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The after-boiling phenomenon in internal combustion engines can occur when the engine is suddenly switched-off after a period of prolonged high-load operation. In this case, the coolant flow rate stops while the engine wall temperature is quite high; therefore, some evaporation occurs, pressure in the cooling circuit increases and part of the coolant is lost through the radiator relief valve. The control of the coolant flow rate by means of an electric pump instead of the standard belt driven one offers the possibility of overcoming this issue. In the present paper, a model-based control of the coolant flow rate is proposed in conjunction with the adoption of an electric pump in the engine cooling system. Experimental tests and simulations have been carried out starting from high speed-high load engine operation; the engine was then brought to idle and, shortly after, switched-off.

In this paper, we propose a novel control architecture for dealing with the requirements arising in a cooling system of an ICE. The idea is to take advantage of the joint action of an electric pump and of an ad-hoc regulation module, which is used to determine adequate flow rates despite engine speeds. Specifically, a robust Model Predictive Control approach is exploited to take care formally of input/output constraints and disturbance effects of the resulting lumped parameter model of the engine cooling system, which incorporates the nucleate boiling heat transfer regime. Numerical simulations and test rig experimental data are presented. The results achieved show that the proposed control scheme is capable of providing effective and safe cooling while mitigating disturbance effects and minimizing coolant flow rates when compared with the action pertaining to standard crankshaft driven pumps.

The aim of the present work is to analyse and compare the energetic performances and the emissions conversion capability of active and passive aftertreatment systems for lean burn engines. To this purpose, a computational one-dimensional transient model has been developed and validated. The code permits to assess the heat exchange between the solid and the exhaust gas, to evaluate the conversion of the main engine pollutants, and to estimate the energy effectiveness. The response of the systems to variations in engine operating conditions have been investigated considering standard emission test cycles. The analysis highlighted that the active flow control tends to increase the thermal inertia of the apparatus and then it appears more suitable to maintain higher temperature level and to guarantee higher pollutants conversion at low engine loads after long full load operation.

The work aims at analysing the energetic performances of monolith and pellet emission control systems using unidirectional and reverse-flow design (passive and active flow control respectively). To this purpose a one-dimensional transient model has been developed and the cooling process of different system configurations has been studied. The influence of the engine operating conditions on the system performances has been analysed and the fuel saving capability of the several arrangements has been investigated. The analysis showed that the system with active reverse flow and pellet packed bed design presents higher heat retention capability. Moreover, the numerical model put in evidence the large influence of the exhaust gas temperature on the energy efficiency of the emission control systems and the significant effect of unburned hydrocarbons concentration.

The development and the optimization of aftertreatment systems are fundamental keys to meet the more and more severe regulations concerning automotive exhaust emissions. This paper aims to analyse and compare the energetic performances of passive and active aftertreatment systems. The passive flow control represents the technical solution largely adopted in practice with unidirectional flow within the aftertreatment system. Conversely, the active flow control is based on reversed flow systems and, additionally, on the control of the exhaust gas flow path through the monolith. A single channel one-dimensional model was proposed in order to assess the heat exchange between the aftertreatment system and the exhaust gas and to compare the energetic characteristics of the two control modes. The analysis showed that the active flow control appears more suitable to maintain the initial temperature level of the monolith for a longer time after sudden variations in engine load.