Progress

Week 1

  1. Download and Learn how to use MOVES (motor vehicle emission simulator) to find the vehicle emissions data in Lexington, VA.
  2. Test the MOVES, and understand the result of the data including all numbers and units.
  3. Can be able to transfer data from MOVES to excel.
  4. Find information and source  about the weather in each day in Lexington including temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction.
  5. Read over the instructions, how to use Horiba 300 which is a gas analyzer.
  6. Calibrate the Horiba 300.
  7. Test the Horiba 300, and gather some data from it.
  8. Transfer the data from Horiba 300 to excel, and then learn and understand all the numbers.

Week 2

  1. Understanding about units from Horiba PG300 data, which include ppm (part per million) and %Volume
  2. Study how to convert unit of ppm to another concentration unit.
  3. Using Google Earth to see the map of the location where I am going to set up all the equipment. Looking for the width of land road, closet distance to intersection, etc.
  4. Drawing the Map by using the AutoCAD program in CE Lab.
  5. Set up the Horiba 300 into 5 minutes interval, so it is easy to read the data.
  6. Do the research about how the weather affects the emissions.
  7. Do the research about capacity of two-lane road in rural, and two-lane road in highway.
  8. Contact some staff for equipment that needed for PEEK TOP (traffic recorder)
  9. Study about PEEK, watch some video how to set it up on the road.

Week 3

  • Set up two black tubes on the main street is done, and looking for the stability of the tubes.
  • Try to test the MOVES in different regions. The data from MOVES in Richmond 2016 is different from the data in Lexington 2016. It shows that MOVES can provide data in each area, but it has to be in the nation scale.
  • Using the wheel for measure distances around the location, measure the width of lane, closest distance to intersection, cross walk. Then, draw a new picture by using AutoCAD program, and put dimensions on the drawing.
  • Write Rough draft introduction for the research.
  • I still have a hard time to compare the data from MOVES and the data from Horiba PG300, so I am studying about comparing the units in gram and ppm.
  • I found the formula to calculate the emissions gas in gram to ppm, but the gas must be in the atmosphere. However, after I used the data from MOVES and tried to calculate it from gram to ppm, I got such a very small number. This needs to be improved
  • Set up the excel format including Horiba PG300 data, PEEK data, weather data, and MOVES data
  • Cut a long tube into 2 equal tubes for the experiment.

Week4

  • I found the formula to calculate the emissions gas in gram to ppm, but the gas must be in the atmosphere. However, after I used the data from MOVES and tried to calculate it from gram to ppm, I got such a very small number.
  • Set up the excel format including Horiba PG300 data, PEEK data, and weather data.
  • Cut a long tube into 2 equal tube
  • Both PEEK and Horiba were set up at the specific location
  • The data was recorded
  • The PEEK program was installed on my laptop
  • Working on rough draft for method, still need to know data for calculating and analyzing.
  • Got the data for the safest concentration of emissions gases.
  • Had a chance to talk to Chem professor about the units of ppm and grams of emissions gases.

Week5

  • Spent most of the time working on Methodology.
  • Setting up the equipment was pretty smooth, but the problem is the calibrating Horiba. So, some ideas from the beginning must be changed a bit. However, study about the relationship between emissions, traffic, and weather are still on.
  • Spent most of the time working on organizing the data for plotting graph.

Week6

  • Kept Collecting the data from Horiba and Traffic recorder(PEEK), and transferred to excel for analysis.
  • Spent most of the time this week working on organizing the data for plotting graph.
  • Had some problem about the data from PEEK after transferred to excel. The data is very difficult to plot graphs because PEEK records 4 lanes (4 raws) in each time interval, and the Horiba records only 1 row data. So, the data from PEEK must be reduced in one row.
  • Looked over the PEEK program again for fixing the data on excel. Finally, the data could be transferred to excel into one row for each time interval.
  • After had all data, tried to plot graphs to see the relationship between traffic data and emissions data. At this point, made 3 types of graph. First, made a graph all volume of each speed VS. time. Second, moving average of emission concentration VS time. Third, class of vehicles VS. time. So, from these three types of graph I might be able to see some relationship.

Week7

  • Collected the final data from both PEEK and Traffic recorder and transferred to excel.
  • Organized excel by making all the same time interval from each data (same time and date are in the same row) become a same row. Then, plotted graph the average movement of each emission gas and all speed range. The emissions include NOx, So2, CO, CO2. The movement of emissions are on the Y-axis and speeds are on the X-axis. So, the graphs will tell the relationship between the Movement of emission and speed of vehicles.
  • Plotted graph, but still need time for analysis.

Change the way to make graph for analysis

  • Went to collect visually events such as brakes, acceleration, waiting at traffic light.
  • From the data, to analyze the data, made new two column for each emission gas, 1st for the change of concentration and 2nd for the moving average of the change of concentration.
  • Made graphs, all volume vs. time, moving average of each emission gas vs. time, and class vs. time.
  • For class, combine class 1, 2, and 3 together. And class 4-15 combined it together before made graphs.
  • Trying to see the relationship of these data, but still working on it, and I think there should be some other effects such as weather data that will be added to analysis.
  • Got weather data at VMI from Col. Vargas, physics department.
  • Working on adding weather data into the excel.

Week8

  • After collected final data, then organized all the data neat.
  • After finished organizing the data, spent most of the time to find the results, analysis, by plotting graphs and using statistical analysis program (SPSS)
  • Starting writing paper

Week9

  • Finished introduction and methodology, also having some literature review to support the analysis.
  • Finished data analysis

Week10

  • Reviewed and checked the paper.
  • Organized all parts neatly
  • Finished up the final research paper.