Diesel Powertrains for Underground Mining Mobile Equipment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bugarski, Aleksandar D. ; Ritter DA Jr.
• Description:
  The results of laboratory characterization of tailpipe emissions for three "clean" engines that meet U.S. EPA Tier 4 final emissions standards were used to assess the viability and effectiveness of repowering existing engines and powering new mobile equipment with those engines as a control strategy for reducing exposure of underground miners to diesel aerosol and criteria gases. The evaluated engines were representative of those that achieve the emission standards through implementation of various in-cylinder emissions control strategies, use of crankcase filtration, and use of three types of exhaust aftertreatment systems: (1) diesel oxidation catalytic converter (DOC), (2) combination of DOC and the full-flow wall flow monolith diesel particulate filter (DPF), or (3) combination of DOC, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system, and ammonia slip catalyst (ASC). The study showed that the highest reductions in concentrations of diesel aerosols in underground workings, in terms of both mass and number, could be achieved if the engines, preferably in all power classes, are fitted with viable DPF systems. The use of U.S. EPA Tier 4 final engines equipped with DOC and DOC/SCR/ASC systems could help operators to considerably reduce mass, but not number concentrations of aerosols. The emissions of two of the evaluated engines, one equipped with DOC and the other equipped with DOC/DPF systems, were characterized by substantial secondary NO2 emissions that would limit the viability of those engines for underground mining applications. It appears that the catalyst formulations used in the exhaust aftertreatment systems of the "clean" engines marketed to the underground mining industry need to be formulated to minimize the potential for generation of secondary NO2 emissions. The results indicate that the engines fitted with viable SCR/ASC systems present a low-NO2 alternative. All three "clean" engines were found to have low CO output. Therefore, due to nuances associated with the use of diesel-powered mobile equipment in underground mines, special attention needs to be paid to the selection and potentially optimization of "clean" engines for underground mining applications. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Mining Nitrogen Dioxide Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Vehicle Emissions
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Diesel Engines Diesel Emissions Diesel Engines Diesel Particulate Matter Emissions Emission Sources Mining Industry Nitrogen Dioxide Particulates Underground Mines Underground Mining

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• Series:
  Mining Publications
• Publisher:
  Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME)
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Pennsylvania ; Philadelphia Region [OSHA]
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  PMRD - Pittsburgh Mining Research Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-17
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070844
• Citation:
  MineXchange: 2025 SME Annual Conference & Expo, February 23-26, 2025, Denver, Coloardo, preprint 25-024. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, 2025 Feb; :1-17
• CAS Registry Number:
  Nitrogen dioxide (CAS RN 10102-44-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  MineXchange: 2025 SME Annual Conference & Expo, February 23-26, 2025, Denver, Coloardo, preprint 25-024
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:10789763f5d5d56e3b4da514a27f3e5fb6c0e6f3ce7ad94ef130b8fc04d44cbabed7a9c72df979a89e0e8ca1532daecca108f6ec134a7e9f1ca6e4ba79a4a5f5
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/215743/cdc_215743_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]