In typical cities of East China, more than 900 non-road vehicles were tested for exhaust smoke. Based on the investigation of the properties of these non-road vehicles, exhaust smoke intensities for different kinds of non-road vehicles are recommended. We also quantitatively study the differences in smoke intensity among vehicle age, vehicle power, test conditions, and fuels. The results showed that smoke intensity of non-road vehicles was (1.02±0.57) m-1 and that Ringelmann smoke was 2.10±0.19. In comparison to Chinese national standard (GB 36886), approximately 12%-25% of tested non-road vehicles' smoke intensity exceeded the standard limit. The smoke intensity of 80% of tested non-road vehicles was higher during start-up than under free acceleration. In comparison to ordinary diesel, the smoke intensities of tested non-road vehicles that used automotive diesel were lower. The instantaneous increase in fuel injection during start-up, as well as poor fuel quality, can directly affect the exhaust smoke of non-road vehicles.
Keywords: East China; air pollution; exhaust smoke; non-road vehicle; ringelmann smoke.