HD Diesel Thermal Management Improvements Toward Meeting 2010 Standards

Thermal management of the exhaust has become important as exhaust catalyst systems are being added to heavy duty (HD) diesel engines. The HD certification cycle consists of a cold-start transient cycle followed by a twenty minute soak with the engine off and then another ‘hot’ transient cycle. The first half of the HD transient cycle represents urban driving and consequently the engine duty cycle is very low. The low duty cycle results in low exhaust temperatures that can challenge the performance of catalysts. The cycle then transitions to a highway simulation at high loads. The high loads require high catalyst efficiency. If the catalysts are below optimum temperature prior to this transition, they need to warm up very quickly to prevent excessive emissions slip. The twenty minute soak also provides opportunity for catalysts to experience a significant temperature drop prior to the ‘hot’ cycle. Thoughtful thermal management of the catalyst system will be required for both the certification cycles and for best in-use performance. This paper investigates methods to increase catalyst temperatures over these cycles to improve overall emissions performance.