Exhaust Burner Control for Catalytic Converter Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing exhaust gas after-treatment systems for internal combustion engines face challenges in reducing pollutant emissions, particularly during the initial burner starting phase when the catalytic converter is below its activation temperature, resulting in low pollutant conversion efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced that utilizes an electronic control unit to manage the exhaust gas after-treatment system, including sensors and a burner to control the ignition of the burner, ensuring the catalytic converter reaches activation temperature before starting the engine and providing real-time indicators to the driver for burner operation and fault detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If the burner is started to heat the catalytic converter, then the activation temperature is reached faster, but the pollutant concentration increases significantly during the initial phase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary heating of the catalytic converter using the burner before the engine starts producing exhaust gases. The electronic control unit activates the burner in advance to bring the catalytic converter to its activation temperature, ensuring that when the engine starts, the catalytic converter is already ready to immediately convert pollutants without being in a low-temperature inefficient state
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the burner's initial pollutant-emitting phase as a controlled period where pollutants are temporarily tolerated, but compensates by ensuring the catalytic converter is pre-heated and ready. The harmful pollutant emission during burner start-up is converted into a beneficial pre-heating process, as long as the catalytic converter is prepared in advance to handle subsequent emissions
2Speed
If the catalytic converter is below activation temperature, then the system can start up quickly, but the pollutant conversion efficiency is extremely low
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic control unit initiates the burner operation before the engine starts, performing the heating action in advance. This preliminary heating ensures that when the engine starts and exhaust gases begin flowing, the catalytic converter is already at its activation temperature and can immediately perform pollutant conversion at high efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses temperature sensors to continuously monitor the catalytic converter temperature and provides feedback to the electronic control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit adjusts the burner operation to maintain the catalytic converter at the optimal activation temperature, ensuring both quick start-up and high conversion efficiency
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
This method effectively reduces pollutants released into the atmosphere during the burner starting phase by ensuring the catalytic converter is at the optimal temperature for pollutant conversion, enhancing the overall efficiency of the exhaust gas treatment process.
Implementation Method 1
a catalytic converter, which is arranged along the exhaust duct, upstream of the particulate filter
Implementation Method 2
a burner, which is suited to introduce exhaust gases (and, as a consequence, heat) into the exhaust duct in order to speed up the heating of the catalytic converter
Implementation Method 3
a spark plug is coupled to the burner in order to ignite the mixture present inside the combustion chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
A method to control an exhaust gas after-treatment system (14) for an exhaust system (2) of an internal combustion engine (1) having at least one catalytic converter (15, 17) and a burner (21), which is suited to introduce exhaust gases into an exhaust duct (10) so as to speed up the heating of said at least one catalytic converter (15, 17); the method entails inserting an indicator (45) in a dashboard (40) of a vehicle provided with the internal combustion engine (1) so that it provides a driver of the vehicle with indications concerning the burner (21); and keeping the indicator (45) turned on during a starting step, during which the temperature of said at least one catalytic converter (15, 17) is lower than an activation temperature.