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The Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst with ammonia as reducing agent plays a central role in today's exhaust after-treatment systems for heavy-duty vehicles and there is a wide selection of possible catalytic materials to use. In order to facilitate the design of future catalysts, several aspects of the materials must be evaluated both in steady-state and transient operation. To this end, this paper presents a methodology for comparing the dynamic properties of different catalysts using full-size engine testing. The studied characteristics include the ammonia storage capacity, the effect of starting with an empty catalyst, the transient response to temperature gradients and changes in the urea dosing level. The temperature response is of particular importance in transient operation, where temperature increases may lead to substantial ammonia slip. A vanadium catalyst is compared to a Cu-SAPO-34 catalyst, and they show significant differences in their dynamic response.

The Euro IV legislation for heavy-duty on-road vehicles enforces emissions limits on the tailpipe NOx levels during both transient and modal testing, typically paired with additional limitations on, for example, ammonia emissions. There are several possible strategies for complying with the legislation, including engine management measures as well as after-treatment in the form of catalytic removal of NOx with ammonia as the reducing agent. Based on experimental data, a range of important aspects are presented and discussed, with both overall system performance and the installation and operational costs in mind. Factors relevant for future legislations, in the form of EU V and beyond, are also discussed. Operating the engine with high levels of Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is a possible path to EU IV compliance with no or little catalytic NOx reducing after-treatment. Here, it is contrasted against an SCR-only solution based on a non-EGR engine calibration.

For trucks today, the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and SCR catalysts are combined in this sequential order in diesel exhaust systems with the drawback of insufficient temperature for the SCR catalyst during cold start and large volume. The problems can potentially be solved by integrating the SCR catalyst into the particulate filter as one multifunctional unit. For off-road and heavy-duty vehicles applications with fully managed passive NO2-soot regenerations, integration of V-based SCR formulations on the DPF (V-SCRonDPF) represents an attractive solution due to high sulfur resistance accompanied by low-temperature NOx conversion and improved fuel economy. Engine bench tests together with an NO2-active DOC show that it is possible to manage the NO2/NOx ratio so both a high NOx conversion and still a low soot balance point temperature is obtained. The soot balance point is almost unaffected by the fast SCR reaction when urea is introduced.