Application of Canisters in Running Loss Emission Control

6 Application of Canisters in Running Loss Emission Control 

The use of activated carbon canisters in the control of running loss evaporative emissions will be presented through the use of an example vehicle application. In this example, the vehicle to be studied is a representative standard size sedan equipped with a 3.0 liter, V6 engine and a 72 liter (18 gallon) fuel tank. The vehicle is assumed to have an evaporative emission control system similar to the one presented in Section 3. 

The complete set of curves in Fig. 19 show that the adsorption performance of the activated carbon canister is a continuous requirement, and not an occasional need 

A key parameter in the design of the fuel vapor control system is the volume of activated carbon required to meet the emission standards for the various regulatory tests. In the case of the three-day diurnal test sequence, the emission limits are 0.05 grams of HC per mile during the run loss portion of the test (maximum emission -0.85 grams), and a maximum release of 2.0 grams for the sum of the hot soak period and any one of the three 24-hour periods making up the diurnal test sequence. 

The two liter carbon canister does not exhibit the HC release during the run loss portion of the test, nor does it release more than the allowable level of HC during the three day diumals. Thus, for the given vehicle configuration and the level of purge volume obtained by the vehicle, it is clear that a two liter carbon canister is required for this vehicle to pass the EPA certification requirement. This conclusion has an effect on the cost of the evaporative control system, in that the additional activated carbon volume and canister size will have an added cost, as will any additional hardware required to mount the larger canister on the vehicle. 

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