Abstract
Particulate matter (PM) emission from vehicles is one of the biggest issues in terms of environmental protection and influence to human body. Thus, a variety of measurement technologies have been developed so far. Currently, a gravimetric method is most commonly used in the automotive industry, partially because it is specified in the regulations.
This method uses a combination of a dilution tunnel and a filter that collects the PM from the diluted sample gas with subsequent weighing by a micro balance. However, since this technique is a batch measurement, it is impossible to determine at what point of the emissions test the Soot, SOF(Soluble Organic Fraction), and the total PM are emitted. Thus, the demand for real-time PM measurement under transient test conditions has increased.
A fast response flame ionization detector (fast-FID) has been previously shown to detect hydrocarbon-free soot particles utilizing an area accumulation technique of the spike signals that are observed when the fast-FID is fed with soot particles. In this paper, the new technique to measure the Soot and SOF separately and continuously using the differential FID method is explained.