EPSA: Towards understanding of the effects of electrification on primary and secondary aerosol emissions from machinery: e-fuels and hybrid powertrains

EPSA (Towards understanding of the effects of electrification on primary and secondary aerosol emissions from machinery: e-fuels and hybrid powertrains) is a two‑year research project funded by the Finnish Research Impact Foundation. The project investigates the reduction of emissions from heavy-duty machinery through electrification and alternative fuels. It is part of the Foundation’s Tandem Industry Academia Postdoc funding programme and is carried out in collaboration with AGCO Power Oy. The project’s measurements are conducted at the HERPA engine research platform located on Tampere University’s campus.

Unlike passenger cars and other light-duty vehicles, the electrification of heavy-duty machinery is challenging primarily due to their higher power consumption. In addition, in many non-road mobile machinery applications the powertrain has tasks other than simply moving the vehicle. In cases where full powertrain electrification is not possible, carbon dioxide and particulate emissions can be reduced through partial electrification or by using cleaner fuels.

In the EPSA project, this is examined by measuring the particulate emissions of a modern non-road mobile machinery engine at static load points and during dynamic driving cycles using different types of fuels: measurements at static load points reveal favourable and unfavourable operating conditions for particulate emissions, while measurements during dynamic driving cycles determine, for example, how different fuels perform under varying engine loads. The measurement of primary and secondary aerosols thus provides valuable scientific insight by offering a comprehensive picture of engine emissions for different fuels and across a wide range of operating conditions.