Laboratory Capabilities
Exhaust Emissions Science Laboratory
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's (PNNL) Exhaust Emissions Science Laboratory (EESL) is a unique research center that supports the mission of DOE's Office of Advanced Automotive Technologies, specifically the Multi-Laboratory Heavy Vehicle Emissions Reduction Program. The Laboratory is located at PNNL's main research campus in Richland, Washington.
Overhead view of the Exhaust Emissions
Science Laboratory. The chassis
dynamometer with a Volkswagen Jetta
used for testing is shown in the front.
Science Laboratory. The chassis
dynamometer with a Volkswagen Jetta
used for testing is shown in the front.
The experimental capabilities at the EESL include:
- Chassis Dynamometer
- Engine Dynamometer
- Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
- Gas Chromatograph (GC)
- Scanning Mobility Particle Sizer (SMPS)
- Electrical Low Pressure Impactor (ELPI)
- NOx analysis (Ecophysics)
- Thermography
- Data Acquisition Systems
Using the EESL, PNNL researchers are applying their expert capabilities in the areas of surface chemistry, catalyst mechanisms, models, material synthesis, and aerosols to the problem of diesel engine exhaust emissions abatement.
The EESL Scanning Mobility Particle
Sizer (SMPS) is shown with the
analysis screen.
Sizer (SMPS) is shown with the
analysis screen.
The principal activities conducted in the EESL are
- probing and understanding performance-limiting nanometer to micrometer scale phenomena in aftertreatment devices
- experimentation and modeling focused on mesoscale aspects of emissions reduction technology
- the use of unique analytical observatories to characterize each emissions phenomenon
- rapid materials innovation and evaluation of parameters specific to each aftertreatment approach
- the use of an integrated approach covering mechanism investigation, modeling, and materials/system optimization, leading to validation in engine/dynamometer tests.
