AAAR 37th Annual Conference October 14 - October 18, 2019 Oregon Convention Center Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
Low-cost Sensor Packages in Parking Garages to Determine Emission Factors and Assess the Relative Importance of Cold Start Operation on Air Quality
BINGQI LIU, Katia Cantu Flores, Sakshi Jain, Mrinmoy Chakraborty, Naomi Zimmerman, University of British Columbia
Abstract Number: 682 Working Group: Air Quality Sensors: Low-cost != Low Complexity
Abstract Traditionally, measurements of vehicle emissions have relied on reference-grade instruments whose complex operation and high cost have limited their deployment in real-world environments. With new low-cost sensing technologies, continuous measurements of vehicle emissions are now possible in traffic-impacted real-world environments, such as parking garages, where exhaust from on-board engines at low-speed, idle, and cold-start operation can severely affect the air quality.
In this study, the Sensit Real-time, Affordable, Multi-Pollutant (RAMP) monitor for measuring PM2.5, NO, NO2, CO2, O3 and CO was deployed in six locations across three parking garages on the UBC Vancouver campus from April – August 2019. One sensor was located at the entrance to the parking garage, and the other in the main vehicle corridor furthest from the parking garage exterior where ventilation is poorest. The RAMP sensors measured the air quality every 10 seconds, providing a high time-resolution dataset of the real-world concentration of traffic-related air pollutants. In addition to the air pollution data, UBC Parking Services provided vehicle count and timing information to better associate pollutant spikes with vehicle patterns.
The integrated pollutant and CO2 signals have been used to develop fuel-based emission factors for the five pollutants measured by the RAMP monitors and to measure the relative impact of cold-start. Individual plumes as well as hourly average pollutant:CO2 ratios are being used to develop these emission factors. Additionally, diurnal pollutant patterns within the garages are being used to target times for increased ventilation in the garages to improve air quality and decrease human exposure. Sensor data is also displayed on a UBC hosted website to encourage motorists to consider their air quality and climate impacts of driving to campus vs taking public transit or bicycling.