tTtHE SUPREN,IE Court has given time till Decisions that will affect the factor that we have
factor that we have learnt to live with.
! September 30 for corue.s'ion of all the
I public transport vehicles in New Delhi
from diesel to CNG. But, that decision may
not become final as the Government of
Delhi is preparing to file an affidavit. There
are strong indications that a plea will be
filed to allow Ultra Low Sulphur Diesel
(ULSD) to be used instead of CNG. Several
points in opposition to CNG have already
been voiced. Newspapers have started
carrying articles for or against CNG or Ultra
Low Sulphur Diesel.
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) comes
straight from the bowels of the earth just
like crude oil is dra,,nrn from the oil wells. In
most cases natural gas is allowed to be
flared through a pipeline into the
atmosphere. To make use of it it has to be
compressed into a small area and its flow
regulated. That is when it acquires the name
CNG. As it is, CNG is a cheap fuel. One
great advantage of CNG over other fuels
such as petrol, diesel is that it is so far the
cleanest fuel. From the gas wells, CNG is
transported through pipelines and taken to
the distribution points. It is then further
carried to filling stations and stored just as
petrol or diesel is stored. From these
dispensing points, which are called petrol
pumps or gas stations, CNG is loaded into
tanks fitted on buses, lorries and other
transport vehicles. These tanks are just like
car petrol tanks, but only greater safety
precautions are built into them.
!\lhile various figures are given as to how
long crude oiI from which diesel is distilled
and produced will last, one thing is certain.
The world does not have inexhaustible
supply of crude. It is just a question of one
or two decades, more or less. As the supply
is limited and the demand is increasing,
dependence on this source of energy must
be reduced. But the world is following
exactly the opposite route.
Pros and cons
According to experts of both diesel and
CNG, each claim their choice is better.
Today with ULSD, it is true that the sulphur
content is reduced to 500 ppm as against
2500 pip in 1995. It may be further reduced
to 350 ppm in the next few years.
Clean fuel is described as "a fuel, which is
required to facilitate meeting the emission
norms for any given category of vehicle/
engine technology". The Supreme Court
added, "a clean fuel is that which does not
cause pollution and is otherwise not
injurious to health."
When lead was considered a dangerous
additive to petrol, it was slowly reduced and
removed. It was replaced by benzene.
Benzene was started with a higher
percentage but now reduced to 1 per cent
for metros. As Dr. Anil Agarwal said, we
start with the assumption that a new
additive is not dangerous till we find out
that new additives also create new
problems. Benzene is considered very
dangerous. It is proven to be highly
carcinogenous. When we reduce the
percentage of additives like benzene, we
give ourselves longer time to kill ourselves
by cqncer. It is not absolutelv clean. In fact
common man are taken fiom
the precincts of air-conditioned
offices of the Delhi politicians
and bureaucrats. "Committed"
technical people whose sole
interests of the corporates they
work for often support them.
the so-called green petrol is not really green.
Green fuel only throws out less noxious
gases than its earlier used cousins did.
Today, a warning has already been given
that the attendants in a gas station or petrol
pump are more prone to cancer as the
fumes from benzene laden petrol are
inhaled by them, which they do as they fill
up our vehicles. In India we still have not
woken up to this dangerous fact, whereas in
other countries it is compulsory to have
fumes controlled through better delivery
nozzles. Such nozzles prevent benzene-
laden fumes from evaporating on the faces
of attendants.
CNG does not have any of these
problems. I mention this even though we
are discussing the pros and cons betlveen
ULSD and CNG. The industry does not
come out with the whole truth, is a point I
wish to make here.
There is perhaps a lobby working in India
today, which will "persuade" the
government officials to suggest and opt for
ULSD. When it is pointed out that our
refineries do not have the facility to distil
huge quantities of ULSD that will be
required, the quick iulswer as stated by
experts is, "we can import it." Has anyone
calculated the outflow of foreign exchange?
Moreover, the cost of ULSD in the U.K. is
stated to be 35p. In today's conversion rate,
which is unlikely to come down, it would be
about Rs. 25. If import duty and other
transportation costs are added even with the
Government of India not wanting to exploit
the situation by lerying the least duties, it
would work out to about Rs. 35 per litre.
Wn-en the acknowledged policy of the
government is keep the taxation of the
diesel low to supply to transporters, will this
not be a contradiction?
Road conditions
Having been intimately associated in
putting dor,ryn adulteration of petrol and
diesel from 1986, I know ULSD is not the
answer. Right now, it cannot even be
considered ds an option, because ULSD will
be adulterated. Unless and until our
petroleum industry can vouch absolutely
unadulterated fuels, which is going to be
impossible under the present political
policies of the government, the Supreme
Court should not allow or accept ULSD as
an alternative fuel for CNG. I am positive
that powerful presentations will be made to
substantiate that ULSD is the best. It is not
and it cannot be, till large scale tests are
conducted in India under Indian road
conditions with overloading as an accepted
Today, the argument will be that London
transport has proved that ULSD is better
than CNG. rv\lhat is the conditibn of the
London road as compared to any road in
India today? What is the smooth movement
rate of vehicles in the U.K. as compared to
the stop-jerk-start-brake-stop kind of
movement on Indian traffic?
Decisions that will affect the common
man are taken from the precincts of air-
conditioned offices of the Delhi politicians
dnd bureaucrats. "Committed" technical
people whose sole desire is to protect the
interests of the corporates they work for
often support them. \{hen a campaign is
launched questioning such "facts" as
perceived by the "committed" persons,
words of acid are throlrrn at the genuinely
interested persons in the welfare of the
people.
Abuse of political power
Let me ask this. There is logic in the
policy that all transport vehicles can use less
taxed diesel, as they carry consumable
goods and passengers needing cheap
transportation. !\lhat is the need for
subsidising the rich who buy diesel cars,
spending more money for those cars than
petrol cars? There is no rationale behind
this. Again the "committed-to-their-own
needs" have decided to give themselves, on
behalf of the common people of this
country that diesel cars should be allowed.
\{hy? Is it to protect a few moneybags who
fund the various political parties in their
political ambitions?
Universal PDS was followed till the
consumer movement cried halt and pointed
out that subsidised wheat and rice to the
rich people need not be subsidised as it was
used by the servants of the house and used
to pay less to their servants. That was gross
abuse of political power. Even the
subsidised price of diesel has only produced
negative situation. The transport vehicle
owners never pass on the benefits they get
out of the subsidised diesel. lVhenever the
government raised the price of diesel even
by a few rupees, the price of goods per kilo
also went up by a few rupees, even though
each vehicle carried 5, 10 or even 20 tonnes
of goods and per kilogram cost will not be
much; in fact it is insignificant. When I put
this question to a transporters association
leader he had no logical answer.
I mention this only because the interest of
the common man is limited to platform
exhortations and promises. It is there in the
performance of all these "committed"
persons to be seen by anyone who cares to
investigate. Under these circumstances, any
move to prove that ULSD is good for the
country, will only confirm that those who
govern us are interested only to protect the
interests of a few corporate companies, who
wield enormous power in the corridors of
Delhi and other decision making places.
This is not fair to the Indian citizen
consumer.
I hope the Supreme Court will not fall a
prey to such blatantly untruthful
presentations to itself or the Bhurelal
Committee.
o R. DESIKAN
A consumer actiuist
 CNG and
(Continued [rom Page BS 1)
Whv is this so? In real (and practical)
inter;al combustion engines the rapid
and complete miscibility of fuel with
air in the combustion chamber is crit-
ical to good engine performance' It is
iUrrlou."tttrt gas'eou* fuels have an ad-
I vantase herebver their liquid counter-
) oarts."Both CNG (which is B0 to 99 per
\ tent methane) and LPG (mainlY Pro-
oane and butane) also do not contain
Iulohur that can cause havoc in the
.ombustion chamber. Most important'
these fuels cannot be adulterated in the
many ways common in India'
Costs
Turnine to acquisition costs, a new
CNG fueli-ed ciry bus chassis would cost
about 60 Per cent more than a diesel
iuro t bus (about Rs. 5lakhs more after
taxes and duties). Euro 2 compatibility
would reduce this by about Rs' I lakh
(Obviouslv the cost of a modified bus
would be considerablY [ess, but it
would be difficult to be precise because
it *o,rfa depend on t6e condition of
the existing-engine and the like')
These coits include new engines op-
timised for CNG operation' the fuel
tanks and catalytic cbnverter' The new
CNG buses would meet the Euro 4
emission standards that come into ef-
fect in Europe in 2005 and only in 2008
at the earliest in India. There are no
Euro 4 compatible diesel buses com-
mercially available anywhere in the
world today.
The operating cost of a CNG bus (Per
rral
Dassenser kilometre) would be slightty
ilore tfian that of a diesel bus, mainly
b""u*t" of the reduced payload' The
tables would be turned if the diesel bus
were to run on ultra low sulphur (less
than 0.005 per cent) fuel because that is
more expensive than regular diesel in
additiorrto being imPorted'
A low emission Euro 3 comPatible
diesel bus would also be more expen-
sive than a Euro 2 one because of its
idrran.ed diesel engine and because of
the particulate trap on the diesel's ex-
hauit. In addition, the leading German
automobile (not Ieast diesel automo-
bile) manufacturer BMW feels that cat-
astrophic breakdown of a regenerating
partiiulate trap may occur when it is
iubiect to full power while regenerat-
ing.
Safety
CNG is stored at high Pressures in
soecial tanks both on automobiles and
ui filline stations. These need to be spe-
cially rianufactured and carefully in-
sta[6d. The current manufacturers and
installers seem to be up to the job, but
it is desirable (if not essential) that in-
deoendent inspection agencies exam-
ine their work initially and at five yearly
intervals.
The gas irself is lighter than air and
ouickli and safely disperses to non-
combustible ]evels if it leaks' ln this re-
spect, it is much safer than diesel or
petrol.
Attempting to run a very large fleet of
buses inbelii on ultra low sulphur die-
sel does not make either environmen-
iui oi sense. It is an absurd
""o"o*ic
obviously being pushed by
irrnn"ttiott
u"It""d i.,r"t".ts. CNG is a much bemer
alternative.
However, the Pace or the exlent of
the current "CNC drive" in the capital
does not Permit an unambiguous an-
swer. Costs could be reduced if the gov-
ernment reduces the taxes and duties
on CNC brr."t, cars, autorickshaws and
tiit ut these current$ account for
about a 25 Per cent mark uP'
The author personally feels ..that
school buses can perhaps run on clleset
,i""ia"a they meet Euro 2 standards'
fohv onlv school buses? Because theY
.rni U" easilv identified and probably
i"" SO to 100 km a daY rather than the
500 km common among others and be-
ttt" extra cost 6urden of CNG
"u"t" would be excessive' In ad-
"otr"aaiott
aitiott, ttt" children would primarily.be
.,rbi""t to the ambient air pollution
Unl" to that of the bus(es) they are
".rd
riding in.
On balance, a sensible PolicY from
the environmental and economic per-
.""Jr.t would be to ensure a gradual
dNGltatio.t with no ambiguity or back-
sliding on any one's Part'
Does it make sense for the rest of the
country? Probably not, except perhaps
urban areas near the existing naturat
eas pipelines or landing points' For ex-
I*rit.i, i" Bombay and Surat, after the
Defhi lessons have been learnt'
C. Manmohan ReddY
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[M'{Ij#l]$if*J:#ii
pnversion' to LPC driven cars is no
tception.
LPG or liquefied petroleum gas is
lown to be a clean, cost effective and
fllution-less fuel, and for these rea-
lns the Government of India gave a
[ust to its use as a cooking fuel dec-
les back. Recently engineers have
ioved its use as an automobile fuel.
pwever some doubts remain in the
[blic mind.
ilast week, in these columns, Mr. S.
iraraman had raised a felv doubts
fout the safety aspects of the conver-
pn. The points raised by him do not
bld, if the converters are to be be-
ived. With technology and methods
loven elsewhere, it is pointed out, LPG
,as safe an any other fuel in its use as
n automobile fuel provided stringent
uality criteria are satisfied.
'Worldwide, governments are encou-
the use of LPG as an alternative
in recognition of the significant
fits it offers.
In fact, LPG has been ranked number
as an alternative transport fuel in
US Energy Policy act of 1992 (Bharat
Iournal, Issue Number 1997-
!, page 9).
lBut in India, the situation is confus-
p. Members of the yet to be formed
psociation for LPG Car Consultants,
iy that although the Indian Govern-
approved in
lent approveo
rcnr principle the use of
rn prrncrpr(
pC as an auto fuel way back in 1996,
!e legislation to permit and drawing of
pidelines has not yet been processed.
lis onJy the lack of firm guidelines that
s created the confusion..
As oftoday, the converted car in India
run using the gas sold for cooking
uposes. The cylinder is kept horizon-
y and fastened with a safety belt in
e boot. The belt does not allow the
linderlo jolt while in motion.
The idea i6 to prevent pulling off the
rxible joints ftom the fixed joints.
nce its susceptibilitl,to jolting and
losion has no bearing. The safety
It is easy to lock and unlock as it has a
lcro riveted on the locking portion,
AUTOMOTIVE FUEL
Advantage LPG
according tot Mr. Rajeeb Roy, member
of the Association.A pressure adapter is
connected to the cylinder to let the LPG
through a high pressure hose (about 5
' metres) and a gas filter. A pressure
gauge indicates gas avaiJability. lt also
lights up an LED indicator on the dash-
board when the LPG supply is about to
be exhausted.
The filtered LPG is transported by an
insulated copper tube (16-18 gauge and
6-8 mm diameter) used in the refriger-
ation industry. The tubes can transport
Iiquefied gas at much higher pressure
than that used to fill LPG in cylinders.
As per conventional safety norms, the
fuel line (LPG line ) is always instructed
to be laid outside the passenger com-
partment, and away from exhaust pipes
and other hot spots.
It is usual to lay the copper pipe along
the bottom edge in such a way that even
under abnormally bad road conditions
there is no mechanical damage to the
tubes.
Copper is the preferred material for
the tube because it undergoes passive
corrosion, that is, as it is exposed to the
ambience, a very fine layer of corroded
material forms on its surface which acts
like a coat and protects it from further
deterioration.
In addition copper is extremely mal-
Ieable. Hence, even when crushed, it
does not break. However, under major
road eventualities, the fuel line can be
cut as it happens with conventional
gasoline cars.
Mr. Roy lays emphasis on proper lay-
ing procedures. He recommends that
customers go to a technically qualified
and certified person to do the retrofit-
ting. The copper can also be run inside
the car and below the carpet.
This may be of greater appeal as the
tubing is protected from stones and
bumps on the roads but this method is
not to be encouraged, says Mr. Roy. The
copper tube emerges in the bonnet and
enters a normally closed gas solenoid.
When a dual fuel vehicle runs on petrol
this solenoid valve is closed. The output
from the solenoid is fed to the vapouris-
er which is the heart of the gas con-
version system. Hot water from the
engine's cooling system is circulated in
the vapouriser to check large temper-
ature drop that usually occurs as the
LPG is converted from liquid to vapour
phase.
The gas is now regulated and mixed
with air in the mixing unit or directly at
the air intake of the car. From here the
LPG is dralr,n into the engine as a dry
gas/air mixture. Vapourisers used need
to be of ISO Standards (imported) as
there are no company made Indian va-
pourisers of ISl/Automobile standards
as on date,
In some systems, a solenoid valve for
petrol is installed in betr,veen the carbu-
rettor and the mechanical fueI pump.
When the car is running on gas this so-
lenoid closes and prevents the flow of
petrol. lty'hen cars with mechanical fuel
pumps are converted to the dual fuel
system, great care should be exercised,
cautions Mr. Roy.
He says when the car runs on LPG,
the pump will continue to pump petro-l
and create excessive pressure in the
petrol line. This may, over a period of
use, damage the diaphragm in the
pump or lead to bursting of the fuel
line, as has happened in a much publi-
cised accident recently. But such prob-
lems are easily avoided in the case of
cars with electronic fuel pump which is
connected to an electronic changeover
system.
The Changeover of fuel is done with
the flick of a switch. The switch is con-
nected to the gas and petrol solenoids.
The changeover switch is normally a
three position switch for LPG, neutral
and petrol.
To switch over from LPG to petrol,
the switch can be brought from LPG to
petrol position directly. This closes the
gas solenoid and opens the petrol sole-
noid allowing the flow of petrol to the
carburettor.
To go over from petrol to LPG, the
switch is brought to the neutral posi-
tion, the petrol in the carburettor is
drained and then the system is put on
gas mode. Mr. Royemphasises the need
to test the system for leaks before deliv-
ering the converted vehicle.
As a safety precaution, devices are fit-
ted so that in case of any healy leakage
or drop in LPG pressure the supply
from the cylinder is automatically dis.
rupted. Normally, it is not advised tr
keep the cylinder horizontally whilt
cooking.
This is because, if kept horizontally
the LPG in liquid form can flow into tht
tube and reach the burning end of tht
stove. This can result in uncontrollet
burning because of the availability o
sufficient quantity of orygen.
However, in an automobile, LP(
flows as tiquid (at a lower pressure
from the cylinder and only the vapour
iser in the bonnet delivers it in the gase'
ous form to the engine where oxyger
supply is controlled. Hence it does no'
matter if the cylinder is kept horizon
tally, say some members of the associ
ation.
They say that the components use(
by reputed consultants are importec
and are as per Intemational Standards
In other countries, the LPG tank madr
with associated filling and level gaugr
systems are mounted permanently a
the rear of the vehicle.
This is a standard fitting to allow re
filling at the gas bunks. This is a fool
proof safety system and has to be madr
mandatory in India.
It is interesting to note that even tht
British Queen has.voted tbr this alterna
tive fuel. (See the Web site auto
gas.co.uk/hmpr.html.) The followin1
1y-e-b- sjtes, also-provide more . informa
tion on the use of LPG and related is
sues: worldlpg.com/auto/index.htrnl
carstreet.com; and autogaslpg.com.
Dr. B. S. Murthy, a mechanical engi
neering professor (retired ftom the IIT
Chennai) and an expert in this fiek
opines that LPG is an excellent fuel witl
characteristics such as good fuel effi
ciency, low emission and low cost. I
has been demonstrated widely in for
eign countries.
In fact many of them have stipulater
quality norms for the equipment use<
for the conversion of vehicles. Some dr
not lery even road tax for the converte{
vehicles.
Many Italian manufacturers havr
come up with equipment such as gaug
es, filters and regulators that adhere tr
the norms, says Mr. Roy who import
them.
He is also planning to indigenise thr
technology.Dr. Murthy is howeve
against such adaptation of the technol
ogy by small manufacturers until thr
government stipulates the qualit
norms. He however recommends man
ufacture of the equipment by OEMs sr
that the public can be sure of the safet
of the technology.
Initially he recommends the use o
such conversion to LPG in four wheel
ers and three wheelers. Once the tech
nology matures and the Governmen
stipulates the quality standard norm
for the equipment, connectors and it
use, retrofitters may be allowed to man
ufacture them.It is good if the govern
ment decides fast.
Our Special Coresponden
*p*m Lm*p SysE**m
A Typieal LPG conversicn system consists *f :
' LPG slorage tarik rvith safery devices.
' Vapcriser/regutator to vaporise and regutate LPG pressure.
' Mixer to mix the LPG with the air.
. Petr-ol shut off system when LPG is selected.
LPG fl.ows through the Multifunction vatve, filter & Main Sotenoid valve,
1^/hii:h opens when engine rpm srgnal is sensed.
Changes from_liquici to gas in theJ:pttsr,where a_{juqlmenl screws are
provideci for regulaiing flow in tIe-iTffit-proportion to the mass of air
being breathed for cntinral airlfueI ratio input to the engtne.
Selector switch & Levet lndicator for se]ection of fuel and to dispiay the
levet of LPG present in the tank are also provirjed.
TheSi.5;iueLr-atio is ggyg1y.,q$ by the gas ail-flLxer which comprises of a
yglturi in an alqry|Tjgm ring where piei$Le.drop in the vg11gi causes g*s
i6 flo* through'the-tube. tt is important for ihe rnilei*io Ee ptsi6qtiy
tr.11e-d to the vaporiser through the*aAjustment screws provided'
Get the devil out of dies6l;-il1-=--_-
in the Die-sel' (The Himdu, use of high-performance liquid chromalography
m Dec $ article -'Devilregarding
Il, 1997) the carcinogenic separation aird fluorescencddetection. In piaciicL
influence of engine-related and iuet-retatedrtac-
I
I compounds in the exhaust fumes of the die- tG detection limits for PAH is in the 10-50-ppb
tors on the conJentration ofvarious PAH, in both
petrol and diesel engines. One can imagine the
sel_ engine_ ought to be of great concern to the range and somewhat higher for nitro-PAH. Fbr ixtent of the produition these toxins i-n India
public and requires a closer understanding. This biologicat activity, the key assay for use in screen- where there is no control over the fuel quality in
problem has special signilicance to India since ing t[ese extracti has been some version the'Sol- view of unscrupulous adulteration and'com6us-
auto-exhaustisamajorhealthhazard.According monella/microsome' mutagenicity assay tion in admixture with Iube oil as is done in the
to the Kyoto University study, it is reported that developed by Ames. two cycle engines. Driving transients too are vul-
theincidenceoflungcancer.inthepeoplere-siding Studies at IIT Madras in the earlv 1975 and rr"roble for production olvarious proportions of
atvehiclecongestedareasiscloselylinkedwith lg76,weredirectedtoidentificaiin'"#o."ilti PAH and nitro-PAH. Studies onlh&e aspects
tt-r" carcinogenic cgmn_gun$, 3-nitrobenzan- frcation of polynuclear must be undertaken with urgency in the research
throne produced in the diesel exhaust.
{hg re- ii,Nal pirtilutarly th"".;;il"^hyd;J;;;, laboratories. Methods of meisuring mutagens.in-
searchers are reported- to have measured large pyrenein - tire exhaus[ or ai"s"i-"-"!iri;.
"*;i";c;;;;;;i;j
fii- i};]
-t{;- cluding-mutation tests should be multi-disciplin-
amount of mutations th" cauge! ste-*ed from rhe *o.[?b"""r;l ary and will be within the reach of tITs and
:_o.rrl!gYl! |g1
in the DNA of standard strains of bacteria using tois which provided the iJ"t
source -it"riut fo, tti" universities with bio-technology research activ-
"u.ty
the stanclard Ames test' preparation of the sample, extraction of PAH from ities.
It should however be emphasised that diesel thesampleandseparationofPAHintotherespec- As far as the control technologies are con-
exhaust is not the only source of these dangerous tive components by thin layer chromatography cerned, the main strategy should be to reduce the
products. These compounds belong to the family and final identilication using spectroflurometry. total particulate matteis either by exhaust after-
of poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which are III Madras, at that time, encouraged socially ben- treatment, innovative engine design and fuel
generated in general by the incomplete combus- elicial research in collaboration with citizen modification. Direct particulate Iilters and cata-
tion of fuels (high temperature prolysis) in a re- groups. With the support of Pallavan Transport, lytic soot Iilters are wall flow ceramic substrates
ducing atmosphere. Besides diesel engine investigations were carried on vehicles as well as t-o filter offthe solid particulates. When the filter is
exhaust, emissions_ from petrol engines, partic- stationaryenginesundervariousconditions.And blocked by sufficient particulates, the increased
ularly the two-stroke vehicles are vulnerable for some of the main recommendations were proper back presiure automatically diverts the exhaust
formation of PAH as lubricating oil (which also maintenance, avoiding overloading, use of un- gasesioanadjacenttrapwtiiletheblockedfilteris
contains PAH from the source) and petrol are adulterated fuels, proper driving culture avoiding iegenerated by combusting the blocked matter by
pre-mixed and combusted incompletely in a over- excessive racing of the engine, which were all a [urner or heater. The catalytic soot filter has in
rich atmosphere. In addition to this, the discharg- responsible for the formation of PAH. Alternate addition special catalytic coiting applied to the
-
es from industrial combustors, incinerators and fuels such as alcohols and CNG were surely bene- inlet and outlet surfaies of the wall.
othei heating systems are further static-combus- Iicial for avoiding PAH hydrocarbons, thoush the
tio.r rorr""r"tdown to produce the devil of PAH. lubeoilburning"-uy"o.rt.tri'ffiffi;ffi;l
The dangerous compound referred to in the arti- of traces of PAH in the exhaust. ,"?'il?irl'J#t'H"3::'jtltff;]fl*iti$ffi:I
.. iri"i a"*anding atmosphere as it has to deal sol_
Studies, have been ids, tiquias ancl"gases and not just gases like petrol
conducted at the, Mi- engin6 exhaustl The diesel engin-e exhaust tem-
Schematic of diesel particles and Solids (SOL)
chigan_
vapour phase compounds .Technologi- peiature is low of the order i00-6000C imuch
cal -U^niversity for iower in turbo-charged engines), white the petrol
opr 20 y:ar: on the. engine typically hai an eihausi temperature of
charactensatron. ol 300_10000C. The important design feature of
P$$ in particulates DOCs is to develop a citalyst that oiidises hydro-
Vapour phase
of diesel engines and carbons and car6on monoxicte-bur not suiphur -
hydro carbons
ooa ,% control technologies. dioxide. Catalyst placement is also important as
&o These studies would thetemperatureattheplacementofthdconverter'
be excellent source should be with in the bxidation range of hydro-
for conducting fur- carbons but below the timit for oxiclition oi sul-
sotubte organic fractio n -/tt
(SoF)/particle phase hydrocarbons\ ....---.->
ther research appro- phurdioxide. The challenge ofdeveloping a nitric
priate to - Indian bxide decomposition catal"yst (caled deNbx cata-
!t. practice of diesel lyst) to achieve NOx decbmposition in the ox-
a transportatio-n.. Ac- idising atmosphere of the diesel engine-exhaust is
a, cording to Michigan ako riet by designers so that it caribe used before
,,'.WYi // ooo" 'x,a
investigations,
Diesel exhaust is a
.
the the oxidation citalyst.
;;;;i";;i"{;r; Innovative eng^iIre designs, are also under wav
;;;;i; ;J-i;;;";-"*"i to_control the SOI (fuel and lubricate fractions)
solids and the NOx. Three variables to combus-
#-;;-p;;;;
Sulphate (S04)
."ira.li"iliJl"a ,r..: tion system design are (a) optimisation
-r]i"Lr. --rBi"f of in-cyl-
--'-rit* inder flow by _ redesigning the combustion
"r"r'
,..ti""i"t" chambers. Use of helical intake_ports and re-- en-.{
';--;.;..;^..--*".; trant chambe.rs in the piston. (b) increase of the'
cle (called nitro-PAH for brevity), is the nitrated consistsof an aggloremate of solids,(SOL). with i,r"i-i.r;e"tiorrpressurebyirr"r"iringthepumping!
derivative ofPAH by the,surface reaction ofnitro- absorbed hydrocarbons called soluble organic iui. of tfr" fuel inlection pump. (c)"application of
gen oxides with the hydrocarbon particulates. fraction (SOF) that can be removed by an organi" uu.iubl" fuel injeition ,ut" u.rd tiriririj witn etec-
Assessment of these harmful chemical sub- solvent,andsulphates(duetopresenceofsulphur ironic control.'In order to reduce tE" SOf, (u),
stances which contain mutagens and induce mu- in the fuel). Several laboratory studies with rats avoiding dribble in the injectionnozzle(b) prevenl
tations.in living beings are iarried out in many have indicated that the solid portion is probably tiln'of ilrall impingement of fuei (c) reiricing the
research proie.cts in ]apan. Mutatiorr caused by essential for tumor formation,,while the associ- sacandholesizeoTthenozzleandoptimisati6nof
mutagens is a hereditary changg in the stru_ctural ated SOE particularly the PAH and nitro-PAH the iuel inlection timing *".o*" oith" strategies
arrang€ment of the genes, whic! consists oJDNA. could have a contribution to the overall carcino- .*^16ys6. *' -
Thou[h such studiei are not widely carried out in genic effect. The health significance of the vapour j '-, ,:..
.
trr. L1.";il;;;il;il; th.;il" ;h; fihase organics has beerieven more dillicuit to In addition to these control measures, controll-.

"fiisi*.
derection and removal -;t;;;;;-;;ilil;dl; issess. A"nd the presence of sulphur i" tt. r""t ing the lube oil consumption, exhaust gas recir"
trr.- "f
i"-;;;;;;;;;;;;;# ii introduces further complicationi in ttre stuay. culalion and use of high cetane and ultra low
""i"-"rrr""ripollution must be matters
environmental of Thedifferentproportionsofthesolids,sor,ror
greatest,.g",,cv in India.
detection and characterisa-
phates and theiapour
:Illh*areemergingtrendstocontainthepar-'
ph*1i::Ti$:'1;i:iiL: Hfiff""ffiil:?:1,'il"i*i:fl'#ff*H*:.
Mutagenic-activity vehicle ;;::"-
diesel particulates are dependent on the practice where
tion of combustion-products must be a murti-dis- operating conditions. Th" hi;hl;e Hi"li[li: us.e of cNG has alreadv become a

fi11ffiX;"ffik#,:x*ffiltf;rf:r'i,"ff# r;tt e1xfi*-lff: #Hff;:l'jtt[i:}#: i#,3'.x'l3flilU["i+,ll*fffli"tiffiTtrit?:

sugar cane resources' These fuels are potentially
pAH compounds in diesel exhaust consist in prep- soi:T#;":"il*:il;
"- ----*':""'; tikelv candidates for the low emission of partic-
ute to nearly 60 per cent
"f
;:ili:iiJ#t1Xi;"ii':f,i,Jil:,T:,?i,1,11i1u'31, if.l.Iff: li:*1?:';',?fri#:'""H: i#f i'A B urates responsibre ror the PAH ramlv in exhaust
a filter p_aper under diflerent engile-fuel operat- Iaboratoriesof leadingindustriesinlapanandthe B. S, Murthy.
ing conilitions, followed by identification by the U.S. have conducted systematic studies on the Formerlg Prolessor :t llT Chennal