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homogeneous
air-fuel
mixture
before
auto
ignition.
The
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future standard system to ensure that engines can meet the more stringent
local and regional proposed NOX emission levels.
4.2 SECONDARY NOX EMISSION REDUCTION METHODS
The most widely used primary methods of NO X reduction available
today are:
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technique.
Selective Non Catalytic Reduction (SNCR) technique.
The NOx trap.
4.2.1 SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SCR) TECHNIQUE
The most common and most effective method of secondary NO X
emission control is the selective catalytic reduction (SCR). This method
involves injecting an urea/water solution in the exhaust system after the
exhaust gas leaves the engine[7]. The urea/water solution mixes with the
exhaust gases before entering the honeycomb reactor. In the reactor, the
exhaust gas/urea/water mixture chemically reacts to form nitrogen and water
at the outlet of the reactor. The SCR system has a NO X emission reduction
potential of 85- 95% or down to about 1-2 g/kWh. The actual amount of
reduction is dependent on the amount of urea/water solution injected. The
more solution injected, the lower the NO X emissions outlet to a certain limit. If
too much urea/water solution is injected, it can cause what is known as
ammonia slip. Ammonia slip causes the smell of ammonia out the exhaust
stack. Today, a compact SCR unit is available that is nearly the same size as
a standard exhaust silencer. The compact SCR incorporates both the
honeycomb reactor section of the SCR and the silencer into one unit. With the
compact SCR, it makes it possible to retrofit an existing installation with an
SCR system for secondary cleaning of the exhaust. With the high degree of
NOX emission reduction, the SCR system is ideal for vessels operating in
sensitive areas. The main drawback of the system is the high investment and
operating costs. Fortunately, the system can be started and stopped as
needed to comply with more stringent regulations in sensitive areas. Another
feature of the system is the closed loop control system that continuously
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samples the exhaust gas as it leaves the reactor and regulates the amount of
urea solution injection based on the set point chosen by the operator.
4.2.2 SELECTIVE NON-CATALYTIC REDUCTION (SNCR)
In SNCR, a reducing agent (typically NH 3 or urea) is injected into the
engine above the combustion zone, where it reacts with NOx as in the case of
SCR. Critical factors in applying SNCR are sufficient residence time in the
appropriate temperature range and uniform distribution and mixing of the
reducing agent across the full engine cross section.
4.2.3 THE NOX TRAP
The NOx trap offers efficiency ratios comparable to those obtained by
the SCR, but without the disadvantage of having to carry another reducer on
board. A number of development projects are focused on this alternative
nitrogen oxide treatment.
In principle, it operates by alternating two stages:
The engine runs normally on a lean mixture. During this stage, the
nitrogen
To release and reduce the nitrogen oxides, the air-fuel ratio must exceed or
be equal to 1, which is unusual for a diesel engine. This is done by tuning the
engine (air flow, injection phasing and duration, EGR ratio). The conditions
under which regeneration occurs (fuel-air ratio, tuning) affect the duration and
efficiency of release. Regeneration also causes a substantial rise in the
temperature of the trap, which could exceed its storage window and thereby
limit the efficiency of the subsequent storage phase. The combined impact of
these different parameters, on both storage and destorage, shows that the
best NOx/consumption trade-off is obtained when regeneration occurs at high
levels of richness. By optimizing the system as a whole, it is possible to obtain
reduction efficiencies of about 80% for over diesel consumption of 2 to 5%. To
avoid discharge of CO and HCs, which can happen when running a richer fuel
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