§ 1054.501 - How do I run a valid emission test?

§ 1054.501 How do I run a valid emission test?

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 89 FR 29794, Apr. 22, 2024.

(a) Applicability. This subpart is addressed to you as a manufacturer but it applies equally to anyone who does testing for you, and to us when we perform testing to determine if your engines or equipment meet emission standards.

(b) General requirements. Use the equipment and procedures for spark-ignition engines in 40 CFR part 1065 to determine whether engines meet the exhaust emission standards, as follows:

(1) Measure the emissions of all exhaust constituents subject to emission standards as specified in § 1054.505 and 40 CFR part 1065. Measure CO₂, N₂O, and CH₄ as described in § 1054.235. See § 1054.650 for special provisions that apply for variable-speed engines (including engines shipped without governors).

(2) Use the appropriate fuels and lubricants specified in 40 CFR part 1065, subpart H, for all the testing we require in this part. Gasoline test fuel must meet the specifications in 40 CFR 1065.710(c), except as specified in § 1054.145(n) and 40 CFR 1065.10 and 1065.701. Use gasoline specified for general testing except as specified in paragraph (d) of this section. For service accumulation, use the test fuel or any commercially available fuel that is representative of the fuel that in-use engines will use. Note that § 1054.145(n) allows for testing with gasoline test fuels specified by the California Air Resources Board for any individual engine family.

(3) Ambient conditions for duty-cycle testing must be within ranges specified in 40 CFR 1065.520, subject to the provisions of § 1054.115(c).

(i) Corrections. Emissions may not be corrected for the effects of test temperature or pressure. You may correct emissions for humidity as specified in 40 CFR 1065.670.

(ii) Intake air temperature. Measure engine intake air temperature as described in 40 CFR 1065.125, and control it if necessary, consistent with good engineering judgment. For example, since the purpose of this requirement is to ensure that the measured air temperature is consistent with the intake air temperature that would occur during in-use operation at the same ambient temperature, do not cool the intake air and do not measure air temperature at a point where engine heat affects the temperature measurement.

(4) The provisions of 40 CFR 1065.405 describe how to prepare an engine for testing. However, you may consider emission levels stable without measurement after 12 hours of engine operation, except for the following special provisions that apply for engine families with a useful life of 300 hours or less:

(i) We will not approve a stabilization period longer than 12 hours even if you show that emissions are not yet stabilized.

(ii) Identify the number of hours you use to stabilize engines for low-hour emission measurements. You may consider emissions stable at any point less than 12 hours. For example, you may choose a point at which emission levels reach a low value before the effects of deterioration are established.

(5) Prepare your engines for testing by installing a governor that you normally use on production engines, consistent with §§ 1054.235(b) and 1054.505.

(6) During testing, supply the engine with fuel in a manner consistent with how it will be supplied with fuel in use. If you sell engines with complete fuel systems and your production engines will be equipped with a vapor line that routes running loss vapors into the engine's intake system, measure exhaust emissions using a complete fuel system representing a production configuration that sends fuel vapors to the test engine's intake system in a way that represents the expected in-use operation. You may alternatively demonstrate by engineering analysis that your engines will continue to meet emission standards for any amount of running loss vapor that can reasonably be expected during in-use operation.

(7) Determine the your test fuel's carbon mass fraction of fuel, w_c, using a calculation based on measured fuel properties as described in 40 CFR 1065.655(d)(1). You may not use ; however, you must measure fuel properties for α and β rather than using the default values specified in 40 CFR 1065.655(de)(2).

(c) Special and alternate procedures. You may use special or alternate procedures to the extent we allow them under 40 CFR 1065.10. The following additional provisions apply:

(1) If you are unable to run the test cycle specified in this part for your engine, use an alternate test cycle that will result in a cycle-weighted emission measurement equivalent to the expected average in-use emissions. This cycle must be approved under 40 CFR 1065.10.

(2) Describe in your application for certification any specially designed fixtures or other hardware if they are needed for proper testing of your engines. (Note: You do not need to specify the size or performance characteristics of engine dynamometers.) You must send us these fixtures or other hardware if we ask for them. We may waive the requirement of § 1054.205(aa) to identify a test facility in the United States for such engine families as long as the projected U.S.-directed production volume of all your engine families using the provisions of this paragraph (c)(2) is less than 5 percent of your total production volume from all engine families certified under this part 1054.

(d) Wintertime engines. You may test wintertime engines at the ambient temperatures specified in 40 CFR 1065.520, even though this does not represent in-use operation for these engines (40 CFR 1065.10(c)(1)). In this case, you may use good engineering judgment to modify the test engine as needed to achieve intake temperatures that are analogous to in-use conditions. You may also test wintertime engines at reduced ambient temperatures as specified in 40 CFR 1051.505. Use the gasoline specified for low-temperature testing only if you test your engines at ambient temperatures below 20 °C.

[73 FR 59259, Oct. 8, 2008, as amended at 74 FR 56511, Oct. 30, 2009; 78 FR 36397, June 17, 2013; 80 FR 9114, Feb. 19, 2015; 86 FR 34522, June 29, 2021; 89 FR 29794, Apr. 22, 2024]