Reconstruction of Density Fields of Category L-Vehicles’ Exhaust Plumes for Optimizing Remote Emission Sensing and Engine Performance

Air pollution is a significant long-term public health issue, with on-road traffic emissions being a primary contributor, especially in urban areas. Remote emission sensing (RES) is an innovative method for large-scale monitoring of vehicle emissions. It not only enables accurate detection of pollutants from vehicles under real-world driving conditions but also offers actionable insights to optimize engine performance. The point sampling-based RES technique involves sampling the vehicle exhaust plume along the roadside with a sampling line and using exhaust analyzers. In this method, the sampling line is placed alongside the road for sample extraction. Thus, the sampling position and knowledge regarding the spread of the exhaust plumes are crucial. Other modern RES systems utilize laser absorption spectroscopy to measure the pollutants in vehicle exhaust. For accurate absorption measurements, the laser’s height must align with the height of the exhaust plume, and the absorption length must be known. In this work, we present a gas density Schlieren imaging sensor (GDSIS) system designed to visually capture, quantitatively analyze, and reconstruct the density fields of exhaust plumes from category L-vehicles. By analyzing the density fields, we can pinpoint the location of the highest density within the exhaust plume. This information indicates the ideal height for positioning sampling lines and lasers used in RES systems. Identifying this ideal height can enhance the efficiency and capture rate of RES systems while also helping to detect engine inefficiencies that can negatively affect performance and increase emissions. Moreover, emission patterns can inform engine calibration or maintenance schedules, which helps optimize fuel consumption and engine response. The performance of the GDSIS system in both laboratory settings with controlled gas flows and on the road with L-vehicles during emissions measurement campaigns is evaluated.