Evaluation of Cold Start Technologies on a 3L Diesel Engine 2016-01-0823

Increasingly stringent emissions regulations require that modern diesel aftertreatment systems must warm up and begin controlling emissions shortly after startup. While several new aftertreatment technologies have been introduced that focus on lowering the aftertreatment activation temperature, the engine system still needs to provide thermal energy to the exhaust for cold start. A study was conducted to evaluate several engine technologies that focus on improving the thermal energy that the engine system provides to the aftertreatment system while minimizing the impact on fuel economy and emissions. Studies were conducted on a modern common rail 3L diesel engine with a custom dual loop EGR system. The engine was calibrated for low engine-out NOx using various combustion strategies depending on the speed/load operating condition. The technologies that showed strong potential during this evaluation include a turbine bypass system, early exhaust valve opening, cylinder deactivation, and delayed engine starting. The performance of these technologies was compared using an engine test cell which was programmed to simulate the first portion of the FTP-75 test cycle.