Retrofit Projects in Europe
Refuse Truck in France
A Euro II 20-tons refuse truck (Renault Trucks Premium MIDR 62045) with a 6-cylinder 9.84 liters engine was retrofitted with 6 Silicon Carbide filter units (20m² of filtration area) placed in the existing muffler volume. The truck was evaluated with standard diesel fuel (350ppm Sulfur) over a 12-month national program. A Catalytic Fuel Combustion technology and Fuel Borne Catalyst were used in this project.
Source: "The Ecologic Refuse Trucks: data and references" ADEME, 2003
Flemish Buses in Belgium
Flanders public transport operator De Lijn has been fitting combined Diesel Particulate Filter and Selective Catalytic Reduction systems on 247 buses, including city buses in Antwerp, Ghent and Bruges plus regional and inter-city buses. The systems eliminate more than 70% of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and virtually eliminate all Particulate Matter (PM) to achieve emissions standards equivalent to the Euro V standard on vehicles as old as Euro II. Trials started at De Lijn in November 2006. The bus had a data-logger and modem that continuously monitored high NOx reduction in real-time and in real world operating conditions. The system has proved its reliability throughout the 50 000 km covered during the trial, which was key to De Lijn.
Source: De Lijn
La Rochelle Buses
Since January 2004, 47 Heuliez GX Euro I and II buses of La Rochelle city are equipped with a passive retrofit system using Fuel-Borne Catalyst (FBC), a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst and Silicon Carbide Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). The combination of a DPF and FBC has proven its efficiency over a long-term field experience.
London Buses
Transport for London (TfL) selected the single-decker 3.9 litre Dennis Dart for a field trial with a combined SCR and DPF retrofit system. Two bus operators were selected by TfL for the trial to ensure that the technology would be tested on a wider variety of routes. 14 buses which had already been operating successfully with a particulate filter were fitted with an integrated package that included SCR catalysts, NOx sensors, a urea tank, pump and dispensing system, as well as an electronic control unit. Due to the low temperatures prevalent in these city bus applications and due to the need to avoid increases in secondary emissions, a NOx conversion target of 65% was set and achieved. Improvement of the commercially available components selected for the trial enabled achievement of more than 98% operating reliability across the fleet during the final nine months of the trial.
Norwich Buses
In July 2008 Norfolk County Council established a Low Emissions Zone in the city of Norwich, UK, requiring an increasing number of buses to meet Euro III NOx limits. By 1 April 2010, this applied to all bus services with both terminal points within the LEZ and 50% for those than go outside the LEZ. In order to meet the requirements of the LEZ, 25 Euro II buses operated by First Eastern Counties have been retrofitted with SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) technology to reduce their NOx emissions by up to 64%.
Barcelona Buses
The Catalan Government issued an air quality decree stipulating that all Euro II and III buses in Catalonia must be upgraded to a minimum standard of Euro IV by 2014. In that context, Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB) has selected a combined Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) retrofit technology to help them cut emissions from 363 buses. This has now become Europe’s largest retrofit program to target both PM and NOx. Independent testing at homologation test centre Idiada, confirmed that the retrofit system could help achieve EEV (Enhanced Environmentally Friendly Vehicle) standards with removal from the exhaust of over 90% of particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and more than 70% of nitrogen oxides. Retrofitting was chosen for economic reasons since ‘for the price of one new bus, it was possible to upgrade over 15 buses to Euro V and EEV standards’ commented a TMB official.
