Diesel Smoke Analysis on a Chassis Dynamometer

Enactment and enforcement of stringent smoke emission regulations has created need for a method to determine if the exhaust opacity of in-service vehicles exceeds legal limits as they are driven on the road. This can be accomplished by running a 3 min chassis dynamometer test cycle, which is based upon the Environmental Protection Agency diesel engine certification procedure. Simultaneous recordings of speed and exhaust opacity permit modal analysis for identification of specific malfunctioning components and consequent improved cost effectiveness of maintenance expenditures.