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The design of the newly developed Toyota AZ series 4 cylinder engine has been optimized through both simulations and experiments to improve heat transfer, cooling water flow, vibration noise and other characteristics. The AZ engine was developed to achieve good power performance and significantly reduced vibration noise. The new engine meets the LEV regulations due to the improved combustion and optimized exhaust gas flow. A major reduction in friction has resulted in a significant improvement in fuel economy compared with conventional models. It also pioneered a newly developed resin gear drive balance shaft.

Fulfillment of SULEV standards without catalyst - this is a target engineers at IAV have been working on since the middle of the 1990s. The core of this development is an advanced steam engine with a high performance burner. This burner features extremely low raw pollutant emission. This paper describes new solutions that were found to solve the challenging tasks in the development of such an engine concept.

The LEV II and EURO V legislation in 2007/2008 require a high conversion level for nitrogen oxides to meet the emission levels for diesel SUVs and trucks. Therefore, U.S. and European truck manufacturers are considering the introduction of urea SCR systems no later than model year 2005. The current SCR catalysts are based mainly on systems derived from stationary power plant applications. Therefore, improved washcoat based monolith catalysts were developed using standard types of formulations. These catalysts achieved high conversion levels similar to extruded systems in passenger car and truck test cycles. However, to meet further tightening of standards, a new class of catalysts was developed. These advanced type of catalytic coatings proved to be equivalent or even better than standard washcoat formulations. Results will be shown from ESC, MVEG and US-FTP 75 tests to illustrate the progress in catalyst design for urea SCR.

For years, secondary air injection Systems have been used to reduce hydrocarbon exhaust emissions for a short period after engine cold start. In the beginning, passive secondary air systems were used, with the airflow driven by the pressure pulsations in the exhaust system. Since 1990, for most applications, active secondary air systems (i. e., systems where air is injected into the hot exhaust gases by a pump) have been employed. Secondary air injection into the hot exhaust gases is realized by a d-c motor driven turbine pump, i. e. a secondary air pump, and a control valve. Numerous factors, including raw engine emissions during cold start and warm up, driveability requirements and the need to adapt to different emissions legislation, dictate the use of secondary air injection systems. The development of other exhaust aftertreatment systems, e. g., close-coupled or heated catalysts as well as packaging and cost factors will influence the market penetration of secondary air systems.

A breakthrough catalyst technology utilizing new mixed metal oxides in conjunction with Platinum Group Metals has been developed. Stable synergies are designed into the catalyst washcoat that enable high performance and durability to be achieved at low Platinum Group Metal usage. Extensive vehicle data is reported on catalysts aged using a variety of high-temperature accelerated aging cycles. Vehicle performance at the LEV, ULEV and LEV-II levels is discussed in the context of unique calibration-catalyst interactions. Conclusions concerning further areas of improvement and future applications are also reviewed.

As a part of the FutureTruck 2000 advanced technology student vehicle competition sponsored by the US Department of Energy and General Motors, West Virginia University has converted a full-size sport utility vehicle into a high fuel efficiency, low emissions vehicle. The environmental impact of the Chevrolet Suburban SUV, in terms of both greenhouse gas emissions and exhaust emissions, was reduced through hybridization without losing any of the functionality and utility of the base vehicle. The approach taken was one of using a high efficiency, state-of-the-art direct injection, turbocharged diesel engine coupled to a high output electric traction motor for power assist and to recover regenerative braking energy. The vehicle employs a state-of-the-art combination lean NOx catalyst, oxidation catalyst and particulate filter to ensure low exhaust emissions.

The University of Maryland team converted a model year 2000 Chevrolet Suburban to an ethanol-fueled hybrid-electric vehicle (HEV) and tied for first place overall in the 2000 FutureTruck competition. Competition goals include a two-thirds reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a reduction of exhaust emissions to meet California ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) Tier II standards, and an increase in fuel economy. These goals must be met without compromising the performance, amenities, safety, or ease of manufacture of the stock Suburban. The University of Maryland FutureTruck, Proteus, addresses the competition goals with a powertrain consisting of a General Motors 3.8-L V6 engine, a 75-kW (100 hp) SatCon electric motor, and a 336-V battery pack. Additionally, Proteus incorporates several emissions-reducing and energy-saving modifications; an advanced control strategy that is implemented through use of an on-board computer and an innovative hybrid-electric drive train.

This paper describes the motivation for developing hydrogen-fueled engines for use in hybrid electric vehicles of the future. The ultimate motivation for using hydrogen as an energy carrier is carbon management. However, air quality concerns also provide motivation for developing hydrogen-fueled vehicles. For this reason, we discuss the position of the hydrogen-powered hybrid vehicle within the California Air Resources Board requirement for Zero Emission Vehicles. We describe the expected performance of an electrical generation system powered by a four-stroke, spark-ignited, internal combustion engine for a hydrogen-powered hybrid vehicle. The data show that the engine-out emissions of NOx will allow the vehicle to operate below the Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle standard set by the California Air Resources Board. The engine can run on either hydrogen or blends of hydrogen and natural gas. The engine can be optimized for maximum efficiency with low emissions.

In order to match catalyst OBDII conditions the common procedure is oven aging with air, which is not suitable for complete converter systems due to mantle corrosion. The goal was, therefore, to find an alternative procedure to ensure a defined catalyst aging that would match 1,75 times the emission standard and is also good for SULEV. The new procedure currently being developed allows the aging of metal and ceramic catalysts as well as complete catalyst systems. The paper will present the aging process, emission data of fresh and aged catalysts and the feedback to the test car OBDII system.

Dual-monolith converters containing Pd-only catalysts followed by Pt/Rh three-way catalysts (TWCs) provide effective emission solutions for NLEV and Tier IIa close-coupled dual-bank V-8 applications due to optimal hydrocarbon and NOx light-off, transient NOx control, and balance of precious metal (PGM) usage. Dual-catalyst [Pd +Pt/Rh] systems on a 5.3L V-8 LEV light truck vehicle were characterized as a function of PGM loading, catalyst technology, and substrate cell density. NLEV hydrocarbon emission control of the 6500 lb vehicle was optimal using dual 1.2L converters with each containing front ceria-free Pd catalysts coupled with rear Pt/Rh TWCs. Advanced non-air prototype calibrations coupled with reduced catalyst washcoat mass on 600cpsi/4mil substrate resulted in minimal Pd usage of ∼0.02 toz/vehicle due to achieving catalyst inlet temperatures of 350-400°C in <10 sec on both banks of the V-8 engine.

This paper describes the initial research and development of a novel parallel hybrid transmission that incorporates design features found in most production 3- and 4-speed automatic transmissions, except that the mechanism can transmit torque from two power sources to the drive wheels. The transmission functions with a heat engine and a single electric motor/ generator, and uses a Simpson gear set and four automatically controlled clutches. Thirteen modes of operation are possible, including one motor-only mode, three power modes, one CVT/charging mode, four engine-only modes, and four regenerative braking modes. Because the design is based on conventional automatic transmission components, the design is simple, compact, relatively efficient, and reliable.

To reduce the amount of fuel vapor created in the fuel tank, we developed a variable-capacity, plastic bladder fuel tank that is efficient, reliable, and provides permeation prevention performance. This bladder fuel tank changes in shape and total capacity in accordance with the volume of fuel it holds. Thus, in contrast to the conventional fuel tank, it can dramatically reduce the amount of fuel vapor that is ordinarily created in the fuel tank while the vehicle is being refueled, parked, or driven. The bladder fuel tank has been adopted in the Vapor Reducing Fuel Tank System of the North American model Prius, a vehicle that operates under the Toyota Hybrid System (THS), which complies with the SULEV exhaust emission requirement. This paper primarily gives an outline of the technology for manufacturing the bladder fuel tank.

Today's fuel systems place many demands on the seals containing liquid and vapor hydrocarbons. California Air Resource's LEV II and EPA's Tier 2 demands require fuel systems which are essentially hermetically sealed with a robust, long term (12-15 year), life. Two properties which are key to long-term seal life are the material's ability to retain it's sealing force, and the ability to resist fuel permeation. To evaluate these two fuel seal properties, testing was conducted on a number of rubber compounds including HNBR, an HNBR-fluoroplastic alloy, FVMQ (fluorosilicone), an FKM-FVMQ blend, and FKM. To evaluate permeation through a seal, Thwing Albert cups were fitted with stainless steel lids and sealing gaskets prepared from the various test materials. Fuel losses through the gaskets were determined at elevated temperatures. Long term, >1000 hour, stress relaxation testing was conducted in “hot” 60°C fuel and “sour” fuel on these compounds.

The Honda Accord is the world's first automobile meeting the SULEV category criteria in the LEV-II exhaust emissions standards. An improved accuracy engine control system and catalyst account for the automobile's extremely low emissions. The accuracy engine control system includes double adaptive air-fuel ratio feedback loops composed of STR (Self-Tuning Regulator), for primary air-fuel ratio control, and PRISM (Prediction and Identification Sliding Mode Control), for secondary O2 feedback. The basic algorithm of the latter was presented at SAE 20001). However, two issues required further PRISM algorithm improvements in order to apply the double adaptive loops to an actual vehicle. One such achievement is both the compensation for engine dynamic characteristics by PRISM and the avoidance of the reciprocal interference with two adaptive loops.

The future of diesel-engine-powered passenger cars and light-duty vehicles in the United States depends on their ability to meet Federal Tier 2 and California LEV2 tailpipe emission standards. The experimental purpose of this work was to examine the potential role of fuels; specifically, to determine the sensitivity of engine-out NOx and particulate matter (PM) to gross changes in fuel formulation. The fuels studied were a market-average California baseline fuel and three advanced low sulfur fuels (<2 ppm). The advanced fuels were a low-sulfur-highly-hydrocracked diesel (LSHC), a neat (100%) Fischer-Tropsch (FT100) and 15% DMM (dimethoxy methane) blended into LSHC (DMM15). The fuels were tested on modern, turbocharged, common-rail, direct-injection diesel engines at DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors. The engines were tested at five speed/load conditions with injection timing set to minimize fuel consumption.

This paper reports on DaimlerChrysler's participation in the Ad Hoc Diesel Fuels Test Program. This program was initiated by the U.S. Department of Energy and included major U.S. auto makers, major U.S. oil companies, and the Department of Energy. The purpose of this program was to identify diesel fuels and fuel properties that could facilitate the successful use of compression ignition engines in passenger cars and light-duty trucks in the United States at Tier 2 and LEV II tailpipe emissions standards. This portion of the program focused on minimizing engine-out particulates and NOx by using selected fuels, (not a matrix of fuel properties,) in steady state dynamometer tests on a modern, direct injection, common rail diesel engine.

Experimental investigations were conducted with a direct-injection diesel engine to improve exhaust emission, especially nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM), without increasing fuel consumption. As a result of this work, a new combustion concept, called Modulated Kinetics (MK) combustion, has been developed that reduces NOx and smoke simultaneously through low-temperature combustion and premixed combustion, respectively. The characteristics of a new combustion concept were investigated using a single cylinder DI diesel engine and combustion photographs. The low compression ratio, EGR cooling and high injection pressure was applied with a multi-cylinder test engine to accomplish premixed combustion at high load region. Combustion chamber specifications have been optimized to avoid the increase of cold-start HC emissions due to a low compression ratio.

The Vehicle Exhaust Simulator is a tool developed to evaluate the performance of vehicle emissions sampling and analytical systems. Simulating a vehicle's emissions with accurate and repeatable equipment, rather than using a vehicle to produce emissions, eliminates several sources of variability (e.g. driver, dynamometer, vehicle) and isolates the performance of the sampling and analytical systems. Use of the Vehicle Exhaust Simulator includes: diagnosing test site problems, tracking performance over time, establishing correlation between emissions sites, and acceptance testing of new emissions sampling and analytical equipment. The Vehicle Exhaust Simulator was developed to emulate emissions from low-emitting gasoline vehicles. Federal Test Procedure (FTP) 3-phase bag values (THC, CO, CO2, and NOx) from an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) have been used for most of the testing.

As automakers begin to develop and certify vehicles that meet the California Air Resources Board LEV II and Environmental Protection Agency Tier II Regulations, the study/usage of the Bag Mini-Diluter (BMD, or Mini-Diluter) sampling system continues to increase. Previous papers have provided an overview of the BMD and compared the measurements from the BMD to the measurements from a traditional constant volume sampler (CVS). These papers have suggested that the BMD approach offers new opportunities to improve the quality of vehicle exhaust measurement at very low levels, which will be crucial for accurate measurements on vehicles meeting LEV II SULEV standards (NMOG = 10 mg/mile, NOx = 20 mg/mile). This paper continues the effort to study and implement the BMD sampling system as the optimal sampling system for SULEV measurements. Based on the results from previous testing, a number of investigations have been initiated to improve the quality and understanding of BMD measurements.

Numerical models for a variety of vehicle emission measurement systems have been developed using Mathematica® software. The sampling systems evaluated include the Constant Volume Sampler (CVS) and the Bag Mini-Diluter (BMD). The CVS system was evaluated as the conventional fixed flow rate system and in a number of configurations designed for improved performance. The enhanced CVS system employs flow rate switch between phases and heated dilution air. This system with various other enhancements was also evaluated. The additional enhancements included proportional ambient sampling, dilution air refinement, heating of system including bags, and heated system with dilution air refinement. Lastly, the Bag Mini-Diluter system was evaluated. The purpose of these models is to help determine which system will be the most effective strategy for Ford Motor Company to utilize for SULEV and below emission measurements.