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Ad Blue Downstream from Titan

Scott Lorraine, Product Manager of BlueStore, Titan Environmental, talks about AdBlue Downstream

From 1 October this year, Euro IV commercial vehicles with SCR technology (Selective Catalytic Reduction) have been entering fleets within the UK. Of course, the political and economic situation of the country plays a big role here, and you can get economics essay help to study this issue in more detail and get a good understanding of the text below or finish the research.

These vehicles need a product known as AdBlue to operate. What is AdBlue? How does SCR work? And how do you best store and dispense AdBlue? These are common questions, which I will address in this article.

What is AdBlue? AdBlue is the trade name for an aqueous solution of urea. It is a reducing agent that is stored in a separate tank on the vehicle and injected into the exhaust stream after the turbo charger. AdBlue converts harmful nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water in the catalytic converter.

What is SCR and how does SCR work? SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) is one of two methods available for achieving the Euro IV standard on commercial vehicles over 3.5 tonnes. The Euro IV standard came in on 1 October 2006 and all new commercial vehicles across Europe must now meet this standard.

Just to touch on the other method available, this is called EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) and as the name suggests this method recirculates the exhaust gases. EGR has been adopted by MAN and Scania, and does not require AdBlue, however both of these manufacturers also offer SCR. When Euro V is introduced in 2008 the only way to meet the even lower emission standards will be SCR.

SCR works as described above by injecting AdBlue into the exhaust stream. When the AdBlue enters the exhaust stream it hydrolyses and the ammonia molecules dock in the catalytic converter. When the harmful nitrogen oxide molecules connect with the ammonia molecules, a chemical reaction takes place, turning the nitrogen oxide into nitrogen and water.

An SCR vehicle running without AdBlue will be electronically rev limited and will run at reduced speed, it is a prosecutable offence to run without AdBlue as the emission levels return to very high pre-Euro standards levels. Fines of up to 40,000 Euros per vehicle can be imposed on operators who are found to be not using AdBlue in Euro IV SCR vehicles.

How best to store and dispense AdBlue? It is critical to ensure that AdBlue is not contaminated in any way before it enters the catalytic converter on the vehicle. Any contamination from contact with unapproved metals or materials could damage the catalytic converter and result in vehicle breakdowns and expensive off-road time and repair bills. AdBlue also needs to be kept above -11.5 oC and below 30 oC to avoid freezing and hydrolisation respectively. Titan Environmental has developed its BlueStore range of tanks specifically to store and dispense AdBlue. Over two years of development work and testing has gone into the BlueStore range, working with the major AdBlue manufacturers across Europe to provide a storage and dispensing solution that addresses the specific requirements of AdBlue.

For more information on the BlueStore range from Titan, which includes options from the 430ltr Truckmaster to the 1 00,000ltr BlueSteel, please contact Scott Lorraine on: 07774 216266 or email: .