Next Generation (Smaller, Lower Cost, Lower Energy Consumption) PEMS

The in-use emissions testing industry, academic research and the emission abatement technology development sector have all been pushing for smaller, lighter, lower cost and, ever more importantly, lower energy consumption portable emissions measurement systems (PEMS). While there is an obvious and understandable natural tension here for the more established PEMS technology manufacturers, it is worth both acknowledging this and considering the routes and barriers for such a next generation system. As part of this process we need to consider a number of questions, e.g. Do we really need a smaller PEMS? What emissions do we need it to measure? What are the design bottlenecks for reducing the footprints of the different PEMS components? What are the hidden challenges for anyone delivering a next generation PEMS? And, with the recent VW emissions scandal in mind, how can we make best use of small/light/low cost PEMS as part of our on-going research, assessment and regulatory activities? Using examples from recent work and the literature, the intention here is to consider one of these questions in some detail: namely, the instrumental design bottlenecks and associated analytical challenges of downsizing gaseous, particulate and flow measurement systems?