Volvo Trucks North America has delivered five Volvo trucks that meet the stringent US10 truck emission standards to customer for field testing. The US10 standard becomes effective in 2010, and the trucks now delivered are equipped with the EGR and SCR emission-control systems.
The VN model trucks have been delivered to Talon Logistics, which will now field test the SCR (selective catalytic reduction) technology that is common in Europe. To date, the emission requirements in North America were met by applying EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) technology and particulate filters. The trucks now being delivered are also equipped with SCR.
The technical solution applied by VTNA to meet the requirements in accordance with the US10 standard is based on EGR, in which the amount of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gases is reduced by recirculating part of the exhaust gases back to the engine for combustion, the DPF particulate filter, and SCR. VTNA plans to field-test 11 Volvo trucks equipped with SCR this year and then increase the number further during 2008.
SCR involves spraying a mixture of urea and water, so-called AdBlue, into the exhaust gases. Heat from the exhaust gases converts the urea to ammonia that reacts with the nitrous oxides in a catalytic converter, in which they are transformed into harmless nitrogen gas and steam.