Effects of Engine Operating Conditions on Catalytic Converter Temperature in an SI Engine

Author(s):  
Seokhwan Lee ◽  
Choongsik Bae ◽  
Yongpyo Lee ◽  
Taesik Han
Author(s):  
Nicolo` Cavina

The optimal management of the three-way catalytic converter is today widely recognized as one of the means to further reduce Spark Ignition (SI) engine polluting emissions, and therefore to respect future emission regulations. Its conversion efficiency is strictly dependent on the operating temperature, and most engine control strategies are today either based on mathematical models that determine such temperature as a function of the engine operating conditions, or on its direct measurement. It is therefore useful to investigate the errors that could arise when measuring exhaust gas temperatures, either during model identification tests or on board the vehicle. The paper presents a theoretical and experimental analysis on the phenomena that could lead to relevant measurement errors in such applications. A physical model of the heat transfer phenomena that take place in the exhaust manifold has been developed to estimate both the exhaust gas temperatures and the error that would arise while measuring them with typical sensors such as thermocouples. The exhaust manifold of a 1.2 liter SI engine was equipped with different types of sensors for the model identification and validation phases.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D Palmer ◽  
Mark A Severy ◽  
Charles E Chamberlin ◽  
Anthony J. Eggink ◽  
Arne E Jacobson

Abstract. An All Power Labs PP20 gasifier generation set (Berkeley, Calif.) was tested to evaluate its suitability for powering biomass conversion technologies (BCT) at remote forest operations sites. Feedstock of the species tanoak (), coast redwood (), and Douglas fir () were tested at moisture contents of 15% and 25% (wet basis). The PP20 was connected to a load bank with five different load profiles designed to simulate possible BCT loads. Two parameters of power quality, voltage variability, and frequency deviation, were determined to be within acceptable limits. The unit also successfully powered a remote biochar operation in Branscomb, California. Emissions of the PP20, when compared to diesel generator regulations, would meet non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) and NOX requirements but exceed the CO emissions limits by a factor of ten. The CO emissions could be reduced by adding a catalytic converter. The results indicate that it is possible to use a PP20 unit to provide electric power for the highly variable loads of a BCT system. Keywords: Bioenergy, Biomass conversion technology, Gasification, Renewable energy.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Meng ◽  
Xiaofeng Wang ◽  
Chunnian Zeng ◽  
Jie Luo

The accurate air-fuel ratio (AFR) control is crucial for the exhaust emission reduction based on the three-way catalytic converter in the spark ignition (SI) engine. The difficulties in transient cylinder air mass flow measurement, the existing fuel mass wall-wetting phenomenon, and the unfixed AFR path dynamic variations make the design of the AFR controller a challenging task. In this paper, an adaptive AFR regulation controller is designed using the feedforward and feedback control scheme based on the dynamical modelling of the AFR path. The generalized predictive control method is proposed to solve the problems of inherent nonlinearities, time delays, parameter variations, and uncertainties in the AFR closed loop. The simulation analysis is investigated for the effectiveness of noise suppression, online prediction, and self-correction on the SI engine system. Moreover, the experimental verification shows an acceptable performance of the designed controller and the potential usage of the generalized predictive control in AFR regulation application.


2017 ◽  
Vol 170 (3) ◽  
pp. 66-72
Author(s):  
Jerzy MERKISZ ◽  
Łukasz RYMANIAK

The article discusses the possibility of determining the environmental indicators for vehicles of different categories in relation to CO2 emissions. These are called toxicity indicators because they concern the compounds: CO, THC and NOx. Three Euro V compliant vehicles with different propulsion systems types were used for the study: a 0.9 dm3 urban passenger car with a SI engine and a start-stop system, a 2.5 dm3 off-road vehicle with a CI engine, and a city bus with a hybrid drive system in series configuration and a CI engine with a displacement of 6.7 dm3. Measurements were made in actual operating conditions in the Poznan agglomeration using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS). The paper presents the characteristics of the operating time shares of vehicles and propulsion systems as well as CO2 emissions depending on the engine load and crankshaft rotational speed for individual vehicles. The determined toxicity indicators allowed to indicate their usefulness, to make comparisons between tested vehicles, and to identify directions for further work on the application and interpretation of these indicators.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 1566 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Martinez-Boggio ◽  
S.S. Merola ◽  
P. Teixeira Lacava ◽  
A. Irimescu ◽  
P.L. Curto-Risso

To mitigate the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, energy production processes must change from fossil to renewable resources. Bioenergy utilization from agricultural residues can be a step towards achieving this goal. Syngas (fuel obtained from biomass gasification) has been proved to have the potential of replacing fossil fuels in stationary internal combustion engines (ICEs). The processes associated with switching from traditional fuels to alternatives have always led to intense research efforts in order to have a broad understanding of the behavior of the engine in all operating conditions. In particular, attention needs to be focused on fuels containing relatively high concentrations of hydrogen, due to its faster propagation speed with respect to traditional fossil energy sources. Therefore, a combustion study was performed in a research optical SI engine, for a comparison between a well-established fuel such as methane (the main component of natural gas) and syngas. The main goal of this work is to study the effect of inert gases in the fuel mixture and that of air dilution during lean fuelling. Thus, two pure syngas blends (mixtures of CO and H2) and their respective diluted mixtures (CO and H2 with 50vol% of inert gases, CO2 and N2) were tested in several air-fuel ratios (stoichiometric to lean burn conditions). Initially, the combustion process was studied in detail by traditional thermodynamic analysis and then optical diagnostics were applied thanks to the optical access through the piston crown. Specifically, images were taken in the UV-visible spectrum of the entire cycle to follow the propagation of the flame front. The results show that hydrogen promotes flame propagation and reduces its distortion, as well as resulting in flames evolving closer to the spark plug. All syngas blends show a stable combustion process, even in conditions of high air and fuel dilution. In the leanest case, real syngas mixtures present a decrease in terms of performance due to significant reduction in volumetric efficiency. However, this condition strongly decreases pollutant emissions, with nitrogen oxide (NOx) concentrations almost negligible.


Author(s):  
Tariq Shamim

This paper presents a computational investigation of the effect of exhaust temperature modulations on an automotive catalytic converter. The objective is to develop a better fundamental understanding of the converter’s performance under transient driving conditions. Such an understanding will be beneficial in devising improved emission control methodologies. The study employs a single-channel based, one-dimensional, non-adiabatic model. The transient conditions are imposed by varying the exhaust gas temperature sinusoidally. The results show that temperature modulations cause a significant departure in the catalyst behavior from its steady behavior, and modulations have both favorable and harmful effects on pollutant conversion. The operating conditions and the modulating gas composition and flow rates (space velocity) have substantial influence on catalyst behavior.


Author(s):  
Brian T. Reese ◽  
Yann G. Guezennec ◽  
Miodrag Oljaca

A novel fuel atomization device (Nanomiser™) was evaluated under laboratory conditions with respect to its ability to reduce SI engine cold-start hydrocarbon emissions. First, comparisons between the level of atomization using the conventional, pintle-type fuel injector and the novel atomizer were carried out using flow visualization in a spray chamber and particle size distribution. The novel atomizer is capable of producing sub-micron fuel droplets, which form an ultra-fine mist with outstanding non-wetting characteristics. To capitalize on these atomization characteristics, this device was compared to a conventional fuel injector in a small, two-cylinder, SI engine under a number of operating conditions. Results show a slightly enhanced combustion quality and lean limit under warm operating conditions and a dramatic reduction in unburned HC emission under cold operating conditions, with cold emissions with the Nanomiser™ matching those with a conventional injector under fully warm conditions.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (21) ◽  
pp. 4610 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Di Maio ◽  
Carlo Beatrice ◽  
Valentina Fraioli ◽  
Pierpaolo Napolitano ◽  
Stefano Golini ◽  
...  

The main objective of the present research activity was to investigate the effect of very fast composition transitions of the engine exhaust typical in real-world driving operating conditions, as fuel cutoff phases or engine misfire, on the aftertreatment devices, which are generally very sensitive to these changes. This phenomenon is particularly evident when dealing with engines powered by natural gas, which requires the use of a three-way catalyst (TWC). Indeed, some deviations from the stoichiometric lambda value can interfere with the catalytic converter efficiency. In this work, a numerical “quasi-steady” model was developed to simulate the chemical and transport phenomena of a specific TWC for a compressed natural gas (CNG) heavy-duty engine. A dedicated experimental campaign was performed in order to evaluate the catalyst response to a defined λ variation pattern of the engine exhaust stream, thus providing the data necessary for the numerical model validation. Tests were carried out to reproduce oxygen storage phenomena that make catalyst behavior different from the classic steady-state operating conditions. A surface reaction kinetic mechanism concerning CH4, CO, H2, oxidation and NO reduction has been appropriately calibrated at different λ values with a step-by-step procedure, both in steady-state conditions of the engine work plan and during transient conditions, through cyclical and consecutive transitions of variable frequency between rich and lean phases. The activity also includes a proper calibration of the reactions involving cerium inside the catalyst in order to reproduce oxygen storage and release dynamics. Sensitivity analysis and continuous control of the reaction rate allowed evaluating the impact of each of them on the exhaust composition in several operating conditions. The proposed model predicts tailpipe conversion/formation of the main chemical species, starting from experimental engine-out data, and provides a useful tool to evaluate the catalyst’s performance.


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