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Using DEF properly
A rundown of diesel exhaust fluid handling and an analysis of the events that led to its development. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established new emissions standards in 2010 requiring medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to significantly reduce engine emissions, particularly nitrous oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. To meet the new standards, makers of high-horsepower (174 to 750 hp) diesel engines adopted SCR, which injects DEF into engine exhaust to reduce harmful NOx emissions. DEF is a colorless, nontoxic, nonhazardous and nonflammable liquid made of deionized water (67.5 percent) and highly pure synthetic urea (32.5 percent). It looks like water but smells slightly of ammonia. DEF is sprayed into the exhaust, breaking down NOx gases into nitrogen and water by means of an advanced catalyst system. Most new diesel trucks, pickups, SUVs and vans are fitted with SCR and have a DEF tank that must be refilled on a regular basis. Small spills of DEF can easily be wiped up, and if DEF comes into contact with skin it can… Keep Reading
Idea from space inspires new way to reduce carbon emissions, fuel
Less carbon emissions means a more environmentally friendly way to drill, and less fuel use means cost savings. You’re kicked back in your favorite recliner, watching a documentary on the Space Shuttle and suddenly they’re talking about on-board pneumatic systems. Who wouldn’t be excited? A certain engineer was not only excited, he was inspired: “A compressor hasn’t got any air to compress in the vacuum of space, and I thought how much power does it take to rotate the compressor in a vacuum?” The answer? “Only enough power to overcome the frictional forces inside the compressor, such as bearings and rotor mesh friction.” He was on to something. Now our engineer may sound like someone who needs to stop taking work home, but fortunately for his employer he hasn’t yet. Grant Field, automation engineering manager for Sandvik Mining, recognized that operating in a vacuum could reduce engine load. Sandvik doesn’t operate on the moon, however. Field needed a way of creating a vacuum inside a compressor or, you might say,… Keep Reading
