Reduction Technologies for Evaporative Emissions in Zero Level Emission Vehicle 1999-01-0771

We have conducted technical research to achieve levels of evaporative emissions very close to zero. In the conventional fuel tank system, the internal pressure in the fuel tank and vapor lines varies between positive and negative values due to the outside temperature, rendering emission control and performance in the actual vehicle very difficult. We have developed a control system utilizing the negative pressure in the engine intake manifold to maintain a negative pressure (vacuum) in the fuel tank at all times. By always maintaining such a vacuum, the variation in internal pressure that depends on diurnal variation in ambient temperature and the rise in internal pressure that depends on engine load, have been eliminated, enabling emissions from the fuel system to be reduced significantly. This paper gives an outline of the technology mentioned above.