. The objective of the authors was the analysis of the temperature distribution in a diesel engine exhaust system in the aspect of recuperation of energy lost through heat exchange. To complete the objective, temperature and gas flow measurements were performed on the exhaust system of a 1.3 dm 3 diesel engine installed on a dynamic test stand. On the test stand a complete engine exhaust system was installed, identical to that used in a real vehicle. The tests were carried out in the NEDC homologation test that was reproduced on the dynamometer through ISAC 400 software made by AVL. For the measurements, the authors used thermoresistors and a mass flow meter for the exhaust gas mass flow measurement (part of the SEMTECH DS portable exhaust emissions analyzer).

It is generally acknowledged that energy losses from the exhaust system are approximately 30% of the total losses of energy supplied to the engine in the form of fuel. Part of this energy is used to heat the aftertreatment systems whose pollutant conversion rate is tightly related to their operating temperature. The exhaust gas flowing through the catalytic supports of the converters and filters warms them up while the outstanding energy contained in the gases is lost permanently. Hence, it is vital to recuperate the waste energy and convert it into different forms such as electrical energy using thermoelectric modules. In this paper, we determined the energy loss in an exhaust system of a city bus following the measurements carried out under actual traffic conditions on a regular bus route. The measurements of the exhaust gas temperature and mass flow were performed at three points. For this, thermoresistors and a portable exhaust emission analyzer SEMTECH DS (designed for exhaust emission testing under actual traffic conditions) were used. Based on the measured exhaust emission of CO2, CO and THC we determined the vehicle gas mileage. From the vehicle diagnostic system, we pulled basic data of the engine operation and based on this, the amount of energy supplied to the engine and the losses through the exhaust system throughout the entire test run of the bus were determined.

In urban areas, the most frequently operated type of vehicles are the on-road vehicles such as passenger vehicles and city buses. In many agglomerations (Berlin, Munich) zones have been introduced where only exhaust emission compliant vehicles are permitted. If they fail to meet the set standards for a given zone an appropriate charge is incurred. However, in city centers non-road vehicles are also used for specific work, such as the maintenance of green areas. Unfortunately, these types of vehicles are fitted with engines that are technologically obsolete in comparison to modern on-road vehicles. Hence, the exhaust emissions from the non-road vehicles are far greater as compared to regular vehicles, which is confirmed by much more liberal emission standards for this group. This paper discusses this issue in detail and presents the results of the exhaust emission tests carried out under actual operating conditions (maintenance of green areas). In order to better depict the situation, the results were compared with the exhaust emissions of passenger vehicles also obtained under actual traffic conditions.

The paper analyzes the exhaust emissions from farm vehicles based on research performed under field conditions (RDE) according to the NTE procedure. This analysis has shown that it is hard to meet the NTE requirements under field conditions (engine operation in the NTE zone for at least 30 seconds). Due to a very high variability of the engine conditions, the share of a valid number of NTE windows in the field test is small throughout the entire test. For this reason, a modification of the measurement and exhaust emissions calculation methodology has been proposed for farm vehicles of the NRMM group. A test has been developed composed of the following phases: trip to the operation site (paved roads) and field operations (including u-turns and maneuvering). The range of the operation time share in individual test phases has been determined. A change in the method of calculating the real exhaust emissions has also been implemented in relation to the NTE procedure.

The paper presents the results of measurements of the CO2 and NOx emission and fuel consumption recorded under actual operating conditions of a heavy-duty vehicle designed for loading and carriage of timber. The tests were performed on a specially designed test route that reflected the arrival of the vehicle to the felling site in the forest, the loading process and return to the lumberyard. The route ran through paved (asphalt) and unpaved (forest) portions. Its total length was 8.6 km. An advanced PEMS (Portable Emission Measurement System) device was used for the measurement of the exhaust emissions - SEMTECH DS by Sensors Inc. The paper analyses the CO2 and NOx emission and fuel consumption on all portions of the test route and presents a comparison between the forest and asphalt roads.

The question of Diesel Particulate filter regeneration, despite many years of research, is still an existing problem. Currently, at the expense of the filter durability, the rate of variation of the thermodynamic parameters is increased in the exhaust systems in order to burn the particulate matter accumulated in the DPF filter. This is particularly the case for filters fitted in passenger vehicles operated in the urban cycle [1, 2, 3]. During the analysis the authors took into account the synergy of the aftertreatment components and the physical and chemical phenomena occurring in the integrated co-dependent aftertreatment systems in a diesel engine. The paper includes an analysis and results of tests performed under actual traffic conditions on vehicles fitted with modern aftertreatment systems [4, 5, 6]. In the performed tests stress was put on finding the possibility of improving of the DPF deep bed filtration through analysis of PM emission and size distribution. The considered area of investigations has been defined using nanometric composite materials based on highly porous supports of materials that are at the same time ionic conductors. For the research unique equipment has been used for tests under actual traffic conditions, which enabled a full analysis of the interactions of the gaseous emissions and particulate matter. An analysis of the PM size distribution and PM number has been performed during operation under actual traffic conditions.

The paper discusses the possibilities of measurement of the exhaust emissions generated by city buses operating in public transit. The currently used methods of exhaust emission measurement under laboratory conditions on engine test beds do not entirely reflect the varied driving conditions under which the vehicles are operated. The paper presents the results of the in-use exhaust emission measurements performed on city buses using a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS). The paper focuses on the road tests methodology as well as the interpretation of the obtained results.

The paper presents the preliminary results of the waste heat recovery investigations for an agricultural tractor engine (7.4 dm3) and excavator engine (7.2 dm3) in real operating conditions. The temperature of exhaust gases and exhaust mass flow rate has been measured by precise portable exhaust emissions analyzer SEMTECH DS (SENSORS Inc.). The analysis shows that engines of tested vehicles operate approximately at constant speed and load. The average temperature of exhaust gases is in the range from 300 to 400 °C for maximum gas mass flows of 1100 kg/h and 1400 kg/h for tractor and excavator engine respectively. Preliminary tests show that application of TEGs in tested off-road vehicles offers much more beneficial conditions for waste heat recovery than in case of automotive engines.

Electric vehicles are currently subject of many projects in the areas of research, design and production, but there is also an urgent need for new measurement tools and methods being developed to quantify their parameters and performance, and to assist researchers in their search of improved performance and optimal design decisions. The paper presents the design and implementation of such a measurement system which is devised to address these new demands. Subsequently the work is focused on example data logged from a fully electric vehicle, followed by evaluation of results and analysis.