David McKain

Consultant to Transport Energy Strategies

David McKain holds an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University. He currently directs and executes EPA certification testing of locomotives for Norfolk Southern and the American Association of Railroads. His professional responsibilities include assuring that data collection equipment, test conditions and procedures, data post-processing and reporting comply with EPA test regulations. He has extensive experience interpreting, handling, manipulating and analyzing large datasets and extracting information from publicly available datasets and reports. During his twenty five year professional career he has directed and/or participated in numerous projects related to emissions and performance heavy-duty engines, vehicles, fuels and aftertreatment systems and has authored or co-authored numerous research articles. He has broad experience with fuel chemistry having conducted engine emissions and performance testing with both liquid and gaseous fuels including novel work with fuel blending and engine knock as well as comparative testing for federal and state regulatory certification. Mr. McKain currently works with the West Virginia University Research Corporation as a supervisory engineer.

Selected Publications & Studies:

  • Clark, N.N., McKain, D.L., Klein, T., and Higgins, T., “Quantification of Gasoline-Ethanol Blend Emissions Effects,” J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2020.
  • Clark, N., Klein, T., Higgins, T., and McKain, D., “Emissions from Low- and Mid-Level Blends of Anhydrous Ethanol in Gasoline,” SAE Technical Paper 2019-01-0997, 2019.
  • Clark, N.N., McKain, D.L., Johnson, D.R., Wayne, W.S., Li, H., Akkerman, V, Sandoval, C., Covington, A.N., Mongold, R.A., Hailer, J.T., and Ugarte, O.J., “Pump-to-Wheels Methane Emissions from the Heavy-Duty Transportation Sector,” Environmental Science & Technology 2017 51 (2), 968-976.
  • Clark, N.N., McKain, D.L., Johnson, D.R., Wayne, W.S., Rudek, J., Mongold, R.A., Sandoval, C., Covington, A.N., and Hailer, J.T., “Future methane emissions from the heavy-duty natural gas transportation sector for stasis, high, medium, and low scenarios in 2035,” Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association, 67:12, 1328-1341, 2017.
  • Durbin, T.D., Johnson, K.C., Karavalakis, G, Miller, J.W., Jiang, Y., Carlock, M., Ventura, L.M.B., Clark, N.N., and McKain, D., California Air Resources Board: Final Report – Heavy-duty On-Road Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program, Contract No. 15RD022, January 2019.
  • Johnson, D.R., Bedick, C.R., Clark, N.N., and McKain, D.L., “Design and Testing of an Independently Controlled Urea SCR Retrofit System for the Reduction of NOx Emissions from Marine Diesels,” Environmental Science & Technology 2009 43 (10), 3959-3963.
  • Clark, N., Khan, A., Wayne, W., Gautam, M. et al., “Weight Effect on Emissions and Fuel Consumption from Diesel and Lean-Burn Natural Gas Transit Buses,” SAE Technical Paper 2007-01-3626, 2007.
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