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The application of stringent requirements on emission reduction and higher fuel economy in diesel engines has led to the need for efficient energy extraction in the cylinders and reductions in exhaust gas temperatures, as well as posing challenges for energy availability for emission control systems. Internal exhaust gas recirculation (I-EGR) can increase the exhaust gas temperature and reduce engine-out gaseous emissions. The secondary opening of exhaust valves in a diesel engine produces an efficient recirculation of exhaust gases from the previous engine cycle to the cylinder mass charge during the intake stroke. However, I-EGR alone can increase exhaust gas temperature only up to a limit determined by the resulting increase in soot emissions. To obtain higher exhaust gas temperatures, I-EGR can be combined with multiple injections after the main injection event, thereby altering the heat release rate and the exothermic reactions in the exhaust stroke.

The need for achieving a fast warm up of the exhaust system has raised in the recent years a growing interest in the adoption of Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) technology for automotive diesel engines. As a matter of fact, different measures can be adopted through VVA to accelerate the warm up of the exhaust system, such as using hot internal Exhaust Gas Recirculation (iEGR) to heat the intake charge, especially at part load, or adopting early Exhaust Valve Opening (eEVO) timing during the expansion stroke, so to increase the exhaust gas temperature during blowdown. In this paper a simulation study is presented evaluating the impact of VVA on the exhaust temperature of a modern light duty 4-cylinder diesel engine, 1.6 liters, equipped with a Variable Geometry Turbine (VGT).