Model-based control system design in a urea-SCR aftertreatment system based on NH3 sensor feedback

This paper presents preliminary control system simulation results in a urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) aftertreatment system based on NH₃ sensor feedback. A four-state control-oriented lumped parameter model is used to analyze the controllability and observability properties of the urea-SCR plant. A model-based estimator is designed via simulation and a control system is developed with design based on a sliding mode control framework. The control system based on NH₃ sensor feedback is analyzed via simulation by comparing it to a control system developed based on NO_x sensor feedback. Simulation results show that the NH₃ sensor-based strategy performs very similarly in comparison to a NO_x sensor-based strategy. The control system performance metrics for NO_x index, urea index, urea usage, and NH₃ slip suggest that the NO_x sensor can be a potential alternative to a NO_x sensor for urea-SCR control applications.     

NOx emission characteristics in rich–lean combustion of hydrogen

Characteristics of NO_x formation in a gas turbine fuelled with hydrogen were analyzed with both an experimental and a numerical approach. This research experimentally investigated NO_x reduction effect of rich–lean combustion in a coaxial burner. Hydrogen emits no Prompt NO even in rich mixture conditions, and can be more effective to reduce NO_x in the rich–lean combustion system than hydrocarbons. The results show that the rich–lean combustion of hydrogen successfully reduces NO_x emission compared with diffusive combustion. In the rich–lean combustion, hydrogen combustion has lower NO_x emission compared to methane combustion, especially with larger equivalence ratio of richer side mixture. Calculations of NO_x formation in the rich–lean combustion were also done employing the extended Zel’dovich NO formation mechanism.     

Real-time empirical NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> model based on In-cylinder pressure measurements for light-duty diesel engines

This paper proposes a real-time empirical model of NO_x emissions for diesel engines. The proposed model predicts the level of NO_x emissions using an empirical model developed based on the thermal NO formation mechanism, the extended Zeldovich mechanism. Since it is difficult to consider the exact physical NO formation phenomena in real-time applications, the proposed algorithm adapts the key factors of the NO formation mechanism from the extended Zeldovich mechanism: temperature of the burned gas, concentration of the gas species, and combustion duration where NO is generated. These factors are considered in a prediction model as four parameters: exhaust gas recirculation rate (EGR rate), crank angle location of 50 % of mass fraction burned (MFB50), exhaust lambda value, and combustion acceleration. The proposed prediction model is validated with various steady engine experiments that showed a high linear correlation with the NO_x emission measured by a NO_x sensor. Furthermore, it is also validated for transient experiments.     

Sliding-mode observer for urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) mid-catalyst ammonia concentration estimation

This paper presents an observer design for SCR mid-catalyst ammonia concentration estimation using tailpipe NO_x and ammonia sensors. Urea-SCR has been popularly used by Diesel engine powered vehicles to reduce NO_x emissions in recent years. It utilizes ammonia, converted from urea injected at upstream of the catalyst, as the reductant to catalytically convert NO_x emissions to nitrogen. To simultaneously achieve high SCR NO_x conversion efficiency and low tailpipe ammonia slip, it is desirable to control the ammonia storage distribution along the SCR catalyst. Such a control method, however, requires a mid-catalyst ammonia sensor. The observer developed in this paper can replace such a mid-catalyst ammonia sensor and be used for SCR catalyst ammonia distribution control as well as serves for fault diagnosis purpose of the mid-catalyst ammonia sensor. The stability of the observer was shown based on the sliding mode approach and analyzed by simulations. Experimental validation of the observer was also conducted based on a medium-duty Diesel engine two-catalyst SCR system setup with emission sensors.     

NOx reduction characteristics of Pt-ZSM-5 catalyst with diesel engine exhaust

The platinum ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst (Pt-5), which reduces nitrogen oxides (NO_x) in the presence of oxygen and hydrocarbons, was applied to actual diesel engine exhaust. Compared to the Cooper ion-exchanged ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst, the Pt-Z had higher NO_x reduction efficiency, η_NOx = 33%, and lower activation temperature, 250°C, in normal engine operation. It was found that water in the exhaust gas did not apparently affect the NO_x reduction, while the reduction efficiency was significantly affected by the aspect ratio of the catalyst reactor and by the shape of the catalyst, i.e. pellet or honeycomb.     

Effect of UWS injection at low exhaust gas temperature on NO<Subscript>x</Subscript> removal efficiency of diesel engine

Urea-SCR systems have been widely used in diesel vehicles according to the strengthened NO_x (Nitrogen Oxides) emission standard. The NO_x removal efficiencies of the latest well optimized urea-SCR system are above 90 % at moderate exhaust gas temperature of 250 ~ 450 °C. However, a large amount of NO_x is emitted from diesel vehicles at cold start or urban driving conditions, when the exhaust gas temperature is not high enough for SCR catalyst activation. Although many researchs have been stuied to improve NO_x conversion efficiency at these low temperature conditions, it is still one of important technical issues. In this study, the effect of UWS injection at low exhaust gas temperature conditions is studied. This study uses a 3.4 L diesel engine equipped with a commertial urea SCR system. As a result, it is found that about 5 % of NO_x removal efficiency is improved in the NRTC test when UWS injection starts at the SCR inlet temperature of 150 °C compared to 200 °C. It is also found that urea deposits can be formed on the wall of exhaust pipe, when the local wall temperature is lower than temperature of urea decomposition.     

Numerical analysis of the effect of inhomogeneous pre-mixture on the pressure rise rate in an HCCI engine using multi-zone chemical kinetics

The HCCI (Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition) engine is an internal combustion engine under development, which is capable of providing both high diesel-like efficiency and very low NO_x and particulate emissions. However, several technical issues must be resolved before the HCCI engine is ready for widespread application. One issue is that its operating range is limited by an excessive pressure rise rate which is caused by the excessive heat release from its selfaccelerated combustion reaction and the resulting engine knock in high-load conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of thermal and fuel stratification for reducing the pressure rise rate in HCCI engines. The NO_x and CO concentrations in the exhaust gas were also evaluated to confirm combustion completeness and NO_x emissions. The computational work was conducted using a multi-zone code with detailed chemical kinetics, including the effects of thermal and fuel stratification on the onset of ignition and the rate of combustion. The engine was fueled with dimethyl ether (DME) which has a unique two-stage heat release, and methane which has a one-stage heat release.     

Evaluation and visualization of stratified ultra-lean combustion characteristics in a spray-guided type gasoline direct-injection engine

To comply with reinforced emission regulations for harmful exhaust gases, including carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted as a greenhouse gas, improved technologies for reducing CO₂ and fuel consumption are being developed. Stable lean combustion, which has the advantage of improved fuel economy and reduced emission levels, can be achieved using a sprayguided-type direct-injection (DI) combustion system. The system comprises a centrally mounted injector and closely positioned spark plugs, which ensure the combustion reliability of a stratified mixture under ultra-lean conditions. The aim of this study is to investigate the combustion and emission characteristics of a lean-burn gasoline DI engine. At an excess air ratio of 4.0, approximately 23% improvement in fuel economy was achieved through optimal event timing, which was delayed for injection and advanced for ignition, compared to that under stoichiometric conditions, while NO_x and HC emissions increased. The combustion characteristics of a stratified mixture in a spray-guided-type DI system were similar to those in DI diesel engines, resulting in smoke generation and difficulty in three-way catalystutilization. Although a different operating strategy might decrease fuel consumption, it will not be helpful in reducing NO_x and smoke emissions; therefore, alternatives should be pursued to achieve compliance with emission regulations.     

Combustion characteristics of LPG and biodiesel mixed fuel in two blending ratios under compression ignition in a constant volume chamber

This study aims to investigate the combustion characteristics of mixed fuel of liquefied propane gas (LPG) and biodiesel under compression ignition (CI) in an effort to develop highly efficient and environmentally friendly mixed fuelbased CI engines. Although LPG fuel is known to be eco-friendly due to its low CO₂ emission, LPG has not yet been widely applied for highly efficient CI engines because of its low cetane number and is usually mixed with other types of CI-friendly fuels. In this study, a number of experiments were prepared with a constant volume chamber (CVC) setup to understand the fundamental combustion characteristics of mixed fuel with LPG and biodiesel in two weight-based ratios and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) conditions. The results from the current investigations verify the applicability of mixed fuel of LPG and biodiesel in CI engines with a carefully designed combustion control strategy that maximizes the benefits of the mixed fuel. Based on the results of this study, ignition is improved by increasing the cetane value by using higher blending ratios of biodiesel. As the blending ratios of biodiesel increased, CO and HC decreased and CO₂ and NO_x increases.     

Urea-SCR system optimization with various combinations of mixer types and decomposition pipe lengths

The demand for NO_x after-treatment system has increased dramatically due to the stricter NO_x emission regulations for diesel vehicles. The urea-SCR system is one of the NO_x after-treatment methods found to be quite effective to meet the regulation requirement enforced by various authorities including the Euro-6. In order to develop an effective urea-SCR system, it is critical to establish an even distribution of reductant over the catalyst surface since this favorable distribution can increase reduction reaction and in turn, improve NO_x conversion efficiencies. In the current study, a number of design variations of the urea-SCR system which included two mixer types and three decomposition pipe lengths, were evaluated systematically using CFD analysis and experimental measurements. The purpose of the CFD analysis was to estimate the distribution of reductant within the urea-SCR system with a specific configuration and the purpose of the engine emission test was to measure the amount of NO_x reduction, respectively. The results from the systematic analysis revealed the relation between the reductant distribution over the SCR and the performance of the NO_x reduction.     

Effect of direct in-cylinder CO2 injection on HCCI combustion and emission characteristics

Fuel injection during negative valve overlap period was used to realize diesel homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion. In order to control the combustion, CO₂ in-cylinder injection was used to simulate external EGR. Effects of CO₂ injection parameters (injection timing, quantity, pressure) on HCCI combustion and emission characteristics were investigated. Experimental results revealed that CO₂ in-cylinder injection can control the start of combustion and effectively reduce NO_x emission. Either advancing CO₂ injection timing or increasing CO₂ injection quantity can reduce peak cylinder pressure and mean gas temperature, delay the starts of low temperature reaction (LTR) and high temperature reaction (HTR), and lower pressure rise rate; NO_x emission was reduced, while smoke, HC, and CO emissions increased. Since the combustion phase was improved, the indicated thermal efficiency was also improved. Injection pressure determines the amount of disturbance introduced into the cylinder. Generally, with the same injection quantity, higher injection pressure results in higher momentum flux and total momentum. Larger momentum flux and momentum has a stronger disturbance to air-fuel mixture, resulting in a more homogeneous mixture; therefore, larger injection pressure leads to lower NO_x and smoke emissions.     

Effect of operating parameters on diesel/propane dual fuel premixed compression ignition in a diesel engine

In this research, the effects of three operating parameters (Diesel injection timing, propane ratio, and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates) in a diesel-propane dual fuel combustion were investigated. The characteristics of dual-fuel combustion were analyzed by engine parameters, such as emission levels (Nitrogen oxides (NO_x) and particulate matter (PM)), gross indicated thermal efficiency (GIE) and gross IMEP Coefficient of Variance (CoV). Based on the results, improving operating strategies of the four main operating points were conducted for dual-fuel PCCI combustion with restrictions on the emissions and the maximum pressure rise rate. The NOx emission was restricted to below 0.21 g/kWh in terms of the indicated specific NO_x (ISNO_x), PM was restricted to under 0.2 FSN, and the maximum pressure rise rate (MPRR) was restricted to 10 bar/deg. Dual-fuel PCI combustion can be available with low NO_x, PM emission and the maximum pressure rise rate in relatively low load condition. However, exceeding of PM and MPRR regulation was occurred in high load condition, therefore, design of optimal piston shape for early diesel injection and modification of hardware optimizing for dual-fuel combustion should be taken into consideration.     

Simplified emission test for the inspection of emission control system installed on vehicles

The objective of this study is to develop a simplified emission test for the inspection of in-use vehicles. For this purpose, a simplified chassis dynamometer (S-CHDY) was developed first. S-CHDY consists of a speed meter tester and a direct current motor system which can load electrical inertia force to the test vehicle. To examine the effectiveness of the emission test, the emission control systems of four vehicles were tampered with, and they were driven on S-CHDY with M4 mode pattern. CO, HC and NO_x concentrations in tail pipe gas were continuously measured and those mean values were evaluated. As a result, it was shown that the mean values rise according to the abnormality in the emission control system. Moreover, to directly measure the mass emissions from the test vehicles, a new type CVS method was developed.     

Majorization of working parameters for non-thermal plasma reactor and impact on no oxidation of diesel engine

The main target of this work is to realize the function of pre-oxidizing NO from diesel engine’s exhaust by using self-designed double-dielectric Non-thermal Plasma (NTP) reactor. The majorized discharge frequency and discharge peak to peak voltage (V_p-p) range for NTP reactor were obtained through air discharge test. The diesel engine test bench was established to observe the effect of NTP on the volume fraction of NO. The results showed that there were more active substances and fewer by-products in NTP reactor when discharge frequency was 9 kHz and V_p-p was between 9 kV and 23 kV; Exhaust flows had insignificant effect on the performance of NTP pre-oxidizing NO; The ability of NTP to pre-oxidize NO gradually weakened with the increase of engine load, and when the engine load were 0 % and 25 %, the ratio of NO/NO₂ could reach 1. In such working conditions, SCR system could improve the conversion rate of the NO_x at low-temperature zone through quick reaction combined with NTP.     

Heat exchanger/catalytic system for reducing the exhaust emissions from diesel engines

A system has been researched over the past 3 years for reducing the exhaust pollutants from diesel engines for light commercial vehicles. The system researched achieves Euro 6 standards for reduction of polluting gases (CO, HC, PM, NO). It consists of 4 main sections: 1. A heater and heat exchanger (HE); 2. A CO/HC oxidising catalyst (D°C); 3. Pt catalyst on a diesel particulate filter (DPF); 4. A NO reducing reaction (SCR) within the DPF. The system operates as follows. The exhaust gas contains oxidising gases, namely both O₂ and NO₂. The levels of CO and HC are oxidised by O₂ to CO₂ for temperatures above 200°C. Carbon (PM) is oxidised to CO₂ by NO₂ but requires a temperature above 250°C. The operating exhaust temperature of 300°C is ideal for the removal of NO by using the Pt catalyst and the CO generated within the DPF. The heater is required to be able to raise the exhaust temperature at any time to 300°C in order to optimise the performance of the system, since diesel engine exhaust temperatures vary between 160°C (slow speeds) to 350°C (high speeds). Considerable heat is required (??3 kW) to maintain the exhaust gas for a 2l engine at 300°C for engine idle conditions. Therefore a heat exchanger is required to re-circulate the input heat and thereby reduce the maximum power consumption to a maximum of 500W over the engine full operating test cycle. This energy is supplied by the engine battery and alternator. Experimental results have been obtained for the exhaust from a Kubota diesel engine and the reductions in exhaust emissions of 83% (CO/ HC), 58% (NOx) and 99% (PM) were obtained. The PM was continuously cleaned so that there was no build up of back pressure.     

Exhaust emissions and its control methods in compression ignition engines: A review

Extensive usage of automobiles has certain disadvantages and one of them is its negative effect on environment. Carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NO_x), sulphur dioxide (SO₂) and particulate matter (PM) come out as harmful products during incomplete combustion from internal combustion (IC) engines. As these substances affect human health, regulatory bodies impose increasingly stringent restrictions on the level of emissions coming out from IC engines. This trend suggests the urgent need for the investigation of all aspects relevant to emissions. It is required to modify existing engine technologies and to develop a better after-treatment system to achieve the upcoming emission norms. Diesel engines are generally preferred over gasoline engines due to their undisputed benefit of fuel economy and higher torque output. However, diesel engines produce higher emissions, particularly NO_x and PM. Aftertreatment systems are costly and occupy more space, hence, in-cylinder solutions are preferred in reducing emissions. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) technology has been utilized previously to reduce NO_x. Though it is quite successful for small engines, problem persists with large bore engines and with high rate of EGR. EGR helps in reducing NO_x, but increases particulate emissions and fuel consumption. Many in-cylinder solutions such as lower compression ratios, modified injection characteristics, improved air intake system etc. are required along with EGR to accomplish the future emission norms. Modern combustion techniques such as low temperature combustion (LTC), homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI), premixed charge compression ignition (PCCI) etc. would be helpful for reducing the exhaust emissions and improving the engine performance. However, controlling of autoignition timing and achieving wider operating range are the major challenges with these techniques. A comprehensive review of diesel engine performance and emission characteristics is given in this paper.     

Development of new 4-valve/cylinder small DI diesel engine

Nitrous oxide (NO_x) and the particulate matter contained in the exhaust given off by diesel powered vehicles have been identified as elements responsible for polluting the atmosphere. As such, these emissions have been the targets of increasingly strict emission control regulations. Plans are underway to introduce regulations that are even stricter some time early in the next century. The advanced thermal efficiency offered by diesel engines is a feature clearly desired for its potential contribution toward energy conservation and the reduction of global warming. Research and development on the highly thermal-efficient direct-injection diesel engine are progressing at a rapid pace in Europe where introduction of a carbon dioxide tax is under consideration.     

Study of the effects on exhaust emissions in direct injection diesel engines: Effects of fuel injection system,distillation properties and cetane number

The effect of injection nozzle, diesel fuel density (volatility) and cetane number on diesel exhaust emissions were investigated. Decreasing injection nozzle hole diameter decreases PM emission. However, a small nozzle hole increases NO_x emission and decreases the effect of fuel on PM emission. Decreasing fuel density is effective for reduction of NO_x emission. But the effect is smaller than that of nozzle hole diameter and injection pressure. Furthermore injection timing retardation decreases the effect of fuel density on NO_x emission.     

Improvement of performance and exhaust emission characteristics in gas engine by heat release control

By either multiple direct injections coupled with an individual ignition or multiple ignitions in a premixed charge, the combustion process can positively be changed. The experimental results show that the heat release rate is changed widely depending on the flame ignition timing, and the possibility to bring about a preferable combustion could be shown. Numerical simulations of the cycle performance are carried out using a specially developed numerical simulator, involving the multi-zone combustion models. The results of the calculation using the multi-zone model show that a significant amount of NO_x appears in the zone formed in the early combustion stage.     

Study of diesel spray combustion and ignition using high-pressure fuel injection and a micro-hole nozzle with a rapid compression machine: improvement of combustion using low cetane number fuel

This study aimed to reduce NO_x and soot by creating a more homogeneous lean fuel distribution in a diesel spray using high-pressure fuel injection and a micro-hole nozzle. This injection system shortened the ignition delay, but a homogeneous lean fuel distribution in the diesel spray was not achieved. Using a lower cetane number fuel, the resulting longer ignition delay made a uniform, lean fuel distribution in the diesel spray possible with this injection system. Ignition and combustion were analyzed by the combustion chamber pressure history, and flame temperatures and KL values were analyzed by the two-color method.