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Diesel exhaust aftertreatment systems are required for meeting both EPA 2010 and final Tier 4 emission regulations. This paper addresses aftertreatment system performance of a fuel reformer, lean NOx trap (LNT) and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system designed to meet the EPA 2010 emission standards for an on-highway heavy-duty vehicle. The aftertreatment system consists of a fuel dosing system, mixing elements, fuel reformer, LNT, diesel particulate filter (DPF), and SCR for meeting NOx and particulate emissions. System performance was characterized in an engine dynamometer test cell, using a development, 13L, heavy-duty engine. The catalyst performance was evaluated using degreened catalysts. Test results show that system performance met the EPA 2010 emission standards under a range of test conditions that were reflective of actual vehicle operation.

Recent studies have shown that hydraulic hybrid drivelines can significantly improve fuel savings for medium weight vehicles on stop-start drive cycles. In a series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) architecture, the conventional mechanical driveline is replaced with a hydraulic driveline that decouples vehicle speed from engine speed. In an effort to increase the design space, this paper explores the use of a fixed displacement checkball piston pump in an SHH driveline. This paper identifies the potential life-limiting components of a fixed displacement checkball piston pump and examines the likelihood of surface fatigue in the check valves themselves. Numerical analysis in ABAQUS software suggests that under worst case operating conditions, cyclic pressure loading will result in low-cycle plastic deformation of check valve surfaces.

This paper discusses the effect of torque vectoring differential on improving vehicle handling and stability performance. The torque vectoring concept has been analyzed. The vehicle discussed in this paper is an AWD vehicle with torque vectoring differential in the rear and a torque biasing center differential. First, simulation results with vehicle model in CarSim® and torque vectoring control algorithm in Matlab®/Simulink® is discussed. Then, experimental results for vehicle tested at winter and summer test facility is presented. Both simulation and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of torque vectoring differential on vehicle handling & stability.

On-board measurements of fuel consumption and vehicle exhaust emissions of NOx, HC, CO, CO2, and PM are being conducted for three types of commercially available city buses in Guangzhou, China. The selected vehicles for this test include a diesel bus with Eaton hybrid electric powertrain, a conventional diesel bus with automated mechanical transmission (AMT), and a LPG powered city bus with manual transmission (MT). All of the tested vehicles were instrumented with on-board measurements. Horiba OBS-2200 was used for measuring NOx, HC, and CO emissions; ELPI (Electrical Low Pressure Impactor) was used for PM measurement. The vehicles were tested at Hainan National Proving Ground in southern China. Test data of fuel consumption and exhaust emissions were analyzed. The city bus with Eaton hybrid electric powertrain demonstrated more than 27% fuel consumption reduction over the conventional diesel powered bus, and over 68% over the LPG bus.

An advanced exhaust aftertreatment system is characterized following end-of-life catalyst aging to meet final Tier 4 off-highway emission requirements. This system consists of a fuel dosing system, mixing elements, fuel reformer, lean NOx trap (LNT), diesel particulate filter (DPF), and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst. The fuel reformer is used to generate hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) from injected diesel fuel. These reductants are used to regenerate and desulfate the LNT catalyst. NOx emissions are reduced using the combination of the LNT and SCR catalysts. During LNT regeneration, ammonia (NH3) is intentionally released from the LNT and stored on the downstream SCR catalyst to further reduce NOx that passed through the LNT catalyst. This paper addresses system durability as the catalysts were aged to 500 desulfation events using an off-highway diesel engine.

This paper addresses Hardware-In-the-Loop modeling and simulation for Diesel aftertreatment controls system development. Lean NOx Trap (LNT) based aftertreatment system is an efficient way to reduce NOx emission from diesel engines. From control system perspective, the main challenge in aftertreatment system is to predict temperature at various locations and estimate the stored NOx in LNT. Accurate estimation of temperatures and NOx stored in the LNT will result in an efficient system control with less fuel penalty while still maintaining the emission requirements. The optimization of the controls will prolong the lifespan of the system by avoiding overheating the catalysts, and slow the progressive process of component aging. Under real world conditions, it is quite difficult and costly to test the performance of a such complex controller by using only vehicle tests and engine cells.

The Mississippi State University Formula SAE race car upright was optimized using radial basis function metamodels and an internal state variable (ISV) plasticity damage material model. The weight reduction of the upright was part of a goal to reduce the weight of the vehicle by 25 percent. Using an optimization routine provided an upright design that is lighter that helps to improve vehicle fuel economy, acceleration, and handling. Finite element (FE) models of the upright were produced using quadratic tetrahedral elements. Using tetrahedral elements provided a quick way to produce the multiple FE models of the upright required for the multi-objective optimization. A design of experiments was used to determine how many simulations were required for the optimization. The loads for the simulations included braking, acceleration, and corning loads seen by the car under track conditions.

An LNT + SCR diesel aftertreatment system was developed in order to meet the 2010 US HD EPA on-road, and tier 4 US HD EPA off-road emission standards. This system consists of a fuel reformer (REF), lean NOx trap (LNT), catalyzed diesel particulate filter (DPF), and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst arranged in series to reduce tailpipe nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM). This system utilizes a REF to produce hydrogen (H2), carbon monoxide (CO) and heat to regenerate the LNT, desulfate the LNT, and actively regenerate the DPF. The NOx stored on the LNT is reduced by the H2 and CO generated in the REF converting it to nitrogen (N2) and ammonia (NH3). NH3, which is normally an undesired byproduct of LNT regeneration, is stored in the downstream SCR which is utilized to further reduce NOx that passes through the LNT. Engine exhaust PM is filtered and trapped by the DPF reducing the tailpipe PM emissions.

The paper covers the NOx performance evaluation of an LNT + SCR system designed to meet the 2010 on-highway heavy-duty (HD) US EPA emission standards. The system combines a fuel reformer catalyst (REF), lean NOx trap (LNT), diesel particulate filter (DPF), and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) in series, to reduce engine-out NOx and PM. System NOx reduction performance was verified in an engine dynamometer test cell, using a 2007 7.6L medium-duty engine. System NOx performance was characterized using fresh LNT and SCR along with hydrothermal aged LNT and fresh SCR. Test results show levels consistent with EPA 2010 limits under various test conditions. Catalysts performance was characterized at eight steady engine-operating conditions (A100, B50, B75, A75, B100, C100, C75, C50, across a 13-mode Supplemental Emission Test (SET), and an on-highway Heavy Duty Federal Test Procedure (HD-FTP).

An advanced exhaust aftertreatment system is being developed using a fuel dosing system, mixing elements, fuel reformer, lean NOx trap (LNT), diesel particulate filter (DPF) and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst arranged in series for both on- and off- highway diesel engines to meet the upcoming emissions regulations. This system utilizes a fuel reformer to generate hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) from injected diesel fuel. These reductants are used to regenerate and desulfate the LNT catalyst. NOx emissions are reduced using the combination of the LNT and SCR catalysts. During LNT regeneration, ammonia is intentionally released from the LNT and stored on the downstream SCR catalyst to further reduce NOx that passed through the LNT catalyst. This paper addresses LNT and SCR catalyst degradation as these were subjected to 150 desulfation events using a pre-production 2007 medium heavy-duty, on-highway diesel engine.

Supercharger gear whine noise has been a NVH concern for many years, especially around idle rpm. The engine masking noise is very low at idle and the supercharger is sensitive to transmitted gear whine noise from the timing gears. The low loads and desire to use spur gears for ease in timing the rotors have caused the need to make very accurate profiles for minimizing gear whine noise. Over the past several years there has been an effort to better understand gear whine noise source and transmission path. Based on understanding the shaft bending mode frequencies and better gear design optimization tools, the gear design was modified to increase the number of teeth in order to move out of the frequency range of the shaft bending modes at idle speed and to lower the transmission error of the gear design through optimization using the RMC (Run Many Cases) software from the OSU gear laboratory.

This paper describes a NOx aftertreatment system and control strategy for heavy-duty diesel engines to achieve US EPA 2010 emissions regulations. The NOx aftertreatment system comprises of a fuel reformer catalyst, a LNT catalyst, and a SCR catalyst. The only reductant required to operate this system is diesel fuel; hence, no urea infrastructure is required to support this approach. The fuel reformer is used to generate reformate which is a combination of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons. This reformate provides a more efficient feedstock to improve LNT NOx regeneration efficiency. Engine out NOx is reduced using a two-step process. First, NOx is stored in the LNT catalyst during lean operation. During rich operation, portions of the stored NOx are converted to nitrogen and ammonia. Next, the ammonia released from the LNT is captured by the downstream SCR catalyst. The stored ammonia is further used to reduce the NOx that slips past the LNT catalyst.

This paper presents an empirical dynamic model of a single spring electromagnetic solenoid actuator system, including bounce, temperature effects and coil leakage inductance. The model neglects hysteresis and saturation, the aim being to compensate for these uncertainties through estimator robustness. The model is validated for all regions of operation and there is a good agreement between model and experimental data. A nonlinear (sliding mode) estimator is developed to estimate position and speed from current measurements. Since the estimator makes use of only current measurement it is given the name sensorless. The estimator is validated in simulation and experimentally. The novelty in this paper lies in the fact that accurate state estimation can be realized on a simple linear model using a robust observer theory. Also, the formulations for leakage inductance and coil temperature are unique.

Vehicle rollover has the highest fatality rate among non-collision vehicle crashes. This paper introduces a control scheme with electronically controlled limited slip differential (ELSD) to prevent vehicle rollover. Although the analysis focuses on only an un-tripped and on-road scenario which is a small portion of vehicle rollover accidents, it intends to minimize the dynamic rollover propensity by meeting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) fishhook test. A nonlinear model of planar vehicle dynamics with roll motion is analyzed, and the general characteristics of ELSD are presented. Based on that, a rollover mitigation algorithm is proposed. Finally, a computer simulation demonstrates the effectiveness of the rollover mitigation algorithm.

This paper presents the modeling of an Electromagnetic Valve Actuator (EMV). A nonlinear model is formulated and presented that takes into account secondary nonlinearities like hysteresis, saturation, bounce and mutual inductance. The uniqueness of the model is contained in the method used in modeling hysteresis, saturation and mutual inductance. Theoretical and experimental methods for identifying parameters of the model are presented. The nonlinear model is experimentally validated. Simulation and experimental results are presented for an EMV designed and built in our laboratory. The experimental results show that sensorless estimation could be a possible solution for position control.

A detailed study, by finite element method (FEM), was conducted on an automotive engine exhaust valve subject to various loads (i.e. spring load, combustion pressure load, temperature profile and valve impact closing velocity). The 3D nonlinear (contact element and temperature-dependent) thermal-mechanical model was constructed and implicit time integration method was employed in transient dynamics under impact velocity. The predicted temperatures and maximum valve stress under impact velocity via FEM were compared with the measured test data, which were in good agreement. In addition, this study finds that the energy transfer during valve closing in normal engine operation is mainly conservative, and a linear relation exists between valve closing velocity and maximum stem stress, that was also confirmed by both test data and analytical expression presented using elastic wave and vibration theory.

Extensive experimental and numerical investigations were done to improve the vibration and acoustic performance due to excitation at the timing gears of automotive supercharger. Gear excitation, system response, and covers have been studied to find the most cost efficient method for reducing gear whine noise. Initially, gear excitation was studied where it was found that transmission error due to profile quality was the dominant source parameter for gear whine noise. To investigate the system effects on gear noise, a parametric study was carried using FEM model of the supercharger, with special interests in optimizing dynamic characteristics of internal components and the coupling to supercharger housing. The BEM model of the corresponding supercharger was built to predict the noise improvement after dynamic optimization of the system. Good correlations were observed between experimental and numerical results in both dynamic and acoustic parameters.

Large-scale flows in internal combustion engines directly affect combustion duration and emissions production. These benefits are significant given increasingly stringent emissions and fuel economy requirements. Recent efforts by engine manufacturers to improve in-cylinder flows have focused on the design of specially shaped intake ports. Utility engine manufacturers are limited to simple intake port geometries to reduce the complexity of casting and cost of manufacturing. These constraints create unique flow physics in the engine cylinder in comparison to automotive engines. An experimental study of intake-generated flows was conducted in a four-stroke spark-ignition utility engine. Steady flow and in-cylinder flow measurements were made using three simple intake port geometries at three port orientations. Steady flow measurements were performed to characterize the swirl and tumble-generating capability of the intake ports.

This paper presents a new composite drive cycle used to evaluate and test the performance of Class 4-6 heavy-duty hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). The new cycle is being used in the ongoing Advanced Heavy Hybrid Propulsion Systems (AHHPS) Program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy. The goal was to select a cycle that is acceptable to all involved parties, has an achievable speed-time trace for target applications, represents the typical driving pattern of these applications, and is practical for testing and state-of-charge correction. These criteria were applied to numerous element and composite cycles. Ultimately, a new composite cycle was developed and selected-the Combined International Local and Commuter Cycle (CILCC). Various activities conducted under the AHHPS Program are based on this cycle, including energy auditing, modeling and simulation, system optimization, and vehicle testing.

The power management control system development and vehicle test results for a medium-duty hybrid electric truck are reported in this paper. The design procedure adopted is a model-based approach, and is based on the dynamic programming technique. A vehicle model is first developed, and the optimal control actions to maximize fuel economy are then obtained by the dynamic programming method. A near-optimal control strategy is subsequently extracted and implemented using a rapid-prototyping control development system, which provides a convenient environment to adjust the control algorithms and accommodate various I/O configurations. Dynamometer-testing results confirm that the proposed algorithm helps the prototype hybrid truck to achieve a 45% fuel economy improvement on the benchmark (non-hybrid) vehicle. It also compares favorably to a conventional rule-based control method, which only achieves a 31% fuel economy improvement on the same hybrid vehicle.