The Exhaust & Emissions business unit of Donaldson Company, Inc. announces the successful completion of a two-year field test of its NXF Emissions Retrofit System on a front end loader used by the City of Minneapolis. During the test period, Donaldson’s Emissions reduction system reduced significant levels of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), particulate matter (soot), hydrocarbon and Carbon Monoxide (CO) emissions. The results of the field test substantially exceeded program expectations.
The field test was conducted in conjunction with Project Green Fleet and the City of Minneapolis and featured a new retrofit technology choice – the Donaldson NXF emission system, specifically designed to handle the heavy duty emissions load created by off-road diesel engines. Test results confirm that the Donaldson system removed 99% of particulate matter (soot), more than 55% of the NOx, and more than 90% of the hydrocarbons and CO. Over the 4,000+ hours of operation, the soot removed would have filled more than 15 55-gallon drums. The NOx reduction was equivalent to removing four 2001-era school buses from the road each year.
“Last year, the City of Minneapolis had more than 30 miles of roadway improvements under way, with crews using heavy-duty off-road equipment to repair streets from harsh winter damage,” says Public Works Director Steve Kotke. “Given the results of this test, if we achieved this same result across our fleet of similar construction equipment, we’d potentially see an annual PM reduction of 461 pounds (enough to fill over 100 55-gallon drums) and a NOx reduction equivalent to removing 23 school buses from the road each year. In addition, as older equipment is replaced by newer models, we’ll give strong consideration to manufacturers that support our initiatives to reduce air pollution in Minnesota.”
The purpose of the Donaldson field test was two-fold: to support Project Green Fleet’s ongoing initiative to reduce air pollution throughout Minnesota and second, for Donaldson to accumulate the minimum 1,000 hours of field testing required to apply for California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) verification. Regulatory agency verification is required in order to sell the new emissions reduction technology.
Project Green Fleet is an effort of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization, Environmental Initiative, to improve air quality and protect public health by reducing emissions from Minnesota’s diesel vehicles. Since 2006, Project Green Fleet has installed pollution control equipment, implemented idle reduction technologies and replaced older engines with new, cleaner running engines that have led to an annual reduction of 23.55 tons of particulate matter, the equivalent of removing 350,000 cars from the road each year.
“Donaldson has been a long-time participant in Minnesota’s Project Green Fleet and we support and applaud the inititiaves this collaborative is taking to reduce air pollution around our State,” says Ted Angelo, General Manager, Exhaust & Emissions at Donaldson Company.
Donaldson and the City chose to install the NXF emissions system in a front-end loader provided by the City of Minneapolis. “We customized the system to include a compact design to support ease of installation as well as addressing the strict visibility requirements for CARB Verification,” Donaldson’s Angelo says. “Our engineers monitored operation and collected vehicle and system data over the testing period and we are all pleased with the outcome. System durability and performance have exceeded our expectations. With these results, we will continue to optimize our system and pursue the necessary verifications for this filtration solution and continue to work with Project Green Fleet on emissions reduction techonology.”
The tested NXF Emissions System is a complete emissions solution, combining Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) technologies, designed specifically for off-road applications. For select Tier 0-2 engines, this system can deliver more than 85% NOx reduction and 99% particulate matter reduction.
“It’s a challenge for existing fleet owners to meet today’s retrofit emission reduction requirements,” Angelo says. “It is also a challenge for OEMs to meet the stringent CARB and EPA requirements when manufacturing new diesel engines. Donaldson offers a variety of solutions to meet these requirements and we will continue to develop advanced emission control systems, such as the new NXF Emissions System tested with Project Green Fleet and the City of Minneapolis for OEM and Retrofit applications.”
The testing completed on the Minneapolis loader was partially funded by the State of Texas through a Grant from the Texas Environmental Research Consortium and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Additional test vehicles equipped with the NXF emission system were operating in California and continue to run in Texas.
“The numbers speak for themselves — 99% reduction in PM emissions and 55% reduction in NOx,” says Bill Droessler, Senior Director of Strategic Planning, at Environmental Initiative. “NOx and soot are key causes of air pollution and greenhouse gases. While diesel engines only account for approximately 10% of traffic on Minnesota roads, they contribute more than 50% of the air pollution in our state. Donaldson has once again validated that by retrofitting older, off-road engines with emissions reduction technology we can significantly reduce pollution discharged by the diesel engine. We will continue to work with Donaldson to retrofit older diesel engines as we aim to improve air quality for all Minnesotans. In addition to the health benefits, this is especially important work as Minnesota may soon face challenges from tightened federal air quality standards.”
