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The energy management of a hybrid vehicle defines the vehicle power flow that minimizes fuel consumption and exhaust emissions. In a combined hybrid the complex architecture requires a multi-input control from the energy management. A classic optimal control obtained with dynamic programming shows that thanks to the high efficiency hybrid electric variable transmission, energy losses come mainly from the internal combustion engine. This paper therefore proposes a sub-optimal control based on the maximization of the engine efficiency that avoids multi-input control. This strategy achieves two aims: enhanced performances in terms of fuel economy and a reduction of computational time.

Pneumatic hybridization of internal combustion engines may prove to be a viable and cost-efficient alternative to electric hybridization. This paper evaluates the effects of pneumatic hybridization of various engine concepts using the criteria of fuel efficiency, driveability, emissions, and cost efficiency. The most promising engine concept is found to be the pneumatic hybridization combined with downsizing and supercharging spark-ignited engines. With this concept, a fuel consumption reduction of over 30% compared to a standard engine with the same rated power can be achieved. The poor driveability usually associated with heavily downsized and supercharged engines is completely overcome by injecting additional air during transients. The most important design issues for this new concept are discussed and several possible solutions are presented. Following these considerations, the first fully functional hybrid pneumatic engine was realized.

The selection and configuration of sensors can strongly influence the closed-loop dynamics of a system. Therefore a methodology for finding the best sensor placement is a valuable tool. This paper deals with this problem by formulating an optimization problem and applies the new method on an SI engine. The best sensor configuration is one that minimizes the overall system costs, yet still meets the system constraints. Before solving the optimization problem, the system is modeled, different sensor configurations are defined, the appropriate controller and the feedback term are developed, and the locations and size of the various errors present in the model are determined. Then, the objective function and the system constraints are defined and the optimization problem is solved considering the worst-case combination of modeling errors, which is computed using genetic algorithms. The objective function is defined as the sum of the sensor costs and of a penalty term.

This paper discusses the possibility of equipping Euro 3 and older vehicles with a universal retrofit kit to reduce the NOX and the PM emissions without producing any secondary effect. Out of several configurations, the optimal setup for EGR and DPF regeneration was evaluated and tested on a passenger car engine testbench. Stationary results showed that with a low pressure EGR it was possible to reduce the NOX emissions by more than 50%, and the filtration efficiency of the DPF was greater than 99%. After various dynamic tests on the test bench to improve the control algorithm, the system was designed to be installed on a garbage truck.

In practical applications of ammonia SCR aftertreatment systems using urea as the reductant storage compound, one major difficulty is the often constrained packaging envelope. As a consequence, complete mixing of the urea solution into the exhaust gas stream as well as uniform flow and reductant distribution profiles across the catalyst inlet face are difficult to achieve. This paper discusses a modeling approach, where a combination of 3D CFD and a lumped parameter SCR model enables the prediction of system performance, even with non-uniform exhaust flow and ammonia distribution profiles. From the urea injection nozzle to SCR catalyst exit, each step in the modeling process is described and validated individually. Finally the modeling approach was applied to a design study where the performance of a range of urea-exhaust gas mixing sections was evaluated.

Instantaneous in-cylinder pressure, a key variable in the improvement of engine performance and reduction of emissions, is not likely to be measured directly in production type engines in the near future. As a countermeasure, a pressure estimation method based on physical first principles for the estimation of the instantaneous in-cylinder pressure of an SI engine using measured crankshaft angular velocity is presented here. The approach consists of (a) mapping the model parameters at nominal operating conditions and (b) adapting the model parameters to current operating conditions using the instantaneous crankshaft angular velocity. The model reflects all essential effects on in-cylinder pressure, while the simulation time was reduced to 6 milliseconds per cycle on a standard PC. This makes it possible to estimate a cylinder-averaged pressure for each cycle up to an engine speed of more than 6000 rpm. The estimated in-cylinder pressure is available with a delay of one engine cycle.

In this paper a novel IC engine load-control device is described which actively throttles the intake air and thereby produces electric power. The main component is a small axial turbine that replaces the conventional throttle. This turbine is connected with an electric generator and an appropriate electric load control system. This paper describes the complete system including the turbine, the control system, and the necessary auxiliary parts. A prototype of the proposed system has been realized. The paper shows the results in electric power generation obtained with this prototype in steady-state driving conditions and in standard test cycles. Moreover, extrapolations of the expected benefits in other engine-vehicle combinations are computed using mathematical models of the main parts of the system.

The paper presents experimental results of a fuel cell powered electric vehicle equipped with supercapacitors. This hybrid vehicle is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI, Switzerland), the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ), and several industrial partners. It is equipped with a fuel cell system with a nominal power of 48 kW and with supercapacitors that have a storage capacity of 360 Wh. Extensive tests have been performed on a dynamometer and on the road to investigate the operating ability. The highlights of these tests were the successful trial runs across the Simplon Pass in the Swiss Alps in January 2002. The fuel cell system consists of an array of six stacks with 125 cells each and an active area of 200 cm2. The stacks are electrically connected as two parallel strings of three stacks each in series in order to match the voltage requirement of the powertrain.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) engines have become a promising alternative to classical IC engines because of low pollutant and carbon dioxide emissions. This paper will first briefly summarize these advantages and then concentrate on the modeling and the control of CNG engines. In the modeling part, it will be shown which effects are similar to those observed in gasoline SI engines and what new sub-models are necessary. In the control part, the problem of sudden A/F ratio changes (for instance during the regeneration of NOx trap catalysts) will be considered. In order to avoid excessive NOx engine-out emission in these transients it is important to switch from lean to rich conditions within very few combustion cycles while keeping the engine torque constant (for comfort reasons). The paper presents a model of the most important phenomena associated with those transients and a feedforward control that meets the mentioned requirements.

Coming along with the present movement towards the ultimately variable engine, the need for clear and simple models for complex engine systems is rapidly increasing. In this context Common-Rail-Systems cause a special kind of problem due to of the high amount of parameters which cannot be taken into consideration with simple map-based models. For this reason models with a higher amount of complexity are necessary to realize a representative behavior of the simulation. The high computational time of the simulation, which is caused by the increased complexity, makes it nearly impossible to implement this type of model in software in closed loop applications or simulations for control purposes. In this paper a method for decreasing the complexity and accelerating the computing time of automotive engine models is being evaluated which uses an optimized method for each stage of the diesel engine process.

This paper compares the fuel consumption of a lightweight passenger car for three different SI engine concepts, all with rated power of about 40 kW: a classical SI engine with moderate maximum speed, a low-displacement but high-speed engine that exploits the maximum allowed mean-piston speed and a low-displacement but highly supercharged engine with moderate maximum speed. All engines are simulated with a thermodynamic process simulator, the results of the supercharged version are validated with experiments. For each engine, a CVT and an automated gearbox is considered. Fuel consumption is estimated with a quasi-static driving cycle simulator which is based on engine fuel consumption maps and physical models of the vehicle with all its relevant subsystems. The simulations are performed for constant vehicle speed as well as for US and European driving cycles.

This paper presents a control-oriented mean-value model of a pressure wave supercharger (PWS) which is coupled to an SI-engine. The model is able to predict the engine's intake pressure and other main process variables. The model is validated by stationary and transient measurements on an engine dynamometer.

The design of an air to fuel ratio (AFR) control system is substantially facilitated by a suitable mathematical model of the mixture formation process. Such a model has to be a compromise between short simulation times and good prediction capabilities. Well-known simple “linear” wall-wetting models are easy to use but require substantial calibration time to experimentally determine the operating point dependent model parameters. Full 3D simulations of all physical effects are still computationally not tractable. In this work a control oriented mathematical model of the mixture formation phenomena has been built, which tries to find a middle way between these two extremes. Computation times for one engine cycle are less than half a minute on a standard Pentium-PC. Nevertheless, the model is able to predict nonlinear effects that cannot be described by conventional wall-wetting models.

This paper describes an investigation of a method of implementing VVT with the use of a secondary valve in series with the conventional intake valve of the engine. The secondary valve is not required to withstand the temperatures and pressures of combustion, and therefore can be of relatively lightweight design, so that it is easier to adjust the timing of the secondary valve than that of the main valve. Experiments with such a valve installed in a production engine indicate that benefits of variable valve timing such as overlap optimisation and throttleless load control (4% Fuel benefits at 980 rpm and 1.5 bar IMEP) are attainable with this system.

This paper describes an investigation of implementing variable valve timing with the use of a secondary valve in the intake tract The secondary valve acts in series with the conventional poppet valve of the engine, which is actuated in the conventional manner and with fixed timing It is significantly easier to adjust the timing of the secondary valve than that of the main valve There are two possible modes of operation of this device One is to control valve overlap, improving low speed low load performance The other is to use it as a load control mechanism, replacing the conventional throttle and therefore reducing the ‘pumping losses’ associated with conventional throttling We have implemented such a system on a motored single-cylinder research engine using pneumatic actuation Our experiments have demonstrated successful load control, significant pumping loss reduction, and control of backflow from the exhaust to the intake manifold

Automatic controls are an essential part of every modern IC-engine. Usually these controllers are linear with scheduled gains and require a large amount of engine-testing to work satisfactorily in all operating conditions. Nonlinear and adaptive controllers - whose design is based on physical models of the engine - have the potential of improving the performance of the engine and to reduce the required testing time. This paper shows how nonlinear models and controllers fit into a general engine-control frame-work. The presented ideas are clarified by re-analyzing the well-known Air/Fuel-ratio control problem from a nonlinear point of view.