Exhaust Gas Purification System for Diesel Engine Emission Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing exhaust gas purification systems for diesel engines face challenges in maintaining catalyst activation temperatures, efficiently removing NOx at varying temperatures and flow rates, and reducing the frequency of forced regeneration of diesel particulate filters, which increases CO2 emissions and can lead to turbine corrosion from sulfur oxides.

Innovation Solution

An exhaust gas purification method that includes a previous-stage oxidation catalyst, an ammonia-based solution feeder, a diesel particulate filter, and a NOx selective reduction catalyst in a specific order, with hydrocarbon injection to raise exhaust gas temperature for continuous regeneration and positioning the ammonia-based solution feeder close to the engine to enhance ammonia production and NOx removal, while converting sulfur oxides into calcium sulfate to reduce corrosion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple exhaust gas purification devices are mounted to remove hazardous substances, then removal effectiveness is improved, but device size and thermal capacity increase, making it difficult to ensure catalyst activation temperatures

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveremoval effectivenessVSAvoidcatalyst activation temperature
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The exhaust gas purification system is divided into multiple functional stages: a first oxidation catalyst for CO and HC removal, a diesel particulate filter for PM removal, and a second oxidation catalyst for final purification. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall system effectiveness and managing thermal loads.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The first oxidation catalyst is positioned upstream of the diesel particulate filter to perform preliminary oxidation of CO and hydrocarbons before the exhaust enters the DPF. This preliminary action reduces the thermal burden on subsequent components and ensures the DPF receives exhaust gas with lower contaminant loads, facilitating easier catalyst activation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If engine combustion is improved to reduce PM and NOx discharge, then emission control is enhanced, but exhaust gas temperature decreases by 30-50°C or greater

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveemission controlVSAvoidexhaust gas temperature
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The system compensates for the temperature decrease caused by improved combustion by using oxidation catalysts that can activate at lower temperatures. The first oxidation catalyst is designed to effectively remove CO and HC at the reduced exhaust temperatures, maintaining emission control effectiveness without requiring high temperature operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If urea water injection distance to SCR device is increased to improve dispersion and decomposition, then urea decomposition efficiency is improved, but device size increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveurea decomposition efficiencyVSAvoidexhaust gas purification apparatus size
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The urea injection function is extracted from the traditional SCR device configuration and integrated into the exhaust gas flow path before the diesel particulate filter. Urea solution is injected into the exhaust stream at a location where it can effectively disperse and decompose into ammonia, which then participates in NOx reduction reactions. This extraction allows for shorter injection distance while maintaining decomposition efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The exhaust gas purification system performs multiple functions: CO oxidation, HC oxidation, PM filtration, and NOx reduction. By integrating urea injection into the existing exhaust flow path rather than requiring a separate, distant SCR device, the system achieves multi-functionality in a compact arrangement, improving space utilization while maintaining all required emission control functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 configuration improves NOx removal rates across a wide temperature and flow range, decreases the frequency and CO2 emissions associated with forced regeneration, and suppresses turbine corrosion by converting sulfur oxides into non-corrosive calcium sulfate.

Implementation Method 1

an oxidation catalyst, a urea injection device, a diesel particulate filter device, a NOx selective reduction catalyst converter, and an oxidation catalyst are disposed in an exhaust passage

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOxidation: Oxidation

Implementation Method 2

a urea decomposition catalyst is supported in the diesel particulate filter device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDecomposition: Decomposition (biological)

Implementation Method 3

a NOx selective reduction catalyst converter

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSelective reduction: Reduction

Data Source

PatentEP2853707B1Exhaust gas purification method
Publication Date: 2017.08.23 ISUZU MOTORS LTD
  • EP2853707B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2853707B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2853707B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An exhaust gas purification system (1, 1A) for removing particulate matters and nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas (G) of an internal combustion engine (10) is formed by disposing a previous-stage oxidation catalyst device (21), an ammonia-based solution feeder (24), a DPF device (22), a turbine (14) of a turbocharger, and a NOx selective reduction catalyst device (SCR device) (23) in the exhaust system of the internal combustion engine (10) in this order from an exhaust port side. With the suitable arrangement of the exhaust gas purification units, the NH3 production rate is improved to improve the NOx removal rate; the temperature of the DPF device is kept high to increase the time and frequency of continuous regeneration, thus decreasing the frequency of forced regeneration of the DPF device and the amount of discharge of CO2 produced during the forced regeneration; and also corrosion of the turbine of the turbocharger by SOx is suppressed.