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Updated: May 18, 2026

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Measuring Sub-23 Nanometer Real Driving Particle Number Emissions Using the Portable DownToTen Sampling System
Published on: May 22, 2020
Size-resolved particle number emission patterns under real-world driving conditions using positive matrix
Aida Domínguez-Sáez1, Mar Viana, Carmen C Barrios
1Environmental Department, Pollutant Emissions from Motor Vehicles, CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense, 40, Madrid, 28040, Spain. aida.dominguez@ciemat.es
Environmental Science & Technology
|September 12, 2012
Summary
Real-world driving reveals distinct diesel particle number emission patterns. Different driving conditions, from cruising to idling, produce unique particle sizes, necessitating tailored emission reduction strategies.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Automotive Engineering
- Air Quality Research
Background:
- Diesel vehicles are significant sources of particulate matter emissions.
- Understanding real-world driving conditions is crucial for accurate emission assessment.
- Regulatory cycles may not fully capture diverse emission scenarios.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize size-resolved particle number emission patterns of a EURO4 diesel vehicle under real-world driving conditions.
- To identify and quantify different emission patterns based on driving behaviors.
- To compare real-world emissions with regulatory standards and suggest reduction strategies.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel on-board system for real-time particle size and number measurement.
- Conducted testing on a EURO4 diesel vehicle within a typical urban circuit in Madrid.
- Applied Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) for source apportionment and interpretation of driving conditions.
Main Results:
- Identified three primary emission patterns: cruise (60%, larger particles), transient (25%, nucleation mode), and creep-idle (14%, nucleation and larger particles).
- Demonstrated that specific particle sizes, particularly <40 nm, are predominantly detected under real-world conditions, not regulatory cycles.
- Quantified the contribution of each driving pattern to total particle number emissions.
Conclusions:
- Real-world driving conditions significantly influence diesel particle number emission characteristics and size distributions.
- Tailored emission control strategies are needed for different driving scenarios (cruise, transient, idle).
- Regulatory emission cycles like NEDC may underestimate critical nanoparticle emissions (<40 nm) observed in actual urban driving.

