EPA Crackdown on Deleted Trucks

I have '97, series 60 in a '97 truck.
Back in 2004 or 2005 a lady from the government called me with an offer. Here is our conversation:

Govt. Lady: sir, if you take that engine out of your truck that has no emission control on it and is causing pollution and adding carbon to atmosphere we will give you a low interest loan to put in a new, cleaner burning emissions controlled engine.

Me: what will i do with the old engine?

Govt. Lady: well I don't know. It just won't be polluting anymore.

Me: more than likely it will be placed into a glider here in the U.S., or make its way to Mexico or Africa and be used for another 20 years.

Govt.lady: silence........ Then........ Well at least you can feel good about doing your share for the environment.

Me: what about the carbon footprint associated with building a new engine from scratch that will be attributed to me for (supposedly) doing my part for the environment.

Govt.lady: I'm not sure I follow you.

Me: well, have you calculated the carbon footprint of mining the ore, the machinery and fuel required to transport the ore, processing the ore, machining the parts, trucking\ transporting the parts, heating, cooling, lighting the factories that make the parts, etc etc

Govt. Lady: no, we don't have anything to do with that.

Me: so you want me to take out my engine, have it run in another truck in another country, manufacture another one for me, and have a net negative effect on the environment, and have me pay for it all?

Govt lady; we are offering low interest government loans to help you do it.

Me: no thanks.

I could be wrong, but I think I would have generated a larger carbon footprint by my acquiescence to their program. Some one can school me if I'm wrong.

 

Well said.

 

"A low interest loan" for a completely unnecessary expense, yeah think I'll pass.

 

I will run and build my non-epa Smokin dirty engines till the day I die !! .....and I plan on living a loooooong time !!

 

DEF doesn't get sprayed into the DPF. DPF is a completely different system.

In your typical 15ish liter engine aftertreatment system you'll have a DOC (Diesel Oxidation Catalyst) first. This oxidizes hydrocarbons and soluable organic factions. The chemical reaction to those compounds will raise the temperature of the exhaust.

Then the exhaust flows into the DPF, which traps particulate matter (soot) and ash. Regeneration raises exhaust temperatures, typically by injecting fuel into the exhaust stream ahead of the DOC. Fuel reacts with the DOC to raise the inlet temperature of the DPF to around 1100ish degrees. This causes a reaction that catalyzes the soot into less harmful compounds (I think water and carbon dioxide mostly, not 100% sure on that).

After the DPF, you'll have the DEF injector, which sprays DEF into the exhaust as it enters the SCR catalyst. The whole purpose of the SCR catalyst is to reduce NOx emissions. The DEF reacts with the catalyst and the NOx in the exhaust, reducing it to water and I want to say nitrogen.

Now the EPA dictates the emission standards by rated horsepower. When you get up to big engines like ultra class mine trucks, they are able to run clean enough through programming that they don't require the DPF. They need the SCR catalyst to get the NOx emissions down to the mandated levels.

 

Well she definitely was un-informed. The EPA started implementing Tier 1 standards back in 1994ish for non-road diesels. The emission controls were better turbocharging, better fuel injection accuracy from electronic controls. If you want to get really technical, the used to run air-fuel ratio controls on mechanical fuel pumps to limit rack travel until the turbo could spool up and make boost. Even my 1979 3406 had that lol.

 

Yep, you're right.

But the first generation egr engines were gonna save the planet. That's what she was selling!

 

It would not suprise me if EGR became obsolete in the next couple years since SCR essentially does the exact same function as EGR, except it doesn't pump your engine full of dirty exhaust. Plus when EGR is operating, the engine produces more soot. Less EGR, less soot for the DPF to catch.

 

But egr is a simpler, cheaper, less problematic approach to emissions isn't it.?
Not sure about engine longevity with pumping dirty air back into it though. Change the oil more frequently and you might be ahead?