Millbrook officially opens its new propulsion systems test and validation facility, which it describes as the most comprehensive independent facility of its kind in the UK
With the implementation of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone in April, as well as the introduction of Clean Air Zones in other cities, improving air quality has never been so high on the government’s agenda.
It is no surprise, therefore, that vehicle manufacturers and OEMs are under intense pressure to deliver vehicles and systems that not only offer optimum performance, but also ones that meet regulatory emission standards.
And with all this comes the all-important stringent vehicle testing that ensures they are meeting such standards.
Paving the way is Bedfordshire-based Millbrook, which provides some of the most advanced propulsion system testing facilities and equipment in the transport industry.
Millbrook has now expanded its propulsion systems testing and development offering, with the unveiling of two 4WD Climatic Emissions Chassis Dynamometer, a Portable Emissions Measuring Systems (PEMS) workshop and a 4WD Powertrain Test System at an official opening last week (19 June).
Doing more
According to Millbrook Sales Director Andy Keay, it is the push towards improved air quality that is the main driver of the investment and development of the new systems.
He says: “The equipment and tests we were doing before are no longer enough – we need to do more, and we need to expand on it.
“We need to be able to measure these pollutants in the real world and that’s really a lot of the drive around this new facility.
“It’s about providing the next generation of facilities to help manufacturers develop the next generation of vehicles, so that we can drive towards a lower-emission, lower-polluting future.”
Next-gen systems
Andy describes the new chassis dyno as an “exciting element that is one part of the jigsaw Millbrook has in terms of providing next generation propulsion systems”.
A vehicle is placed onto a four-wheel-drive rolling rope and is driven on either a predefined cycle according to legislation or a cycle that’s been developed by the OEM.
The pollutants coming off the tailpipe is measured, including all of the regulated gases – the particulate mass that comes off – but also the unregulated gases too.
“The purpose of the chassis dyno is to test the full vehicle and we test it for certification purposes, development purposes, benchmarking and research,” says Andy.
“In order to do that, we’ve got a wide range of temperatures that we can test vehicles at.”
At the moment, the 4WD Chassis Dynos are for testing light vehicles only. However, Millbrook is investing in a new VTEC facility to provide emissions testing for heavy duty vehicles across conventional, hybrid, electric, hydrogen and alternative powertrains.
“We already have a testing facility designed for coaches and buses, which is quite a unique facility within the UK, but it’s one that will benefit from further investment,” says Andy.
“So, with support from SEMLEP, next year we will be launching the next generation of chassis dyno emission system that will be applicable for coaches and buses.”
Real-world driving
A big part of the system is that is it used to simulate road driving conditions in a temperature-controlled environment for powertrain development and type approval testing.
Says Andy: “A huge amount of the work we’re focusing on here is real-world driving emissions legislation.
“It’s all very well being clean when a vehicle is on a cycle, but what happens when you’re running something outside of a cycle? Is it as clean in the real world as it shows on a test? This system is able to test that.
“We have the ability to not only simulate the vehicle driving on flat ground but also on hills and with full range of emissions measurements.”
Peace of mind
Millbrook also offers PEMS testing for real driving scenarios, suitable for coaches and buses. The equipment is correlated to the new chassis dynos, “so you have confidence that when it is measured on the road, it actually correlates back to what was measured on the chassis dyno.”
“PEMS looks at the gaseous emissions and the particulate matter coming from the tailpipe,” continues Andy.
“The unit is placed in the rear of the vehicle. It then extracts the gas out of the exhaust and analyses it. That allows you to drive a vehicle in the real world and it’s starting to measure the actual pollutants being generated at the tailpipe.”
A range of options
With the addition of the 4WD Powertrain Test System, Millbrook offers another level of repeatability when testing a full vehicle. Both the test cycle time and variables are reduced when compared to on-track or chassis dynamometer testing.
“All this means that Millbrook has got a great range of options for testing the real-world emissions of vehicles,” says Andy.
“These high-level systems allow OEMs to develop more rapidly as well as develop cleaner vehicles. Those two trends are key in the transport industry – how can I develop more efficiently and how can I develop more rapidly?”.
