The Amminex Emissions Technology system, which won the European Innovation Award 2016, comprises additive technology that boosts the performance of the exhaust catalyst in the exhaust system.
Metroline engineering director Ian Foster says the upgrade entails a simple change from the existing AdBlue systems to ASDS (ammonia storage and delivery system).
With ASDS, he explains, the SCR (selective catalytic reduction) exhaust after treatment system for NOx emissions is fully activated even during low-speed city traffic, when diesel exhaust systems run below optimal temperature for SCR.
“When we upgraded from AdBlue to ASDS we got a major decrease in NOx emissions and the system is proving extremely stable, in terms of daily operation,” confirms Foster.
“Commonly recurring issues with AdBlue, such as the formation of solid deposits in the exhaust system, have also been completely eliminated,” he adds.
Developer Amminex explains that the unused potential of SCR is effectively unlocked with ASDS, and adds that upgrades do not require any changes to the engine or the existing SCR system.
Amminex chief technology officer Tue Johannessen states that, as a result, its ASDS represents an extremely cost-effective air quality improvement device for city and urban heavy-duty diesels, which also leads to zero increase in equally important CO2 emissions.
“Combined with the latest catalyst technology, our product is capable of meeting even the most stringent future targets for driving [down] emissions of NOx and NO2,” states Johannessen.
For Metroline’s Foster, this is a key development: “As a large fleet operator, we see this system as the next step forward in exhaust emission reduction, and a considerable improvement over current urea-based injection systems,” he says.
“Metroline has a tradition of being an innovator using new technologies and giving companies the opportunity to run real-time trials of their equipment.
In one of the busiest cities in the world, the work we are doing with Amminex is another successful example of how these partnerships can work.”
Johannessen says Amminex’s ASDS technology can be used for retrofitting existing diesel vehicles but also for meeting targets on new commercial vehicles.