| Abstract: | The objective of this study was to identify the influence of sampling and analytical approach on the quality of NH3 emission data of a gasoline-fuelled three-way catalyst vehicle. NH3 concentration measurements have been performed in the tailpipe and in the diluted exhaust after a constant volume sampling (CVS) system during five different test cycles. Chemical ionisation mass spectrometry (CI-MS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to acquire ammonia concentrations in real-time. Independently, NH3 emission rates were determined by continuous absorption of a flow-proportional sample of exhaust gas in diluted sulphuric acid and subsequent ion chromatography (IC). Ammonia emission rates ranged from 22–94 mg km-1. The results of the three compared techniques are in good agreement. Furthermore, time-resolved ammonia emission profiles recorded by CI-MS and FTIR coincided with respect to emission levels as well as emission dynamics. However, in the dilution tunnel, severe ammonia adsorption was observed leading to long lasting memory effects or even analyte loss. Therefore, neither ammonia real-time emission data nor NH3 emission rates should be acquired after a CVS system. |
