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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.

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.

The current simulation models of EV and ICE Vehicles are well known in industry for their use in estimating the fuel economy or Range benefits because of controller calibrations and component sizing. However, there is a gap in understanding the behavior of accessories such as HVAC, power steering and other such auxiliary loads and the energy losses associated with them. Impact of thermal behavior of electronics on vehicle range also needs to be studied in detail. These kinds of studies help OEM and tier 1 manufactures in improving their design concepts significantly with minimum cost and development time. Hence, the focus of this study is on building simulation models of thermal, electrical, traction and control circuits of a typical electric vehicle. These models are then integrated, and analysis is performed to understand vehicle system level performance metrics.

Global environmental and economic concerns regarding increasing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emission are driving changes to legislative regulations and consumer demand. As regulations become more stringent, advanced engine technologies must be developed and implemented to realize desired benefits. Discrete variable valve lift technology is a targeted means to achieve improved fuel economy in gasoline engines. By limiting intake air flow with an engine valve, as opposed to standard throttling, road-load pumping losses are reduced resulting in improved fuel economy. This paper focuses on the design and development of a switching roller finger follower system which enables two mode discrete variable valve lift on end pivot roller finger follower valvetrains. The system configuration presented includes a four-cylinder passenger car engine with an electro-hydraulic oil control valve, dual feed hydraulic lash adjuster, and switching roller finger follower.

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.

Eaton has developed a prototype hydraulic hybrid vehicle energy management system that substantially improves fuel economy and reduces harmful emissions. The system was developed cooperatively with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Navistar Inc., and the U.S. Army. The system has demonstrated fuel economy improvements in real world use of up to 50 percent while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions by up to 30 percent. The first real world application of the technology will be in parcel delivery vehicles owned by United Parcel Service (UPS). The hybrid vehicle energy management system components will be described and principles of operation explained. Major properties of the system will be examined and it will be shown why the hydraulic hybrid system is well suited for the parcel delivery vehicle application. Several secondary beneficial properties of the system will also be discussed.

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.

Eaton has developed a prototype hydraulic hybrid vehicle energy management system that substantially improves fuel economy and reduces harmful emissions. The system was developed cooperatively with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Navistar Inc., and the U.S. Army. The system has demonstrated fuel economy improvements in real world use of up to 50 percent while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions by up to 30 percent. The first real world application of the technology will be in parcel delivery vehicles owned by United Parcel Service (UPS). The hybrid vehicle energy management system components will be described and principles of operation explained. Major properties of the system will be examined and it will be shown why the hydraulic hybrid system is well suited for the parcel delivery vehicle application. Several secondary beneficial properties of the system will also be discussed.

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 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.

Pick up and delivery vehicle applications such as parcel handling trucks represent an ideal duty cycle for Hybrid Electric Powertrains. The low speed, frequent stopping and starting operation provides good opportunities for enhancing engine behavior and recovering braking energy by adding an electric drive system to the vehicle. FedEx Express collaborated with the environmental advocacy group Environmental Defense to announce the Future Vehicle Program, with the goal of developing significant improvements in emissions and fuel economy for the familiar FedEx Express W700 parcel delivery vehicle. This paper describes the objectives, development activities, and test results for one of the vehicles submitted to this program. A team led by Eaton Corporation prepared the Direct Hybrid Electric Powertrain system, which received the highest ranking in the Future Vehicle Program evaluation.

A special vehicle dynamometer has been developed that allows engineers to evaluate driveline components and control algorithms for advanced, electrically-assisted drive systems on commercial vehicles. This dynamometer allows objective measurements of performance, fuel economy, and exhaust emissions, while the full vehicle is operated over a specified driving cycle. This system can be used to exercise the electric motor, engine, transmission and battery systems on Medium Duty Hybrid Trucks - in regeneration as well as power mode - all indoors and in a controlled, repeatable environment. This paper will provide descriptions of the operating goals, control features, and results of testing with this dynamometer. Once the various parameters have been optimized for fuel and emissions performance in this facility, the vehicle can be evaluated where it counts - on the road.

Using FEM (Finite Element Method) and other analytical approaches, a systematic methodology was developed to predict an engine valve's fatigue life. In this study, a steel (SAE 21-2N) exhaust valve on an engine with a type 2 valve train configuration was used as a test case. Temperature and stress/strain responses of each major event phase of the engine cycle were analytically simulated. CFD models were developed to simulate the exhaust gas flow to generate boundary conditions for a thermal model of the valve. FEM simulations accounted for thermal loads, temperature dependent material properties, thermal stresses, closing impact stresses and combustion load stresses. An estimated fatigue life was calculated using Miner's rule of damage accumulation in conjunction with the Modified Goodman approach for fluctuating stresses. Predicted life results correlated very well with empirical tests.

Diesel engine cylinder deactivation (CDA) can be used to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the global freight transportation system. Heavy duty trucks require complex exhaust aftertreatment (A/T) in order to meet stringent emission regulations. Efficient reduction of engine-out emissions require a certain A/T system temperature range, which is achieved by thermal management via control of engine exhaust flow and temperature. Fuel efficient thermal management is a significant challenge, particularly during cold start, extended idle, urban driving, and vehicle operation in cold ambient conditions. CDA results in airflow reductions at low loads. Airflow reductions generally result in higher exhaust gas temperatures and lower exhaust flow rates, which are beneficial for maintaining already elevated component temperatures. Airflow reductions also reduce pumping work, which improves fuel efficiency.

The demand for improving fuel economy in passenger cars is continuously increasing. Eliminating energy losses within the engine is one method of achieving fuel economy improvement. Frictional energy losses account for a noticeable portion of the overall efficiency of an engine. Valvetrain friction, specifically at the camshaft interface, is one area where potential for friction reduction is evident. Several factors can impact the friction at the camshaft interface. Some examples include: camshaft lobe profile, rocker arm interface geometry, valve spring properties, material properties, oil temperature, and oil pressure. This paper discusses the results of a series of tests that experimented the changes in friction that take place as these factors are altered. The impact of varying testing conditions such as oil pressure and oil temperature was evaluated throughout the duration of the testing and described herein.

Variable valve actuation is a focus to improve fuel efficiency for passenger car engines. Various means to implement early and late intake valve closing (E/LIVC) at lower load operating conditions is investigated. The study uses GT Power to simulate on E/LIVC on a 2.5 L gasoline engine, in-line four cylinder, four valve per cylinder engine to evaluate different ways to achieve Atkinson cycle performance. EIVC and LIVC are proven methods to reduce the compression-to-expansion ratio of the engine at part load and medium load operation. Among the LIVC strategies, two non-traditional intake valve lift profiles are investigated to understand their impact on reduction of fuel consumption at low engine loads. Both the non-traditional lift profiles retain the same maximum lift as a normal intake valve profile (Otto-cycle) unlike a traditional LIVC profile (Atkinson cycle) which needs higher maximum lift.

An advanced variable valve actuation (VVA) system is characterized following end-of-life testing to enable fuel economy solutions for passenger car applications. The system consists of a switching roller finger follower (SRFF) combined with a dual feed hydraulic lash adjuster and an oil control valve that are integrated into a four cylinder gasoline engine. The SRFF provides discrete valve lift capability on the intake valves. The motivation for designing this type of VVA system is targeted to improve fuel economy by reducing the air pumping losses during part load engine operation. This paper addresses the durability of a SRFF for meeting passenger car durability requirements. Extensive durability tests were conducted for high speed, low speed, switching, and cold start operation. High engine speed test results show stable valvetrain dynamics above 7000 engine rpm. System wear requirements met end-of-life criteria for the switching, sliding, rolling and torsion spring interfaces.

The effects of downspeeding and supercharging a passenger car diesel engine were studied through laboratory investigation and vehicle simulation. Changes in the engine operating range, transmission gearing, and shift schedule resulted in improved fuel consumption relative to the baseline turbocharged vehicle while maintaining performance and drivability metrics. A shift schedule optimization technique resulted in fuel economy gains of up to 12% along with a corresponding reduction in transmission shift frequency of up to 55% relative to the baseline turbocharged configuration. First gear acceleration, top gear passing, and 0-60 mph acceleration of the baseline turbocharged vehicle were retained for the downsped supercharged configuration.

This paper presents the fatigue life assessment work on an engine exhaust valve subject to specified durability test cycles. Using valve stress (or strain) data from finite element methods, material fatigue data, and fatigue prediction models (i.e. SN approach and εN approach based on multi-axial Brown-Miller critical plane method), the valve life estimates were obtained and compared with the observed test data, which were in reasonable agreement. In addition, crack growth approach was used and valve crack propagation life including early stage growth was computed. Finally, a general discussion on three life estimates (i.e. fatigue total life, strain-life and crack growth life) was provided with their governing equation, supported by three real cases.

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.