Evaluation of Evaporative Emission and Feasibility of an Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery System for Scooters

Abstract

This paper aims at the development of a novel onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) system for scooters. The corresponding feasibility and evaporative emission are evaluated so that this preliminary study may offer important contributions for developing an effective ORVR system in Taiwan. A survey of research is initially conducted to compare the evaporative emission of the ORVR systems mounted on vehicles with that of the vapor recovery systems of Stage II installed at gas stations. The results show that the ORVR technology possesses better controllability and lower cost. Then, a novel ORVR system for scooters consisting of a self-made fuel tank, a self-made carbon canister, a vapor pipe, a fuel limit vent valve, and a surge protector etc. is developed and tested. The proposed self-made carbon canister possesses the storage capacity of fuel vapor large enough to perform the adsorption tests of diurnal and hot soak for as long as three consecutive days. Finally, the designed ORVR system is installed on a scooter and tested for evaporative emission under the regulation of Taiwan so as to check if it fulfills the requirements. The results are further compared with those with the evaporative emission control system (EVAP). A significant improvement on the leaking problem of fuel vapor is gained by using the proposed ORVR system. Consequently, the study can offer a valuable reference for developing an economical and effective ORVR system in the future.

Keywords

• evaporative emission
• onboard refueling vapor recovery
• scooter