Diesel exhaust nanoparticles and their behaviour in the atmosphere
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Authors
Colleges, School and Institutes
External organisations
- King Abdulaziz University
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Beihang University
Abstract
Diesel engine emissions are by far the largest source of nanoparticles in many urban atmospheres, in which they dominate the particle number count, and may present a significant threat to public health. This paper reviews knowledge of the composition and atmospheric properties of diesel exhaust particles, and exemplifies research in this field through a description of the FASTER project (Fundamental Studies of the Sources, Properties and Environmental Behaviour of Exhaust Nanoparticles from Road Vehicles) which studied the size distribution - and, in unprecedented detail, the chemical composition - of nanoparticles sampled from diesel engine exhaust. This information has been systematized and used to inform the development of computational modules that simulate the behaviour of the largely semi-volatile content of the nucleation mode particles, including consequent effects on the particle size distribution, under typical atmospheric conditions. Large-eddy model studies have informed a simpler characterization of flow around the urban built environment, and include aerosol processes. This modelling and engine-laboratory work have been complemented by laboratory measurements of vapour pressures, and the execution of two field measurement campaigns in London. The result is a more robust description of the dynamical behaviour on the sub-kilometre scale of diesel exhaust nanoparticles and their importance as an urban air pollutant.
Details
Original language | English |
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Article number | 20180492 |
Journal | Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences |
Volume | 474 |
Issue number | 2220 |
Publication status | Published - 19 Dec 2018 |
Keywords
- aerosol dynamics, diesel exhaust, evaporation, hydrocarbons, particulate matter