Study of different strategies to improve the internal combustion engine (ice) operating at cold conditions

Resumen

Current and future legislations, regarding pollutant emissions reduction and green mobility, will continue fixing a difficult stage for the development and improvement of internal combustions engines (ICEs). The Real Driving Emissions (RDE) parameters, the changes of altitude, and the extreme ambient temperature conditions in operation, are the major challenges to fulfill under these new legislations. By these reason, academy and automotive manufacturers continue working in collaboration, trying to develop more efficient and less polluting powertrains. In this experimental research work, the main results of a collaboration project between the private company Valeo Systèmes Thermiques and the Universitat Poltècnica de València are presented. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), in both configurations, high-pressure and low-pressure, and Cylinder Deactivation (CDA), are the main strategies studied in this work due to its high potential and low-cost implementation. These strategies are evaluated in a Light-duty Diesel engine, fitted in a climatic test bench and operating under low ambient temperature (-7ºC). The first strategy is the High-pressure EGR activation from the beginning of the engine start and the development of a simple condensation model able to predict whether or not there is condensation inside the EGR line under these conditions. In particular, the humidity ratio and the internal engine conditions that characterize the appearance of this phenomenon are estimated by the model. This model is validated by means of cameras fitted on the EGR rail in order to visualize the condensation evolution. The humidity ratio estimate and the condensation behavior observed through the cameras, shows that during an engine cold start, condensation conditions in the gases are present until reach approximately 50ºC, while in solid walls and components, the conditions remains until reach approximately 30ºC. In the second strategy, a new compact line fitted with a bypass system for the cooler is used with the aim of accelerating the engine warm-up process as compared to the original low-pressure EGR line. The aim of this strategy is to evaluate the impact on the engine behavior of performing Low-pressure EGR at cold conditions and to activate the bypass system in order to disable the cooler. Following this strategy, a noticeable NOx emissions reduction of approximately 60% with respect to a reference case without low-pressure EGR has been achieved. In addition, the engine warm-up process has been reduced in approximately 60 seconds and the engine intake temperature has been increased 30ºC, leading a CO emissions reduction of approximately 12%. In the third strategy, the impact of using a new cylinder deactivation configuration with the aim of improving the engine warm-up process is evaluated. The results show an increase of the exhaust temperatures of around 100ºC, which allows to reduce the diesel oxidation catalyst light-off by 250 seconds besides of reducing the engine warm-up process in approximately 120 seconds. This allows to reduce the CO and HC emissions by 70% and 50%, respectively. And finally, the last experimental strategy evaluates the impact of using the high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation while the diesel particulate filter is under active regeneration mode. Following these possible engine calibration conditions, a NOx emissions reduction of approximately 50% with respect to a reference case without high-pressure EGR during a DPF regeneration process has been achieved.