Why Millbrook is Superseding its Variable Temperature Emissions Chamber – An Interview With Anthony Sale

In 1996, we opened our Variable Temperature Emissions Chamber (VTEC) at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire. After 24 years of serving the industry, the iconic facility is being superseded. Our new 4WD heavy-duty VTEC is nearing completion, and has many key benefits to increase both test efficiency and capability. I spoke to Anthony Sale, Senior Manager – Propulsion Vehicle Test at Millbrook, about what these benefits are.

What does the existing VTEC do?

Our VTEC is a climatic chassis dyno vehicle emissions testing facility. It is used to conduct highly repeatable emissions, fuel economy and energy consumption testing. This enables the development and approval of vehicles, fuels/lubricants and components to a wide variety of industry standards. Over the past 24 years, we have conducted more than 19,500 emissions tests in the facility, so it has certainly served the industry very well!

Why are we building a new VTEC?

Our current VTEC has been used to test a wide range of vehicles, including motorcycles and passenger cars. However, heavy-duty vehicles occupy about 95% of these projects. Therefore, we wanted to commission something bigger and better to enhance our offering for customers in this industry.

Commercial vehicle manufacturers will benefit from a maximum axle load of 20,000kg – more than double that of our current facility. The VTEC can simulate vehicle masses of up to 60,000kg and accommodate multi-drive axle vehicles with a wheelbase of up to 8m.

From a fuels perspective, our current VTEC was built to service a diesel and gasoline need. We have future-proofed the new chamber by ensuring it can meet the requirements to test hydrogen and CNG.

What element of the new facility are you most excited about?

I think a big part of what makes this facility feel so exciting is that we have been very closely involved with the project through the design and build process. We have used 24 years of knowledge and experience to develop a specified design in-house which is exciting for everyone involved.

What are some of the key features of the new VTEC?

Practically every element of the new facility will be an improvement on our old one. However, one feature that stands out is the two axle, 4WD 72” roller system. Not only will this ensure correct alignment on the dynamometer, but it will give us the ability to twin test rear axles. This will be significant for hybrid and electric powertrains, particularly on large commercial vehicles.

Our current VTEC is limited to 3 phase tests with a maximum total cycle time of 3,200 seconds. Our new VTEC will include an emissions system, on a carousel mechanism, which will give us the freedom to design and run tests with multiple phases and with no limit on cycle duration.

The new system has the added benefit of being able to run multiple repeat tests consecutively. This removes the need for warm-up cycles between tests, so is expected to yield improvements in repeatability.

To find out more about Millbrook’s new VTEC, contact the team via [email protected] or visit https://www.millbrook.co.uk/services/propulsion-systems-testing/vehicle-emissions-testing/vtec-4wd-variable-temperature-emissions-chamber/