EPA selects Horiba systems for heavy-duty engine testing

Horiba will supply emissions measurement systems to the EPA for its heavy-duty engine test cells at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Horiba Instruments Inc. announced it has been awarded a contract to provide the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with emissions measurement systems for its heavy-duty engine test cells at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL) in Ann Arbor, Mich. No financial details were provided.

The EPA has proposed rules to establish ultra-low NOx emissions standards which would include new certification test procedures for heavy-duty vehicles, all driven by the agency’s desire to improve accuracy and reduce the testing burden on vehicle and engine manufacturers. The new emissions measurement systems are critical in supporting heavy-duty engine compliance and regulatory development testing programs, Horiba said.

“We are honored to continue the close relationship with the EPA and provide integral solutions as new pressures on reduced greenhouse gas, ultra-low NOx and other criteria emissions are on the horizon for the heavy-duty industry,” said Darren Andrews, executive vice president and general manager, Horiba Instruments Inc. “The EPA seeks to maintain a facility which is not only best-in-class in both functionality and aesthetics, but also to support future development initiatives now and well into the future. We feel privileged the EPA selected Horiba to meet those goals.”

To support these initiatives, Horiba, headquartered in Irvine, Calif., will provide its advanced Motor Exhaust Gas Analyzer (MEXA-One) emissions analysis systems to measure both diluted and undiluted heavy-duty engine exhaust for CO, CO2, THC, CH4, NOx, O2 and NH3. The emissions measurement systems are designed to be used for engines and vehicles with current and emerging fuels as well as a wide variety of engine aftertreatment technologies. With Horiba’s Stars software automating all aspects of a test based on established strategies and solutions, Horiba said the EPA can be confident that the MEXA-One and Constant Volume Sampler (CVS-One) systems will continue to meet new requirements due to future-proofing techniques implemented in the design.

Horiba said it recognizes that the next decade will be one of unprecedented change in the commercial vehicle industry and has designed the MEXA-One and the current generation of measurement systems to allow for flexibility necessary to adapt to evolving test requirements. By future-proofing for advanced powertrain technology including the ability to change or add analyzers to an integrated bench system, Horiba said MEXA-One improves accuracy and noise performance for ultra-low measurement, expanded dynamic range necessary for diversity of cold and hot duty cycles and advanced software that allows for synergy with battery emulating equipment and/or road-to-rig testing practices.