Continental provides affordable and efficient exhaust gas aftertreatment solutions.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Sept. 12, 2012
2013 VW Passat TDI – $26,225 to star and a 31/43 city/highway rating. This Turbo diesel relies on SCR and a DPF working together harmoniously for a cleaner environment while providing its owner superior fuel economy.
Heavy and light duty emissions and fuel economy requirements are getting more demanding. On top of federal mandates, fuel prices also necessitate fuel efficient powertrains to meet customer demands.
Continental’s solutions for exhaust gas aftertreatment are designed to help system suppliers and OEMs meet new exhaust emissions standards including both Euro VI (2013) and US10 /Tier2/4f. Core components of the next generation of aftertreatment include Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) of NOx, and Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF), which trap and burn off soot from exhaust gases.
Wolfgang Gutbrod, Head of Commercial Vehicles Engine Systems, Powertrain Division:
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“By using an appropriate SCR solution, costs can be optimized. As far as the components are concerned the options range from supplying individual actuators and sensors up to complete system concepts.”
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SCR Development
Reducing the NOx from both consumer oriented and commercial vehicles is a core challenge to the entire automotive and trucking industry.
There is a limit of approximately 97% reduction in engine-out NOx emissions using SCR according to Continental. In an SCR system an aqueous urea solution (AdBlue) is injected into the exhaust flow to facilitate the conversion of nitrogen oxides in a catalytic converter. The AdBlue dosage has to be tightly controlled to maximize NOx reduction and minimize AdBlue consumption.
As of 2013,
recently developed air-cooled AdBlue injectors for light-duty applications will be manufactured and ade available to OEMs. In parallel Continental is developing a liquid - cooled version for heavy truck applications.
Dr. Detlev Schφppe, Head of the Engine Systems Powertrain Division:
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“AdBlue injectors are located very close to the engine in commercial vehicles and are thus exposed to more heat. This makes liquid-cooling a precondition for future close-coupled solution.”
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Another innovation currently under development is a urea sensor based on ultrasonic measurement. This sensor measures the urea concentration and AdBlue level in the storage vessel.
The Continental NOx sensor measures the amount of nitrogen oxides in the exhaust gas to verify the NOx abatement efficiency and serves to adjust the AdBlue injection. This sensor is already on the market.
Heatable hose modules for cold temp operation are manufactured by ContiTech, also a part of the SCR system.
SCR as an efficient way of NOx abatement brings about yet another economic advantage: As a rule
the most fuel efficient engine management strategy results in the highest NOx emissions. SCR allows greater levels of freedom to run an engine in a NOx-rich part of the map without impacting vehicle emissions, which are measured downstream of the aftertreatment system!
The DPF
Most future commercial and consumer based vehicles are likely to use a combination of SCR and a diesel particulate filter to clean exhaust gases beyond the current and near future mandates. As the hot exhaust gas passes through both the SCR and DPF, it is important to protect them against overheating. In order to avoid a DPF from being damaged during the regeneration phase by overly high temperatures, Continental has developed an active high temperature sensor, which reacts quickly to changes in temperature. The dosage unit that is needed to inject the correct amount of diesel fuel into the DPF during regen is also a part of the Continental product portfolio. In addition, a new Continental soot sensor will serve to monitor the exhaust gas flow downstream of the catalytic converter, in order to confirm the correct operation of the exhaust gas aftertreatment.
What does this mean for us? Expect much cleaner and more fuel efficient heavy duty vehicles hauling the goods we depend on and less expensive clean turbo diesels for the consumer marketplace in the very near future.
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