Diesel Engine Exhaust

Aftertreatment
Systems
Nick Molzahn
CBE 555

What is an Aftertreatment
System?
A system that treats post-combustion
exhaust gases prior to tailpipe emission
Differs from emission reduction techniques in
the combustion process
Allows for greater power from the engine
without worrying about emissions increasing

Why Diesel?
Higher energy density per unit volume of fuel
than gasoline
147,000 BTU in diesel versus 125,000 BTU in
gasoline

Fuel economies of up to 45 MPG

Higher torque for similar sized engines
Greater compression ratios than gasoline

Exhaust pollution can be mitigated by

modern technologies
Solution for decreasing Western gasoline
demands
Including passenger cars

Regulation Background
Clean Air Act of 1963: First government look into stationary
emissions
Clean Air Act 1970: Regulation of 6 criteria pollutants
CO, SOx, NOx, Hydrocarbons, Ozone, & Particulate Matter

Clean Air Act of 1990: Acid rain control plus 189 secondary
pollutants
Since then, numerous periodic reductions
Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) mandatory 2007

Aftertreatment System
Overview
EGR Exhaust Gas Recirculation
DOC Diesel Oxidation Catalyst
DPF Diesel Particulate Filter
DRT Decomposition Reaction Tube
SCR Selective Catalytic Reduction
DEF Diesel Exhaust Fluid (Urea)

Exhaust Gas Recirculation

(EGR)
A portion of exhaust stream gets recycled back into the
combustion chambers
Low oxygen makes this function as an inert gas
Reduces engine operating temperatures to decrease NOx
formation

At high temperatures:

NO2

O2+N2 NO +

Diesel Oxidation Catalyst

(DOC)
Platinum group metals catalyze the complete oxidation of
unburnt hydrocarbons to CO2
Reactions heat exhaust gases up to temperatures in excess
of 450C
Catalyst material coats flow channel matrix
Channels are a ceramic honeycomb

Very efficient catalysis (Upwards of 90% conversion to

oxidized products)

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF)

Alternating plugged channels force exhaust to flow through
cordierite walls, which traps the soot
Soot is a complex linked carbon structure which is a combustion
byproduct

Soot reduction can approach 100% efficiency with full DPFs

Wall-flow DPF
Cell

Characteristi
c Soot
Structure

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPFs) Cont.

Trapped soot is periodically burnt off through a regeneration
event
Active Regeneration:
Fuel is injected into the Aftertreatment system, combusts in the
DOC, and this 800 exhaust is able to fully oxidize the soot
Passive Regeneration:
NO2 + C (s) CO2 + NO
Catalyzed filter elements allow for exhaust NO2 to oxidize soot
Requires hot temperatures such as highway driving to function

Decomposition Reactor Tube

(DRT)
Urea is injected after the DPF onto a special mixing plate
Hot exhaust gas breaks urea into ammonia
Side reactions sometimes form solid deposits of aromatic cyclic rings
These deposits can block exhaust flow

Selective Catalytic Reduction

(SCR)
Function is to use NH3 to reduce NOx to diatomic Nitrogen
Base metals (vanadium, tungsten):
Lack thermal durability, cheap, SO3 is produced

Zeolites:
High thermal durability, expensive, lower SO3 conversion
Can approach 99% reduction in NOx emission

Newest technology only necessary in developed markets

(US and Europe)

Worldwide Implementation
Mature Emission Regulation
US EPA, California Air Resources Board (CARB),
European Standards (Euro), Japanese Standards
(JMOE)

Emerging Emission Regulation

Chinese Standard, India Bharat Stage Standard,
Brazil CONAMA, Korean KMOE

Must engineer solutions specific

to the region

Additional Retrofit Solutions

Only new engines are required to pass emission standards
Diesel engines are very reliable fleet turnover time is
many years
Retrofitting technologies can help to modernize diesel
engines at little cost to trucking companies

Drawbacks of Aftertreatment
Systems
Requires more pressure to force exhaust through the
filtering mechanisms
Turbochargers are not able to use as much of this available
backpressure to increase engine efficiency

Biodiesel cannot be used with current active regeneration

DPF technology
Passive regeneration systems require highway driving to
clean accumulated soot
Urea injection requires additional tanks, piping, and
refueling stations to operate
Entire refueling infrastructure must be put in place

Summary
Diesel exhaust gas can be cleaned through the use of
catalyst and filtration technologies
Use of diesel engines allows for greater fuel diversity in the
transportation sector
Technology is mature and ready
Combine efficiency and power of diesel with low emissions
of gasoline
The dirty image that diesel has is a thing of the past

References
US EPA
California Air Research Board (CARB)
Cummins Emission Solutions
Clean Air Task Force
Dieselnet.com
Volkswagen TDI-Institute

Questions?
Thank you!