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Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is effective in reducing engine-out NOx emissions; however, the EGR system is subject to fouling and corrosion. Fouling is mainly due to particulate buildup on the EGR component (e.g., EGR valve and cooler) surfaces. Corrosion is primarily related to oxides of sulfur and nitrogen in the gas stream, especially problematic when condensation occurs [1]. Because cooled EGR is most effective in controlling NOx emissions, EGR cooler design and operation are important considerations in engine design in order to meet durability requirements. An approach has been developed to greatly reduce EGR system fouling. Four EGR coolers were tested simultaneously with various PM control devices installed upstream of the cooler. System configuration and on-engine test results are presented herein.

Gasoline direct injected (GDI) engines are becoming a concern with respect to particulate matter (PM) emissions. The upcoming 2014 Euro 6 regulations may require a drastic reduction in solid particle number emissions from GDI engines and the proposed California Air Resources Board (CARB) LEV III regulations for 2014 and 2017 will also require some PM reduction measures. As a result, it is necessary to characterize PM emissions from GDI engines and investigate strategies that suppress particle formation during combustion. The main focus of this work was on using exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) as a means to reduce engine-out particle emissions from a GDI engine with an overall stoichiometric fuel to air mixture. A small displacement, turbocharged GDI engine was operated at a variety of steady-state conditions with differing levels of EGR to characterize total (solid plus volatile) and solid particle emissions with respect to size, number, and soot or black carbon mass.

The diesel particulate filter (DPF) is a critical aftertreatment device for control of particulate matter (PM) emissions from a diesel engine. DPF survivability is challenged by several key factors such as: excessive thermal stress due to DPF runaway regenerations (or uncontrolled regeneration) may cause DPF substrate and washcoat failure. Catalyst poisoning elements from the diesel fuel and engine oil may cause performance degradation of the catalyzed DPF. Harsh vibration from the powertrain, as well as from the road surface, may lead to mechanical failure of the substrate and/or the matting material. Evaluations of these important validation parameters were performed.

A high-efficiency NOx aftertreatment system has been proposed for use in Diesel engines. This system includes a Lean NOx Trap (LNT) in series with a Selective Catalyst Reduction (SCR) catalyst [6], [7], [8], and is hereinafter referred to as the LNT-SCR system. The combined LNT-SCR system can potentially overcome many of the drawbacks of LNT-only and SCR-only operation and achieve very high NOx conversion efficiency without external addition of ammonia (or urea). A laboratory test procedure was developed to validate the LNT-SCR system concept, and a series of tests was conducted to test the NOx conversion of this system under various conditions. A Synthetic Gas Reactor (SGR) system was modified to accommodate LNT and SCR catalyst cores and synthetic gas mixtures were used to simulate rich-lean regeneration cycles from a diesel engine. A Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) system was used to measure gas compositions within the LNT-SCR system.

A novel urea evaporation and mixing device has been developed to improve the overall performance of a urea-SCR system. The device was tested with a MY2007 Cummins ISB 6.7L diesel engine equipped with an SCR aftertreatment system. Test results show that the device effectively improved the overall NO conversion efficiency of the SCR catalyst over both steady-state and transient engine operating conditions, while NH₃ slip from the catalyst decreased.

Particulate Matter (PM) emissions from gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines are becoming a concern and will be limited by future emissions regulations, such as the upcoming Euro 6 legislation. Therefore, PM control from a GDI engine will be required in addition to effective reduction of HC, CO and NOx emissions. Three different integrated aftertreatment systems were developed to simultaneously reduce PM, HC, CO and NOx emissions from a preproduction Ford 3.5L EcoBoost GTDI engine, with PM reduction as the major focus. PM reduction efficiencies were calculated based on the measurements of PM mass and solid particle number. Test results show that tradeoffs exist in the design of aftertreatment systems to significantly reduce PM emissions from a GDI engine.

Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalysts are used to reduce NOx emissions from internal combustion engines in a variety of applications. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) performed an Internal Research & Development project to study SCR catalyst thermal deactivation. The study included a V/W/TiO₂ formulation, a Cu-zeolite formulation and a Fe-zeolite formulation. This work describes NH₃ storage capacity measurement data as a function of aging time and temperature. Addressing one objective of the work, these data can be used in model-based control algorithms to calculate the current NH₃ storage capacity of an SCR catalyst operating in the field, based on time and temperature history. The model-based control then uses the calculated value for effective DEF control and prevention of excessive NH₃ slip. Addressing a second objective of the work, accelerated thermal aging of SCR catalysts may be achieved by elevating temperatures above normal operating temperatures.

Diesel particulate filters (DPF) have been shown to effectively reduce particulate emissions from diesel engines. However, uncontrolled DPF regeneration can easily damage the DPF. In this paper, three different types of uncontrolled DPF regeneration are defined. They are: Type A: Uncontrolled high initial exotherm at the start of DPF regeneration, Type B: “Runaway” or uncontrolled regeneration, which takes place when the engine goes to idle during normal DPF regeneration, and Type C: Uneven soot distribution causing excess thermal stress during normal DPF regeneration. In this paper, different control strategies are developed for each of the three types of uncontrolled DPF regenerations. These control strategies include SOF control, exhaust flow pattern improvement, as well as EGR control through intake throttling and A/F ratio control.

In recent years, Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) systems have become the state-of-the-art technology to realize low particulate emission for light, medium or heavy-duty diesel vehicles. In addition to good filtration efficiency and thermo-mechanical robustness, the engine backpressure resulted from the DPF installation is an important parameter which directly impacts the fuel economy of the engine. The goal of this experimental test series was to determine the dependence of fuel consumption on engine backpressure resulted from a DPF installed on a heavy-duty application. The testing was executed on a MY2003 Volvo D12 heavy-duty diesel engine in an engine test cell at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI). Empty DPF cans were used with an exhaust valve to mimic the post turbo pressure levels for two different types of DPF materials at nine selected engine operating points of the European Stationary Cycle (ESC).

The project objective was to generate experimental data to evaluate the impact of metals doped B20 on DPF ash loading and performance compared to that of conventional petrodiesel. Accelerated ash loading was conducted on two DPFs – one exposed to regular diesel fuel and the other to B20 containing metal dopants equivalent to 4 ppm B100 total metals (currently total metals are limited to 10 ppm in ASTM D6751, the standard for B100). Periodic performance evaluations were conducted on the DPFs at 10 g/L ash loading intervals. After the evaluations at 30 g/L, the DPF was cleaned with a commercial DPF cleaning machine and another round of DPF evaluations were conducted. A comparison of the effect of ash loading with the two fuels and DPF cleaning is presented. The metals doped B20 fuel resulted in ash that was similar to that deposited when exposed to ULSD (lube oil ash) and exhibited similar ash cleaning removal efficiency.

Recent legislation enacted for the European Union (EU) and the United States calls for a substantial reduction in particulate mass (and number in the EU) emissions from gasoline spark-ignited vehicles. The most prominent technology being evaluated to reduce particulate emissions from a gasoline vehicle is a wall flow filter known as a gasoline particulate filter (GPF). Similar in nature to a diesel particulate filter (DPF), the GPF will trap and store particulate emissions from the engine, and oxidize said particulate with frequent regeneration events. The GPF will also collect ash particles in the wall flow substrate, which are metallic components that cannot be oxidized into gaseous components. Due to high temperature operation and frequent regeneration of the GPF, the impact of ash on the GPF has the potential to be substantially different from the impact of ash on the DPF.

Particulate matter (PM) and NOX are two major pollutants generated by diesel engines. Modern diesel aftertreatment systems include selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technology that helps reduce tailpipe NOX emissions when coupled with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF/urea) injection. However, this process also results in the formation of urea derived byproducts that can influence non-volatile particle number (PN) measurement conducted in accordance with the European Union (EU) Particle Measurement Program (PMP) protocol. In this program, an experimental investigation of the impact of DEF injection on tailpipe PN and its implications for PMP compliant measurements was conducted using a 2015 model year 6.7 L diesel engine equipped with a diesel oxidation catalyst, diesel particulate filter and SCR system. Open access to the engine controller was available to manually override select parameters.

This project’s objective was to generate experimental data to evaluate the impact of metals doped B20 on diesel particle filter (DPF) ash loading and performance compared to that of conventional petrodiesel. The effect of metals doped B20 vs. conventional diesel on a DPF was quantified in a laboratory controlled accelerated ash loading study. The ash loading was conducted on two DPFs – one using ULSD fuel and the other on B20 containing metals dopants equivalent to 4 ppm B100 total metals. Engine oil consumption and B20 metals levels were accelerated by a factor of 5, with DPFs loaded to 30 g/L of ash. Details of the ash loading experiment and on-engine DPF performance evaluations are presented in the companion paper (Part I). The DPFs were cleaned, and ash samples were taken from the cleaned material. X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were conducted on the ash samples.

Biodiesel (i.e., mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids derived from vegetable oils and animal fats) is a renewable diesel fuel providing life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reductions relative to petroleum-derived diesel. With the expectation that there would be widespread use of biodiesel as a substitute for ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD), there have been many studies looking into the effects of biodiesel on engine and aftertreatment, particularly its compatibility to the current aftertreatment technologies. The objective of this study was to generate experimental data to measure the effectiveness of a current technology diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) to oxidize soy-based biodiesel at various blend levels with ULSD. Biodiesel blends from 0 to 100% were evaluated on an engine using a conventional DOC.