Biofuel / Emissions Analysis

[AndrewMech]

Electrochemical gas analysers can be used to measure CO, CO2, O2, SO2, NO2,and NO when using a biofuel called Waste Cooking Oil Methyl Ester (WCOME).

 

What other methods can be used to measure the gases emitted by engines using this fuel or any fuel for that matter?

[Prime-Evil]

Titration? Not as easy to measure in real time, but perhaps useful in experiments and for calibration purposes.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titration

[DV8 2XL]

I wonder if something can be cobbled together using the sensors from the emission control systems from a modern car engine...?

[engware]

Hi there:

 

In addition to measurements of combustion products, one can always do some numerical calculations predicting the composition of combustion products.

 

Thanks,

 

Gordan

[SmallIsPower]

I'd think its a lot better than "clean coal". We'll probably be employing that soon enough.

[catchem]

Hi

 

"What other methods can be used to measure the gases emitted by engines using this fuel or any fuel for that matter?"

 

For real time measurements, a mass spectrometer would be able to supply you with exact date of all the possible emission products (it measures the numbers of protons).

 

But it probably only appliciable in a stationary set-up.

 

/Johannes

[chilehed]

I wonder if something can be cobbled together using the sensors from the emission control systems from a modern car engine...?

No. The exhaust sensors output voltage as a function of the partial pressure of the oxygen in the exhaust gas. They can't detect anything else.