Centralized Emissions Controller for Multi-Engine Facilities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for monitoring and controlling emissions from multiple engines lack efficiency in maintaining emissions within regulated limits, particularly for NOx, particulate matter, CO, and SOx, as they often require separate controllers for each engine, leading to increased complexity and reduced performance.
Innovation Solution
A centralized controller system that aggregates emissions data from multiple engines, dynamically controls aftertreatment systems, and adjusts operational parameters to maintain total emissions within predetermined thresholds, reducing bandwidth requirements and improving facility efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate controllers are used for each engine, then individual engine emissions can be monitored and controlled, but system complexity and bandwidth requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple individual engine controllers into a single centralized controller that manages emissions for all engines in the facility. This merging approach reduces the total number of controllers from N (one per engine) to 1, thereby reducing system complexity and bandwidth requirements while maintaining the ability to monitor and control emissions from each individual engine through the unified controller
2Adaptability or versatility
If separate controllers are used for each engine, then individual emissions management is possible, but facility efficiency and resource utilization decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized controller is designed to perform multiple functions across all engines in the facility, including monitoring emissions data, calculating total emissions amounts, comparing against thresholds, and controlling aftertreatment systems for multiple engines. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated controllers for each engine, improving resource utilization and facility efficiency while maintaining comprehensive emissions management capability
3Device complexity
If centralized control is implemented, then bandwidth requirements and system complexity are reduced, but coordination across multiple engines becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The centralized controller implements segmentation by receiving and processing emissions data from individual engines separately, calculating emissions amounts for each engine independently, and then aggregating these to determine the total facility emissions. This segmented approach to data processing simplifies the coordination challenge by maintaining individual engine accountability while achieving overall facility emissions control through centralized aggregation and threshold comparison
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The centralized controller system effectively manages emissions across multiple engines, reducing harmful emissions and improving facility performance by dynamically adjusting aftertreatment systems, while minimizing modifications to existing infrastructure.
Implementation Method 1
a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) process may be implemented to convert the NOx compounds into more neutral compounds, such as diatomic nitrogen, water, or carbon dioxide, with the aid of a catalyst and a reductant
Implementation Method 2
an SCR system may dose or otherwise introduce the reductant through a dosing module that vaporizes or sprays the reductant into an exhaust pipe of the exhaust system
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes determining, by a controller, a total emissions amount from a plurality of engines; comparing, by the controller, the total emissions amount to a predetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold includes an alert value, an adjustment value, and a deactivation value, the deactivation value being greater than the adjustment value, which is greater than the alert value; deactivating, by the controller, at least one engine in response to the total emissions amount being at or greater than the deactivation value; adjusting, by the controller, operation of at least one engine in the plurality of engines in response to the total emissions amount being at or greater than the adjustment value but less than the deactivation value; and providing, by the controller, an alert in response to the total emissions amount being at or greater than the alert value but less than the adjustment value.