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This paper describes the application of a non-dispersive infrared-based instrument designed to measure CO with a response time of 7ms. Spark ignition engine emission measurements recorded during the first 505 seconds of an FTP75 drive-cycle for a 4 cylinder engine are presented, including fast response hydrocarbon and NO measurements. An analysis of the engine-out (pre-catalyst) exhaust gas is provided. Data collected simultaneously with a standard emissions test stand and conventional dilution tunnel are compared to the high frequency measurements. Fast CO analysis provides new insight into cold-start fuelling calibration and cylinder-to-cylinder AFR variation. Under rich conditions, the strong dependence of CO production on the quantity of excess fuel allows a significantly faster estimate of engine stoichiometry than a UEGO sensor.

The gaseous and particulate emissions from a diesel passenger car have been studied during cold start and Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regeneration events occurring during the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC). During the initial phase of the cycle, Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) light-off was seen to be highly dynamic with catalyst efficiency changing dramatically with changes in catalyst temperature. Accumulation mode particulate emissions were sampled directly from the exhaust after the DPF. From cold start with a clean (regenerated) DPF, accumulation mode particle emissions were seen to be very much higher than those from a loaded DPF. This accumulation mode slip lasted only approximately 200 seconds. During regeneration of the DPF, the oxidation of trapped soot was associated with a large tailpipe emission of nucleation mode particles.

Using local emissions measurements immediately downstream of a close-coupled catalyst, spatial variations in emissions have been analysed for close-coupled catalysts with different ageing histories. Comparison of the radial emissions profiles between a uniformly-aged (oven-aged) catalyst and two vehicle-aged parts suggests that the vehicle-aged parts have substantial variations in catalyst damage across the radius of the catalyst. The radial variations in damage were confirmed by bench reactor and post-mortem studies. The radial catalyst damage profiles inferred from engine-based evaluations of vehicle aged catalysts show broad correlation with high flow areas identified by CFD predictions and high temperature regions as measured during engine tests.

A study has been conducted to measure the particle number emissions from a current-generation 1.6-liter, Euro IV-compliant turbo-charged Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) passenger car engine. A fast-response particle size spectrometer was used along with a PMP-compliant particulate measurement system to measure the effect of various engine parameters on the particulate emissions during the New European Drive Cycle (NEDC). Overall particle number is shown along with further analysis of the transient particle emissions. The cold start clearly affects particle formation with approximately 50% of the cumulative particle number being emitted within 200 seconds of the start. Even beyond 200 seconds, the particle number emissions fall as the test progresses and are generally consistent with increases in engine coolant temperature indicating that cold engine fuel preparation issues are contributing to the particle number count.

Hydrogen is a reactive species involved with many combustion and catalysis reactions. Traditionally studies on hydrogen relied on theoretical calculation of engine out emissions. This study used a mass spectrometer to measure hydrogen emissions at engine out and tailpipe for a port fuelled injection (PFI) gasoline vehicle. Comparison of measured with calculated for engine out hydrogen showed good agreement. However, catalyst ageing affected post catalyst hydrogen levels to an extent that would be difficult to model by calculation. Study shows that for a detailed understanding of the influence of hydrogen on combustion and catalyst performance the preferred approach is measurement rather than calculation.

The emissions performance of a prototype close-coupled catalyst system has been analysed and compared with semi-close-coupled and underfloor systems. Under certain engine conditions during the stabilized region of the ECE Stage 3 drive-cycle, the close-coupled system has showed higher emissions than the semi-close-coupled or underfloor configurations. Using fast response emissions analysers and catalyst warm-up characteristics in conjunction with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the reasons for this emissions performance deficit has been attributed to flow maldistribution across the front face of the catalyst. Two flow distribution-related mechanisms for emissions breakthrough have been isolated: radial variations in mean AFR (Air-Fuel Ratio) across the catalyst can cause localized emissions breakthrough due to cylinder-to-cylinder AFR variations; and under high space velocity conditions, localized breakthrough can occur due to radial variations in gas velocity through the catalyst.

An accurate prediction of residual burned gas within the combustion chamber is important to quantify for development of modern engines, especially so for those with internally recycled burned gases and HCCI operations. A wall-guided GDI engine has been fitted with an in-cylinder sampling probe attached to a fast response NDIR analyser to measure in-situ the cycle-by-cycle trapped residual gas. The results have been compared with a model which predicts the trapped residual gas fraction based on heat release rate calculated from the cylinder pressure data and other factors. The inlet and exhaust valve timings were varied to produce a range of Residual Gas Fraction (RGF) conditions and the results were compared between the actual measured CO2 values and those predicted by the model, which shows that the RGF value derived from the exhaust gas temperature and pressure measurement at EVC is consistently overestimated by 5% over those based on the CO2 concentrations.

The pursuit of flexibility is a recurring theme in engine design and development. Engines that are able to switch between the two-stroke operating cycle and four-stroke operation promise a great leap in flexibility. Such 2S-4S engines could then continuously select the optimum operating mode - including HCCI/CAI combustion - for fuel efficiency, emissions or specific output. With recent developments in valvetrain technology, advanced boosting devices, direct fuel injection and engine control, the 2S-4S engine is an increasingly real prospect. The authors have undertaken a comprehensive feasibility study for 2S-4S gasoline engines. This study has encompassed concept and detailed design, design analysis, one-dimensional gas dynamics simulation, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics, and vehicle simulation. The resulting 2/4SIGHT concept engine is a 1.04 l in-line three-cylinder engine producing 230 Nm and 85 kW.

A study has been conducted to measure the transient HC, NOx, CO, CO2 and particulate emissions from a modern 1.6-liter, Euro IV-stage turbocharged Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) passenger car engine. The tests were conducted using ultra-fast-response analyzers with millisecond response times so that the real-time effects of the individual combustion events and the ECU's start strategy could be studied. The results show that through the use of an aggressive cold start calibration strategy, the catalyst is very efficient after light-off at about 30s. However, during this same period, there are signs of partial misfires and rich AFR excursions, both of which contribute to the overall tailpipe emissions. The data from the fast-response analyzers allowed clear discrimination between rich events and partial misfires and would allow appropriate calibration actions to be taken.

The automotive catalyst faces a unique set of challenges. It must simultaneously carry out oxidation and reduction reactions, all with a high degree of efficiency. It must cope up with a gas composition that oscillates rapidly between oxidizing and reducing state and is laden with poisons, such as sulfur and phosphorous. Equally harsh are the temperature demands. After being subjected to temperature upto 1000 °C, the catalyst must “light off” at 250°C. Despite these formidable demands, the automotive catalysts have been proven over decades of operation and have a major impact on improving air quality. This success can be ascribed to a few key components of the catalyst: the Precious metals (Pt, Pd and Rh) and cerium oxide. This paper describes the development of a new generation of three way catalysts that meet the latest European emission standards with a minimum of precious metal content.