[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 115 (Monday, June 16, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32602-32604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15730]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-5842-5]
Retrofit/Rebuild Requirements for 1993 and Earlier Model Year
Urban Buses; Public Review of a Notification of Intent To Certify
Equipment and Public Review of a Request To Amend a Current
Certification
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of agency receipt of a notification of intent to certify
equipment and initiation of comment period. Notice of Agency receipt of
a request to amend a current certification.
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SUMMARY: The Agency has received a notification of intent to certify
urban bus retrofit/rebuild equipment for 4-stroke petroleum fueled
diesel engines pursuant to 40 CFR Part 85, Subpart O from Engine
Control Systems Ltd. (ECS). Pursuant to Sec. 85.1407(a)(7), today's
Federal Register notice summarizes the notification below, announces
that the notification is available for public review and comment, and
initiates a 45-day period during which comments can be submitted. The
Agency will review this notification of intent to certify, as well as
comments received, to determine whether the equipment should be
certified.
This action is also notifying the public that ECS proposes to amend
its current two-stroke engine certification. On January 6, 1997 (62 FR
746) EPA approved certification of the ECS retrofit kit which
demonstrated a 25% reduction in PM for 1979 to 1993 DDC 2-stroke
engines. On February 11, 1997, ECS requested that this certification be
modified to also include 8V71N engines for model years 1973 to 1984.
Today's notice initiates a 45-day period during which the Agency
will accept written comments relevant to whether or not the equipment
included in this notification of intent to certify for 4-stroke engines
should be certified and whether the Agency should approve the ECS
request to amend the previously approved 2-stroke application to
include the 8V71N model. Comments relevant to the 4-stroke notification
should be provided in writing to Public Docket A-93-42, Category XVI-A,
at the address below. Comments relevant to the 2-stroke amendment
should be provided in writing to Public Docket A-93-42, Category XIV-A,
at the address below. An identical copy of each comment should be
submitted to Anthony Erb, also at the address below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 31, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Submit separate copies of comments to the two following
addresses:
1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Public Docket A-93-42
(Category XIV-A or XVI-A), Room M-1500, 401 M Street SW., Washington,
DC 20460.
2. Anthony Erb, Engine Compliance and Programs Group, Engine
Programs & Compliance Division (6403J), 401 ``M'' Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20460.
Docket items may be inspected from 8:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday. As provided in 40 CFR Part 2, a reasonable fee
may be charged by the Agency for copying docket materials.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Erb, Engine Programs &
Compliance Division (6403J), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401
M Street SW., Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: (202) 233-9259.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On April 21, 1993, the Agency published final Retrofit/Rebuild
Requirements for 1993 and Earlier Year Urban Buses (58 FR 21359). The
retrofit/rebuild program is intended to reduce the ambient levels of
particulate matter (PM) in urban areas and is limited to 1993 and
earlier year (MY) urban buses operating in metropolitan areas with 1980
populations of 750,000 or more, whose engines are rebuilt or replaced
after January 1, 1995. Operators of the affected buses are required to
choose between two compliance programs: Program 1 sets particulate
matter emissions requirements for each urban bus engine in an
operator's fleet which is rebuilt or replaced; Program 2 is a fleet
averaging program that establishes specific annual target levels for
average PM emissions from urban buses in an operator's fleet.
Certification of retrofit/rebuild equipment is a key element of the
retrofit/rebuild program. To show compliance under either of the
compliance programs, operators of the affected buses must use equipment
that has been certified by the Agency. Emissions requirements under
either of the two compliance programs depend on the availability of
certified retrofit/rebuild equipment for each engine. To be used for
Program 1, equipment must be certified as achieving at least a 25
percent reduction in PM. Equipment used for Program 2 must be certified
as providing some level of PM reduction that would in turn be claimed
by urban bus operators when calculating their average fleet PM levels
attained under the program. For Program 1, information on life cycle
costs must be submitted in the notification of intent to certify in
order for certification of the equipment to initiate (or trigger)
program requirements. To trigger program requirements, the certifier
must guarantee that the equipment will be available to all affected
operators for a life cycle cost of $7,940 or less at the 0.10 g/bhp-hr
PM level, or for a life cycle cost of $2,000 or less for the 25 percent
or greater reduction in PM. Both of these values are based on 1992
dollars.
The equipment for which certification is pending for the 4-stroke
engine is a catalytic converter muffler which will take the place of
the standard muffler in the exhaust system. ECS has requested that this
equipment notification be considered for certification for use under
Program 2 only. Equipment certified for Program 2 must provide some
level of PM reduction that can in turn be claimed by urban bus
operators when calculating their average fleet PM levels attained under
the program. Certification of this equipment will not trigger or comply
with any requirements under Program 1.
With regard to the request from ECS to amend the existing
certification for 2-stroke engines, ECS is requesting that the
certification be amended to include 8V71N model engines originally
produced in model years 1973 through 1984. On August 8,1996 (61 FR
41409), EPA published a notice that it had received a notification of
intent to certify equipment providing a 25% reduction in PM for
specific DDC model engines. The equipment for which certification was
requested was an oxidation converter muffler which was
[[Page 32603]]
a direct replacement for the existing muffler. The equipment was stated
to provide a 25% reduction in PM on the models listed. On January 6,
1997 (62 FR 746) EPA approved the certification of this equipment to
provide a 25% reduction in PM for operators utilizing Program 1 or
Program 2 for specified models. On February 11, 1997, ECS requested
that the certification be amended to include the DDC 8V71N engines.
II. Notification of Intent To Certify
By a notification of intent to certify signed October 30, 1996, ECS
has applied for certification of equipment applicable to all Cummins L-
10 engines and all other 4-stroke engines that were originally
manufactured prior to and including 1993. The equipment being certified
is a converter muffler (CM) containing an oxidation catalyst. The CM is
stated to be a direct replacement for the standard muffler installed on
the engine exhaust system. The ECS specified PM certification levels
are provided in Table B.
The notification of intent to certify states that the candidate
equipment will reduce PM emissions by 18 percent or more, on any 1985
to 1993 4-stroke petroleum-fueled diesel engines which either: (a) Have
not been rebuilt and are not in need of a rebuild; or (b) have been
rebuilt to its original configuration; or, (c) have been rebuilt with
the rebuild kit manufactured by the Cummins Engine Company and
certified under the urban bus retrofit program (60 FR 64046, December
13, 1995).
This equipment cannot be used in compliance with Program 1 because
the emission data does not demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in PM.
If certified, the use of this equipment by urban bus operators will be
allowed for operators who have chosen to comply using Program 2 only.
The CM is stated to be maintenance free. The engine fuel to be used
with this equipment is standard diesel fuel with a maximum sulfur
content of 0.05 wt.% sulfur.
ECS presents exhaust emission data from testing performed on a 1987
Cummins LTA10B 240 horsepower urban bus engine. The engine was rebuilt
to its original configuration and run for 125 hours prior to testing.
Testing was performed at the Southwest Research Institute in San
Antonio, Texas. Two tests were conducted. The first test was performed
on the rebuilt engine without the CM, and a second test was performed
on the same engine after retrofit with the CM. The test data show a PM
level of 0.404 g/bhp-hr for the base rebuilt engine without the CM and
a PM level of 0.327 g/bhp-hr with the CM installed (a 19% PM
reduction). The test data also show that hydrocarbon (HC), carbon
monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOX) are less than
applicable standards. Fuel consumption with the candidate equipment
installed was 0.403 lb/BHP-hr compared to 0.397 lb/bhp-hr for the
baseline test. The exhaust restriction during the baseline test was
2.36 inches of Hg compared to 2.47 inches of Hg for the test after
retrofit with the CM. ECS presents smoke emission measurements for the
engine demonstrating compliance with applicable standards.
ECS contends that these tests are appropriate to allow for
certification on engines in category (c) mentioned above, that have
been rebuilt using the certified Cummins rebuild kit, as the tests use
``worst case'' engines, as compared to the engines rebuilt with the
Cummins kit. ECS also contends that these tests are appropriate to
allow for certification on engines under category (a). The engines
under category (a) above will not have been rebuilt and are not in need
of a rebuild at the time the candidate equipment is installed. As such,
these engines are presumed to emit PM at the level of the original
engine configuration. Therefore, these engines are in essence the same
as the tested engine, which was rebuilt to the original engine
configuration. ECS plans to review the oil consumption for each engine
as a primary means of determining which engines will be acceptable
under this category. Engines which exceed a specified limit will not be
allowed to undergo retrofit without rebuild. Test results are provided
in Table A.
Table A.--Exhaust Emissions Summary
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g/bhp-hr
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1987 Cummins LTA10B 1987 Cummins LTA10B
1988 Standards baseline with converter muffler
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Gaseous and Particulate Test:
HC............................... 1.3.................... 0.378.................. 0.010
CO............................... 15.5................... 3.374.................. 2.391
NOX.............................. 10.7................... 5.869.................. 5.719
PM............................... 0.60................... 0.404.................. 0.327
BSFC \1\......................... ....................... 0.397.................. 0.403
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Smoke Test: Standards
(1) Percent Opacity
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ACCEL................................ 20 (percent)........... 9.7 (percent)......... 12.2 (percent)
LUG.................................. 15 (percent)........... 1.2 (percent)......... 1.5 (percent)
PEAK................................. 50 (percent)........... 21.1 (percent)......... 27.3 (percent)
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\1\ Brake Specific Fuel Consumption (BSFC) is measured in units of lb/bhp-hr.
If the Agency certifies the candidate ECS equipment, operators who
choose to comply with Program 2 who install this equipment, will use
the PM emission level(s) established during the certification review
process in their calculations of target or fleet level as specified in
the regulations. Table B provides the PM levels proposed by ECS for
this equipment.
[[Page 32604]]
Table B.--ECS Retrofit/Rebuild Certification Levels For Cummins Engines 1
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Retrofit PM
Control New Engine Retrofit PM level with
Engine family parts list Manufacture dates PM level level with CM &
(CPL) CM Cummins kit
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343B........................................... 780 11/20/85 to 12/31/87............................... 0.58 0.48 0.28
343B........................................... 0781 11/20/85 to 12/31/87............................... 0.59 0.48 0.28
343C........................................... 0774 11/20/85 to 12/31/89............................... 0.46 0.38 0.28
343C........................................... 0777 11/20/85 to 12/31/89............................... 0.61 0.50 0.28
343C........................................... 0996 12/04/87 to 08/19/88............................... 0.61 0.50 0.28
343C........................................... 1226 07/26/88 to 12/31/90............................... 0.50 0.41 0.28
343F........................................... 1226 07/12/90 to 08/26/92............................... 0.45 0.37 0.28
343F........................................... 1441 12/18/90 to 12/31/92............................... 0.46 0.38 0.28
343F........................................... 1622 04/24/92 to 12/31/92............................... 0.46 0.38 0.28
343F........................................... 1624 04/24/92 to 12/31/92............................... 0.45 0.37 0.28
Other 4-stroke engines......................... 1985 to 1993....................................... ........... 18 % N/A
reduction
from
original PM
levels
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\1\ The New Engine PM certification levels are based on the certification level or the average test audit result for each engine family. It is noted
that for engine family 343F, although the PM standard for 1991 and 1992 was 0.25 g/bhp-hr and the NOx standard was 5.0 g/bhp-hr, Cummins certified the
1226, 1441, 1622, and 1624 CPLs to a Federal Emission Limit (FEL) of 0.49 g/bhp-hr PM and 5.6 g/bhp-hr NOx under the averaging, banking and trading
program.
III. Request To Amend Previous Certification
With regard to amending the 2-stroke certification, in the original
notification, ECS performed testing on a 1987 DDC 6VN71 model engine.
This test engine would qualify as a worst case engine when compared to
the 8V71N engine and, as such, the results from testing this engine
could be extrapolated to the 8V71N models is in question. All other
factors involved in the certification including warranties,
instructions, costs and maintenance remain the same. ECS states that it
believes that the catalyst utilized in the earlier certification will
adequately reduce PM from the 8V71N engines by at least 25%. ECS has
cited the fact that the displacement of the 8V71N engine family is very
similar to the 6V92 for which the equipment is already certified. ECS
also states that the 8V71N engine being naturally aspirated will
operate with characteristically hotter exhaust temperatures than a
6V92TA which should enhance PM reduction. ECS has requested to amend
its certification to include the levels provided in Table C.
Table C.--ECS Retrofit/Rebuild Certification Levels for 8V71N Model
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PM
Model level Code/
Engine model years with Family
OCM
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8V71N..................................... 1973-1984 0.38 All.
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It is noted that the ECS proposal to amend the previous
certification will not trigger any new requirements for operators
because equipment providing a 25% PM reduction has already been
certified for the above model and years. The PM level in the triggering
certification is identical to the PM level specified above.
At a minimum, EPA expects to evaluate the notification of intent to
certify for the 4-stroke engines, and the request to amend the
certification for the 2-stroke engines and other materials submitted as
applicable, to determine whether there is adequate demonstration of
compliance with: (1) The certification requirements of Sec. 85.1406,
including whether the testing accurately proves the claimed emission
reduction or emission levels; and, (2) the requirements of Sec. 85.1407
for a notification of intent to certify. With regard to the amendment
to the 2-stroke certification, comments should be directed to the
addition of the 8V71N engine only as this notification is not meant to
re-open the comment period for the original notice of intention to
certify (NIC).
The Agency requests that those commenting also consider these
regulatory requirements, plus provide comments on any experience or
knowledge concerning: (a) problems with installing, maintaining, and/or
using the candidate equipment on applicable engines; and, (b) whether
the equipment is compatible with affected vehicles.
The date of this notice initiates a 45-day period during which the
Agency will accept written comments relevant to whether or not the
equipment described in the ECS notification of intent to certify for 4-
stroke engine should be certified pursuant to the urban bus retrofit/
rebuild regulations, and on the issue of the request to amend the prior
2-stroke engine certification. Interested parties are encouraged to
review the notification of intent to certify and provide comment during
the 45-day period. Please send separate copies of your comments to each
of the above two addresses.
The Agency will review this notification of intent to certify and
the request to revise the previous certification, along with comments
received from interested parties, and attempt to resolve or clarify
issues as necessary. During the review process, the Agency may add
additional documents to the docket as a result of the review process.
These documents will also be available for public review and comment
within the 45-day period.
Dated: June 10, 1997.
Mary D. Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 97-15730 Filed 6-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
