Results, Problems and Limits of Organoleptic Determination of Odor for Commercial Vehicles

The determination of odor-intensity of engine exhaust is problematic due to the lack of objective measuring methods. Potential determination is based on the hypothesis that there is a correlation between a perceived intensity of odor and measurable airborne quantities. Attempts to discover such correlations are the subject of the paper. A secondary task was to correlate such measurable emissions with engine operation.

Results show that only statistical tendencies with limited use can be derived from the tests, especially when small differences in odor are involved. It is particularly difficult to separate disruptive influences from test results. However, no simple means were found suitable to reduce the odor level of fuel-injected Diesel engines without sacrificing other advantages. Therefore, it seems more reasonable to eliminate or reduce odors by means of mechanisms in the exhaust line.