South Coast Air Quality Management District

Issue RFP to Demonstrate Passive Particulate Trap Technologies on Existing Off-Road Heavy-Duty Construction Equipment Fueled by Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuel

SYNOPSIS: 

The contribution of heavy-duty diesel construction equipment to mobile source NOx and PM emissions inventory is projected to increase over other mobile sources in the near future. AQMD, together with CARB, recommends an RFP be issued soliciting proposals for the investigation of emission benefits and durability of passive particulate trap technologies in existing off-road heavy-duty construction equipment fueled by ultra low-sulfur diesel fuel. Cost to the AQMD for the proposed $800,000 demonstration shall not exceed $400,000. CARB will provide direct cash contributions of $300,000 as well as $100,000 of in-kind contributions. Additional cost-shares are expected from particulate trap manufacturers. The County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles, Sukut Construction, and C. W. Poss will supply equipment.

COMMITTEE: 

Technology, March 23, 2001, Recommended for Approval

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Approve issuance of RFP # P2001-38 to solicit proposals to demonstrate passive particulate trap technologies on existing off-road heavy-duty construction equipment fueled by low-sulfur diesel fuel in an amount not to exceed $400,000 from the Clean Fuels Fund and $300,000 from CARB, along with $100,000 in-kind from CARB, for total project funding of $800,000.

Barry R. Wallerstein, D.Env.
Executive Officer

Background

In the 1997 AQMP, off-road mobile sources are estimated to represent 24 and 34 percent of the entire 1993 Basin mobile source nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions, respectively. Currently, off-road heavy-duty construction equipment accounts for 15 percent of all PM emissions; however, its contribution to the mobile source emissions inventory is projected to steadily increase over other mobile sources. AQMD’s MATES-II Study results also indicate that diesel emissions contribute about 70 percent of the cancer risk attributable to air toxics in the South Coast air basin.

CARB and U.S. EPA established technology-forcing requirements for controlling emissions from mobile sources as one of the measures to assure compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Since the enactment of these requirements, vehicle and engine manufacturers, emission control manufacturers, and researchers have continued to direct considerable efforts and resources to developing strategies for reducing mobile source emissions. These strategies have reduced emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles to very low levels, and yielded significant emission reductions from buses, trucks, and heavy-duty highway vehicles. Therefore, as further emission reductions from passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks become more challenging to attain, the same retrofit technologies are increasingly being evaluated for their potential to reduce exhaust emissions from in-use off-road heavy-duty diesel equipment. Specifically, these evaluations focused on (1) developing emission control techniques that address unique characteristics of construction applications such as vibrations, operating cycles, exhaust temperature, and dusty operating and load conditions, and (2) assessing the contribution of emissions from in-use heavy-duty diesel construction equipment to the emissions inventory. At the Salem Harbor, Massachusetts power station site,¹ recent field test of fleet vehicles shows that significant PM, carbon monoxide (CO), and volatile organic compounds (VOC) emissions can be achieved by retrofitting off-road heavy-duty construction equipment with existing aftertreatment technologies such as catalyzed diesel particulate filters.

¹ Ainslie, B., et. Al., The Impact of Retrofit Exhaust Control Technologies on Emissions From Heavy-Duty Diesel SAE 1999 -01-0110 Construction Equipment

In response to increasing public concern and technology opportunities to reduce emissions and cancer risk from off-road equipment, the U.S. EPA established new emission standards for most new off-road engines, and plans similar regulations for major modifications of existing off-road engines. As a result, the County Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, the Construction Industry Air Quality Coalition and some of its members, AQMD, and CARB have joined efforts offering a unique opportunity to investigate the emission benefits and durability of particulate filters in existing off-road heavy-duty construction equipment fueled by diesel fuel with a maximum sulfur content of 15 ppm.

Proposal

The primary objective of the proposed RFP is to test and evaluate the emission reducing potential and durability of passive particulate trap technologies in existing off-road heavy-duty construction equipment fueled by low-sulfur diesel fuel. A secondary consideration of this RFP is to develop a reliable and efficient method for measuring emissions from in-use off-road construction equipment. A third consideration is to assess the effect of particulate trap retrofits on construction equipment. The proposed project involves twenty-two in-use off-road heavy-duty construction equipment with a total of twenty-eight engines, of which twenty-four will be fueled exclusively with low-sulfur fuel and retrofitted with passive diesel particulate traps. The remaining four engines will be operated without a particulate trap; two fueled by low-sulfur fuel; and the other two by CARB diesel fuel. The proposed work also includes steady-state dynamometer testing of two representative engines; an on-board sampling of particulate matter emissions; a monthly survey of equipment operators for any detectable changes in engine performance; and a transportable laboratory for collecting field data at four different load regions for each engine. The field portion of the project is expected to be completed within a 12-month duration.

Outreach

In accordance with the AQMD’s consulting and contracting policies, a public notice advertising the RFP and inviting bids will be published in the following publications:

1.	Antelope Valley Press	10.	La Opinion	19.	Precinct Reporter
2.	Black Voice News	11.	La Voz	20.	Rafu Shimpo
3.	Chinese Daily News	12.	Los Angeles Daily News	21.	Riverside Press Enterprise
4.	Eastern Group Publications	13.	Los Angeles Sentinel	22.	San Bernardino Sun
5.	El Chicano	14.	Los Angeles Times	23.	Santa Clarita Signal
6.	Excelsior, The	15.	M/W/DVBE Source	24.	State of California Contracts
7.	Inland Empire Hispanic News	16.	Orange County Register		Register
8.	Inland Valley Daily Bulletin	17.	Palm Springs Desert Sun
9.	Korea Central Daily	18.	Philippine News

Additionally, potential bidders will be notified utilizing the Los Angeles County MTA and Cal Trans Directories of Certified Minority, Women, Disadvantaged and Disabled Veterans Business Enterprises; the Inland Area Opportunity Pages Ethnic/Women Business & Professional Directory; AQMD’s own electronic listing of certified minority vendors; and AQMD Purchasing’s mailing list. Notice of the RFP will be mailed to the Black and Latino Legislative Caucuses and various minority chambers of commerce and business associations; and placed on the Internet at AQMD’s Web site [http://www.aqmd.gov, "Business and Job Opportunities" icon] and AQMD’s bidder’s 24-hour telephone message line (909) 396-2724.

Benefits to AQMD

The proposed project is included in the March 2001 update of the Technology Advancement Plan under Project 2000CFM6-3, "Multi-Year Demonstration of Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuels in Heavy-Duty Off-Road Equipment." The proposed RFP supports the implementation of advanced alternative fuel technology that could potentially be used to reduce PM emissions from diesel-powered heavy-duty off-road construction equipment. In addition, the outcome of this project will help participants better characterize the durability and emissions reduction potential of passive particulate trap technologies and low-sulfur diesel fuel on heavy-duty off-road construction equipment. This project, if successfully implemented, could lead to PM emissions reductions of over 80 percent.

Resource Impact

The total cost of this project is estimated to be $800,000, of which AQMD cost shall not exceed $400,000. The CARB direct and in-kind contributions for this project amount to $300,000 and $100,000, respectively. Additional in-kind contributions are expected from particulate trap manufacturers.

Sufficient funds are available from the Clean Fuels Fund, established as a special revenue fund resulting from the state-mandated Clean Fuels Program. The Clean Fuels Program, under Health and Safety Code Sections 40448.5 and 40512 and Vehicle Code Section 9250.11, establishes mechanisms to collect revenues from mobile sources to support projects to increase the utilization of clean fuels, including the development of the necessary advance enabling technologies. Funds collected from motor vehicles are restricted, by statue, to be used for projects and program activities related to mobile sources that support the objectives of the Clean Fuels Program.

Attachment

RFP # P2001-38: Demonstration of Passive Particulate Trap Technologies on Existing Off-Road Heavy-Duty Construction Equipment Fueled by Low-Sulfur Diesel Fuel

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