California Air Resources Board

CARB will host a seminar for a research study on how agricultural equipment with diesel engines operates in real-world farming in the San Joaquin Valley, California. In the study, agricultural equipment activity data was collected by data loggers instrumented on operating tractors and through operator-maintained records.

Background

Off-road diesel engines are widely used in agricultural goods production and supply, and can contribute to poor air quality in regions not meeting the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM) or ozone, such as the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) in California. Developing accurate emission inventory is key to understanding the impact of California agriculture tractors on air quality. CARB has continued to update its emission inventory for diesel agricultural equipment, based on most recent information available including agricultural equipment surveys. However, there had been a lack of data on agricultural engines’ activity patterns and fuel consumption in real-world operation.

To inform future updates to the emission inventory and to inform policies and incentive programs in California, CARB needs real-world activity data for diesel agricultural equipment. This seminar will discuss CARB’s recent study collecting agricultural engine parameters using data loggers instrumented on equipment in real-world farming operation and engine operation time through operator-maintained records. The seminar will characterize important operation parameters such as operation hours, engine load, idle time fraction, and fuel consumption. The seminar will also compare the collected in-use data with what the existing engine certification test cycles entail, and will illustrate a new test cycle developed based on the collected in-use data.