Particle Emissions from Ship Engines: Emission Properties and Transformation in the Marine Boundary Layer

Abstract

In the framework of a combined effort ship emission studies were conducted in 2004 as part of the European Integrated Project HERCULES . Detailed aerosol microphysics and chemistry was measured in the exhaust gas of a single-cylinder test bed engine, which was operated at various load conditions, running on fuel with a sulphur content of 3.45 wt.-%. The emission studies were complemented by airborne aerosol transformation studies in the marine boundary layer as part of the ICARTT-ITOP (Intercontinental Transport of Ozone and Precursors) experiment in 2004. Research flights using the DLR aircraft Falcon 20 E-5 were conducted in the English channel and in a single plume of a large container ship. The adapted Glasow plume dispersion model in combination with the observations from emission studies and plume studies yields a consistent picture of particle transformation processes from emission from a ship engine to atmospheric processing in the marine boundary layer during plume expansion. The results are used for the determination of emission indices of particulate matter from ships and for the estimation of life times of ship exhaust particles in the marine boundary layer.