ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING

Code No. MP 323

By

Dr. Abdel-Moneim M. Nassib

Mechanical Engineering Department
University of Assiut
2020-2021

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 CHAPTER FOUR
4-1 ROAD VEHICLES
Air pollution and its effects are familiar to everyone it includes a vast
array of chemicals and dust. Industries and power stations make a
significant contribution, but emissions from engines add to the problem.
Furthermore the exhaust gases of transportation are particularly
obnoxious, since they occur at ground level and cannot be vented
through high chimneys as with waste gases from stationary sources such
as power stations. The main pollutants released by internal combustion
engines are as follows:

1 Carbon monoxide Petrol engine (S.I.E) -

2 Unburned Petrol engine (S.I.E) Diesel engine (C.I.E)
hydrocarbons (HC)
3 Nitrogen oxides (NOx) Petrol engine (S.I.E) Diesel engine (C.I.E)
4 Sulfur oxides(SOx) - Diesel engine (C.I.E)
5 Lead compounds Petrol engine (S.I.E) -
6 Smoke - Diesel engine (C.I.E)
7 Particulates Petrol engine (S.I.E) -
8 Odour - Diesel engine (C.I.E)

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Fig. 4.1. Contribution of transportation to air
pollutants in the US
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The important constituents of the petrol engine exhaust are carbon
monoxide, unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulates and
lead, while the diesel engine emits unburnt hydrocarbons, nitrogen
oxides, sulphur oxides, smoke and smell.

Fig. 4.2. Past and projected vehicles per kilometer in the US.
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• Fig. 4.3. Expected atmospheric improvements
in the US as a result of automotive emission
controls.
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4-1-1 Mechanisms of pollution formation in the petrol
engine Exhaust
The compounds released by the petrol engine which are
termed pollutants are carbon monoxide, unburnt
hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, lead compounds and
particulates, and a small amount of sulfur oxides.
1- Carbon monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons: are the
result of incomplete combustion of the fuel in the
engine.
2- Nitrogen oxides are formed during combustion, due to
the high gas temperature.
3- Lead compounds and sulfur oxides are also formed
during combustion, due to the inclusion of lead and
sulfur in the fuel. 6
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• During refining, various additives are mixed with
the petrol, the principal one being tetraethyl lead
(TEL).
• Sulphur and phosphorus compounds are other
components of the fuel.
• The mixture of air and petrol passing the engine
throttle contains the following components of
importance in relation to air pollution, oxygen,
nitrogen, hydrocarbons, TEL, scavengers and
sulphur compounds.

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• If the petrol-air mixture is chemically correct, that is
the ratio of mass of air to mass of fuel is about
14.5:1, then the products of combustion are mainly
carbon dioxide and water:
• C8H16 + 12(O2 + 3.76 N2) → 8CO2 + 8H2O + 45.12 N2
• If the mixture is weak, i.e. there is an excess of air,
then the products of combustion also contain
oxygen:
• C8H16 + 13(O2 + 3.76 N2) → 8CO2 + 8H2O + O2 +
48.88 N2
• If the mixture is rich, i.e., there is an excess of fuel,
then the products of combustion also contain
carbon monoxide 9
Fig. 4.4. Petrol engine induction stroke.

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Fig. 4.5 Volume concentration of carbon monoxide in exhaust
of spark ignition engine as air-fuel ratio is changed.
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Fig. 4.6 Combustion in spark ignition engine
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 Fig. 4.7. Pollution distribution from car
Evaporative losses, can account for up to 35 per cent of the
unburnt hydrocarbons emitted from a vehicle, while the
other 65 per cent comes from the exhaust (Fig. 4.7).
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5- Lead is emitted from cars as organic and
inorganic compounds. TEL is an organic
lead which is mainly vapour or aerosol, while
the inorganic lead from the exhaust is in
particulate form. The former are a greater
health hazard than the latter.

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4-1-2 Mechanism of pollution formation in the
diesel engine
• The operation of the diesel engine differs from
that of the petrol engine in four principle
respects:
1-air alone is drawn into the cylinder and
compressed and fuel is not added in the
induction system;
2- the air entering the engine is not throttled, so
the same amount of air is induced in
every cycle;
3- the air is highly compressed so that its
temperature spontaneously ignites the fuel;
4- the fuel is injected around top dead centre. 15
Fig. 4.9. Typical
(a) direct injection and
(b) indirect injection
chambers as used in
automotive diesel
engines.
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Fig. . 4.10. Combustion in a diesel engine

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The overall mass of air to mass of fuel may be
anywhere between 100:1 and 20:1. Since the
air-fuel ratio is always leaner than chemically
correct in a diesel, there is always oxygen
remaining after combustion. For example at
art air-fuel ratio of 50 by volume
C12H26 + 50(O2 + 3.76N2) →
12CO2 + 13H2O + 31.5 O2 + 188 N2

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4-2 METHODS OF POLLUTION CONTROL
• 1- the intake system,
• 2- the combustion chamber, and
• 3- the exhaust systems of petrol and diesel
engines.

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4-2-1 Crankcase emissions A positive crankcase
ventilation valve (PCVV) is installed between
crankcase inlet system

Fig. 4.11. Control of crankcase emissions

by positive crankcase ventilation PCV.
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4-2-2 Evaporative losses
The fuel tank vents are connected to a canister
containing charcoal.

Fig. 4.12. Evaporation control system for petrol engines.

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4-2-3 Combustion chamber hydrocarbons
A – As the engine decelerated, the high intake
manifold vacuum caused the low density
incoming charge to be very rich.
B- Another primary source of engine
hydrocarbons is the piston top land, which
retains an unburnt mixture after combustion,
since the flame front does not propagate into
this region.
4-2-4 Carbon monoxide If the heterogeneous
mixture in the intake can be converted to
homogeneous, then each cylinder will receive
the same mixture strength.
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4-2-4 Combined carbon monoxide and
hydrocarbon control

Fig. 4.13. Man-air-ox to control exhaust carbon

monoxide and unburnt hydrocarbons
for petrol engines.
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Fig. 4.13. Man-air-ox to control exhaust
carbon monoxide and nburnt hydrocarbons
for petrol engines.
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The oxidation of carbon monoxide and unburnt
hydrocarbons with air can be accelerated if
a catalyst is present in the exhaust
system. The most popular catalysts for vehicle
exhaust emission control are platinum and
palladium.
Precious metal catalysts are poisoned by
lead compounds in the exhaust, so the
introduction of catalytic reactors in cars must
coupled with the introduction of an unleaded
fuel.

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4-2-5 Nitrogen oxides
The amount of nitrogen oxides formed during
combustion depends on the maximum
temperature attained by the gases. If the
combustion temperature can be reduced,
then the concentration of nitrogen oxides is
also reduced.

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Fig. 4.15, Exhaust gas recirculation to control
nitrogen oxide emissions.
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4-2-6 Diesel smoke
•The primary method for avoiding smoke has
been by careful control of combustion.
•Recently, limited success has been achieved in
the laboratory with catalysts which burn carbon
to carbon dioxide.
•Combustion chamber and injector design to
optimize fuel air mixing will remain the
principal methods of soot control in the near
future.

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