O presente trabalho trata da modelagem de combustão em um queimador industrial de gás natural utilizando cadeias de reatores químicos idealizados. A partir de simulações de CFD e dados experimentais do ensaio denominado BERL 300 kW, sucessivas cadeias de reatores são propostas, baseando-se em premissas sobre as condições de temperatura e fluxo de massa entre as diversas regiões do escoamento reativo. O objetivo é obter uma cadeia de reatores que reproduza as emissões de NOx do ensaio. O erro relativo das emissões é de 98,23% na primeira cadeia, de 82,30% na segunda cadeia e de 1,54% na terceira cadeia. A partir da terceira cadeia de reatores proposta, considerada representativa do ensaio, realiza-se uma análise de sensibilidade e um estudo paramétrico, para avaliar a sensibilidade do modelo aos ajustes de segmentação de correntes e a capacidade de reproduzir os dados experimentais de emissão em condições de pré-aquecimento do ar de combustão e em operação fora do ponto de projeto. O modelo produz resultados satisfatórios para os casos de pré-aquecimento do ar até 110°C e para potências térmicas até 33% superiores ao ponto de projeto, não oferecendo bons resultados para as demais condições de operação. / This work shows the development and application of chemical reactor networks (CRN) to the modeling of a natural gas burner. The CRN development is based on experimental and CFD simulation results of the BERL 300 kW test. The CRN element arrangement, reactor volumes and flow splits are adjusted based on the best agreement with characteristic temperatures of the reactive flow, aiming to reproduce the experimental NOx emissions data. The relative error in the emissions predictions are 98,23% for the first CRN proposed, 82,30% for the second CRN and 1,54% for the third one. A sensitivity analysis and a parametric study of the third CRN are carried out to evaluate its sensitivity to the flow splits adjustments and its ability to predict emission with air preheat and turndown operation. The NOx emissions predicted by CRN are in good agreement until 110ºC preheating and for a turndown ratio of 1,33.

O presente trabalho trata da modelagem de combustão em um queimador industrial de gás natural utilizando cadeias de reatores químicos idealizados. A partir de simulações de CFD e dados experimentais do ensaio denominado BERL 300 kW, sucessivas cadeias de reatores são propostas, baseando-se em premissas sobre as condições de temperatura e fluxo de massa entre as diversas regiões do escoamento reativo. O objetivo é obter uma cadeia de reatores que reproduza as emissões de NOx do ensaio. O erro relativo das emissões é de 98,23% na primeira cadeia, de 82,30% na segunda cadeia e de 1,54% na terceira cadeia. A partir da terceira cadeia de reatores proposta, considerada representativa do ensaio, realiza-se uma análise de sensibilidade e um estudo paramétrico, para avaliar a sensibilidade do modelo aos ajustes de segmentação de correntes e a capacidade de reproduzir os dados experimentais de emissão em condições de pré-aquecimento do ar de combustão e em operação fora do ponto de projeto. O modelo produz resultados satisfatórios para os casos de pré-aquecimento do ar até 110°C e para potências térmicas até 33% superiores ao ponto de projeto, não oferecendo bons resultados para as demais condições de operação. / This work shows the development and application of chemical reactor networks (CRN) to the modeling of a natural gas burner. The CRN development is based on experimental and CFD simulation results of the BERL 300 kW test. The CRN element arrangement, reactor volumes and flow splits are adjusted based on the best agreement with characteristic temperatures of the reactive flow, aiming to reproduce the experimental NOx emissions data. The relative error in the emissions predictions are 98,23% for the first CRN proposed, 82,30% for the second CRN and 1,54% for the third one. A sensitivity analysis and a parametric study of the third CRN are carried out to evaluate its sensitivity to the flow splits adjustments and its ability to predict emission with air preheat and turndown operation. The NOx emissions predicted by CRN are in good agreement until 110ºC preheating and for a turndown ratio of 1,33.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O aproveitamento do biogÃs e do gÃs natural (GN) com elevadas concentraÃÃes de diÃxido de carbono (CO2) e de sulfeto de hidrogÃnio (H2S), atravÃs de sistemas tÃrmicos de combustÃo convencionais, pode resultar em instabilidade de reaÃÃo ou, atÃ, apagamento da frente de chama, sob risco de avarias irreversÃveis para estrutura fÃsica dos equipamentos, devido aos Ãcidos corrosivos decorrentes da reaÃÃo. Ainda, altas concentraÃÃes desses contaminantes favorecem a ocorrÃncia de elevados Ãndices de gases poluentes nos produtos, a exemplo de monÃxido de carbono (CO) e hidrocarbonetos nÃo queimados (HC), dentre outros. Por essa razÃo, um estudo experimental foi realizado com base na aplicaÃÃo de uma tecnologia de combustÃo nÃo-convencional, a CombustÃo de FiltraÃÃo, a fim de lidar com esses combustÃveis de baixa qualidade. O aparato experimental empregado nessa pesquisa consiste de uma caldeira porosa de escoamento recÃproco, em que seu queimador à preenchido completamente por esferas cerÃmicas de alumina (Al2O3), formando uma matriz porosa inerte, que envolve os trocadores de calor da caldeira. O processo de queima de ambos os combustÃveis foi investigado sob condiÃÃes extremas de operaÃÃo, em termos de misturas ar-combustÃvel ultra-pobres. Como suporte para interpretaÃÃo dos fenÃmenos do processo, foi aplicado um modelo numÃrico de simulaÃÃo, que considera o mecanismo de oxidaÃÃo do metano em um meio poroso, adaptado para identificar os efeitos quÃmicos de uma alta concentraÃÃo de CO2 sobre a reaÃÃo. A influÃncia dos principais parÃmetros de operaÃÃo, razÃo de equivalÃncia e velocidade da mistura ar-combustÃvel, sob os produtos de combustÃo e sob a instabilidade de reaÃÃo foi estudada teÃrica e experimentalmente. Os resultados mostram excelente estabilidade operacional da caldeira com emissÃes ultra-baixas de CO e NOx, inferiores a 1 ppm para razÃes de equivalÃncia menores que 0,6, e com eficiÃncia de queima do H2S de mais de 99%. / The use of biogas and natural gas (GN) with high concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) through conventional combustion thermal systems can result in reaction instability or flame front quenching, under risk of irreversible damages to the physical structure of a piece of equipments, due to corrosive acids remaining from reaction. Furthermore, high concentrations of these contaminants favor the occurrence of high pollutant levels in the products, like carbon monoxide (CO) and unburned hydrocarbon (HC), among others. Therefore, an experimental study was performed with basis on the application of a non conventional combustion technology, Filtration Combustion, in order to deal with these low-quality fuels. The experimental apparatus employed in this research consists of a reciprocal flow porous boiler, in which its burner is completely filled by ceramic spheres of alumina (Al2O3), forming an inert porous matrix, which involves boilerâs heat exchangers. The burning process of both the fuels was investigated under extreme operation conditions, in terms of ultra-lean fuel-air mixtures. As support for interpretation of the process phenomena, a numerical simulation model was applied, which takes in account the methane oxidation mechanism in a porous medium, adapted to identify the chemical effects of a high CO2-concentration on the reaction. The influence of the main operation parameters, equivalence ratio and gas flow velocity, on combustion products and on reaction stability was studied theoretically and experimentally. The results have shown excellent boiler operation stability with ultra-low emissions of NOx and CO, less than 1 ppm for equivalence ratios inferior to 0.6, and with the H2S-burning efficiency overcoming 99%.

No description available.

A novel combustor design, referred to as the Stagnation Point Reverse-Flow (SPRF) combustor, was recently developed that is able to operate stably at very lean fuel-air mixtures and with low NOx emissions even when the fuel and air are not premixed before entering the combustor. The primary objective of this work is to elucidate the underlying physics behind the excellent stability and emissions performance of the SPRF combustor. The approach is to experimentally characterize velocities, species mixing, heat release and flame structure in an atmospheric pressure SPRF combustor with the help of various optical diagnostic techniques: OH PLIF, chemiluminescence imaging, PIV and Spontaneous Raman Scattering. Results indicate that the combustor is primarily stabilized in a region downstream of the injector that is characterized by low average velocities and high turbulence levels; this is also the region where most of the heat release occurs. High turbulence levels in the shear layer lead to increased product entrainment levels, elevating the reaction rates and thereby enhancing the combustor stability. The effect of product entrainment on chemical timescales and the flame structure is illustrated with simple reactor models. Although reactants are found to burn in a highly preheated (1300 K) and turbulent environment due to mixing with hot product gases, the residence times are sufficiently long compared to the ignition timescales such that the reactants do not autoignite. Turbulent flame structure analysis indicates that the flame is primarily in the thin reaction zones regime throughout the combustor, and it tends to become more flamelet like with increasing distance from the injector. Fuel-air mixing measurements in case of non-premixed operation indicate that the fuel is shielded from hot products until it is fully mixed with air, providing nearly premixed performance without the safety issues associated with premixing. The reduction in NOx emissions in the SPRF combustor are primarily due to its ability to stably operate under ultra lean (and nearly premixed) condition within the combustor. Further, to extend the usefulness of this combustor configuration to various applications, combustor geometry scaling rules were developed with the help of simplified coaxial and opposed jet models.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Abstract This thesis employs a statistical regression method to estimate models for testing the hypothesis of the thesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. The thesis at the beginnings, reviews critically the formation of emissions in gasoline-fuelled engines, and also reviews existing and emerging models of automotive emissions. The thesis then, presents the relationships between the urban transport system and vehicle emissions. Particularly, it summarises different types of emissions and the contributory factors of the urban transport system to such emissions. Subsequently, the thesis presents the theory of vehicle emissions interdependencies and the empirical framework for testing the hypothesis of the thesis. The scope of testing the hypothesis of the thesis is only limited to gasoline-fuelled conventional vehicles in the urban transport environment. We use already available laboratory-based testing dataset of 542 passenger vehicles, to investigate the hypothesis of the thesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. HC, CO, and NOX emissions were collected under six test drive-cycles, for each vehicle before and after vehicles were tuned. Prior to using any application, we transform the raw dataset into actionable information. We use three steps, namely conversion, cleaning, and screening, to process the data. We use classification and regression trees (CART) to narrow down the input number of variables in the models formulated for investigating the hypothesis of the thesis. We then, utilise initial results of the analysis to fix any remaining problems in the data. We employ three stage least squares (3SLS) regression to test the hypothesis of the thesis, and to estimate the maximum likelihood of vehicle variables and other emissions to influence HC, CO, and NOX emissions simultaneously. We estimate twelve models, each of which consists of a system of three simulations equations that accounts for the endogenous relations between HC, CO and NOX emissions when estimating vehicle emissions simultaneously under each test drive-cycle. The major contribution of the thesis is to investigate the inter-correlations between vehicle emissions within a well controlled data set, and to test the hypothesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. We find that HC, CO, and NOX are endogenously or jointly dependent in a system of simultaneous-equations. The results of the analysis demonstrate that there is strong evidence against the null hypothesis (H0) in favour of the alternative hypothesis (H1) that HC, CO, and NOX are statistically significantly interdependent. We find, for the thesis sample, that NOX and CO are negatively related, whereas HC and CO emissions are positively related, and HC and NOX are positively related. The results of the thesis yield new insights. They bridge a very important gap in the current knowledge on vehicle emissions. They advance not only our current knowledge that HC, CO, and NOX should be predicted jointly since they are produced jointly, but also acknowledge the appropriateness of using 3SLS regression for estimating vehicle emissions simultaneously. The thesis measures the responses of emissions to changes with respect to changes in the other emissions. We investigate emission responses to a one percent increase in an emission with respect to the other emissions. We find the relationship between CO and NOX is of special interest. After vehicles were tuned, we find those vehicles that exhibit a one percent increase in NOX exhibit simultaneously a 0.35 percent average decrease in CO. Similarly, we find that vehicles which exhibit a one percent increase in CO exhibit simultaneously a 0.22 percent average decrease in NOX. We find that the responses of emission to changes with respect to other emissions vary with various test drive-cycles. Nonetheless, a band of upper and lower limits contains these variations. After vehicle tuning, a one percent increase in HC is associated with an increase in NOX between 0.5 percent and 0.8 percent, and an increase in CO between 0.5 percent and one percent Also, for post-tuning vehicles, a one percent increase in CO is associated with an increase in HC between 0.4 percent and 0.9 percent, and a decrease in NOX between 0.07 percent and 0.32 percent. Moreover, a one percent increase in NOX is associated with increase in HC between 0.8 percent and 1.3 percent, and a decrease in CO between 0.02 percent and 0.7 percent. These measures of the responses are very important derivatives of the hypothesis investigated in the thesis. They estimate the impacts of traffic management schemes and vehicle operations that target reducing one emission, on the other non-targeted emissions. However, we must be cautious in extending the results of the thesis to the modern vehicles fleet. The modern fleet differs significantly in technology from the dataset that we use in this thesis. The dataset consists of measurements of HC, CO, and NOX emissions for 542 gasoline-fuelled passenger vehicles, under six test drive-cycles, before and after the vehicles were tuned. Nevertheless, the dataset has a number of limitations such as limited model year range, limited representations of modal operations, and limitations of the measurements of emissions based only on averages of test drive-cycles, in addition to the exclusion of high-emitter emission measurements from the dataset. The dataset has a limited model year range, i.e., between 1980 and 1991. We highlight the age of the dataset, and acknowledge that the present vehicle fleet varies technologically from the vehicles in the dataset used in this thesis. Furthermore, the dataset has a limited number of makes - Holden, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. There are also a limited number of modal operations. The model operations presented in the dataset are cold start, warming-up, and hot stabilised driving conditions. However, enrichment episodes are not adequately presented in the test-drive cycles of the dataset. Moreover, the dataset does not take into account driving behaviour influences, and all measurements are cycle-based averages. The emission measurements of laboratory-based testings are aggregated over a test drive cycle, and the test drive-cycle represents an average trip over an average speed. The exclusion of the measurements of high emitting vehicles from the dataset introduces further limitations. Remote sensing studies show that 20 percent of the on-road vehicle fleet is responsible for 80 percent of HC and CO emissions. The findings of the thesis assist in the identification of the best strategies to mitigate the most adverse effects of air-pollution, such as the most severe pollution that have the most undesirable pollution effects. Also, they provide decision-makers with valuable information on how changes in the operation of the transport system influence the urban air-quality. Moreover, the thesis provides information on how vehicle emissions affect the chemistry of the atmosphere and degrade the urban air-quality.

Doctor of Philosophy(PhD) / Abstract This thesis employs a statistical regression method to estimate models for testing the hypothesis of the thesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. The thesis at the beginnings, reviews critically the formation of emissions in gasoline-fuelled engines, and also reviews existing and emerging models of automotive emissions. The thesis then, presents the relationships between the urban transport system and vehicle emissions. Particularly, it summarises different types of emissions and the contributory factors of the urban transport system to such emissions. Subsequently, the thesis presents the theory of vehicle emissions interdependencies and the empirical framework for testing the hypothesis of the thesis. The scope of testing the hypothesis of the thesis is only limited to gasoline-fuelled conventional vehicles in the urban transport environment. We use already available laboratory-based testing dataset of 542 passenger vehicles, to investigate the hypothesis of the thesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. HC, CO, and NOX emissions were collected under six test drive-cycles, for each vehicle before and after vehicles were tuned. Prior to using any application, we transform the raw dataset into actionable information. We use three steps, namely conversion, cleaning, and screening, to process the data. We use classification and regression trees (CART) to narrow down the input number of variables in the models formulated for investigating the hypothesis of the thesis. We then, utilise initial results of the analysis to fix any remaining problems in the data. We employ three stage least squares (3SLS) regression to test the hypothesis of the thesis, and to estimate the maximum likelihood of vehicle variables and other emissions to influence HC, CO, and NOX emissions simultaneously. We estimate twelve models, each of which consists of a system of three simulations equations that accounts for the endogenous relations between HC, CO and NOX emissions when estimating vehicle emissions simultaneously under each test drive-cycle. The major contribution of the thesis is to investigate the inter-correlations between vehicle emissions within a well controlled data set, and to test the hypothesis of vehicle emissions interdependencies. We find that HC, CO, and NOX are endogenously or jointly dependent in a system of simultaneous-equations. The results of the analysis demonstrate that there is strong evidence against the null hypothesis (H0) in favour of the alternative hypothesis (H1) that HC, CO, and NOX are statistically significantly interdependent. We find, for the thesis sample, that NOX and CO are negatively related, whereas HC and CO emissions are positively related, and HC and NOX are positively related. The results of the thesis yield new insights. They bridge a very important gap in the current knowledge on vehicle emissions. They advance not only our current knowledge that HC, CO, and NOX should be predicted jointly since they are produced jointly, but also acknowledge the appropriateness of using 3SLS regression for estimating vehicle emissions simultaneously. The thesis measures the responses of emissions to changes with respect to changes in the other emissions. We investigate emission responses to a one percent increase in an emission with respect to the other emissions. We find the relationship between CO and NOX is of special interest. After vehicles were tuned, we find those vehicles that exhibit a one percent increase in NOX exhibit simultaneously a 0.35 percent average decrease in CO. Similarly, we find that vehicles which exhibit a one percent increase in CO exhibit simultaneously a 0.22 percent average decrease in NOX. We find that the responses of emission to changes with respect to other emissions vary with various test drive-cycles. Nonetheless, a band of upper and lower limits contains these variations. After vehicle tuning, a one percent increase in HC is associated with an increase in NOX between 0.5 percent and 0.8 percent, and an increase in CO between 0.5 percent and one percent Also, for post-tuning vehicles, a one percent increase in CO is associated with an increase in HC between 0.4 percent and 0.9 percent, and a decrease in NOX between 0.07 percent and 0.32 percent. Moreover, a one percent increase in NOX is associated with increase in HC between 0.8 percent and 1.3 percent, and a decrease in CO between 0.02 percent and 0.7 percent. These measures of the responses are very important derivatives of the hypothesis investigated in the thesis. They estimate the impacts of traffic management schemes and vehicle operations that target reducing one emission, on the other non-targeted emissions. However, we must be cautious in extending the results of the thesis to the modern vehicles fleet. The modern fleet differs significantly in technology from the dataset that we use in this thesis. The dataset consists of measurements of HC, CO, and NOX emissions for 542 gasoline-fuelled passenger vehicles, under six test drive-cycles, before and after the vehicles were tuned. Nevertheless, the dataset has a number of limitations such as limited model year range, limited representations of modal operations, and limitations of the measurements of emissions based only on averages of test drive-cycles, in addition to the exclusion of high-emitter emission measurements from the dataset. The dataset has a limited model year range, i.e., between 1980 and 1991. We highlight the age of the dataset, and acknowledge that the present vehicle fleet varies technologically from the vehicles in the dataset used in this thesis. Furthermore, the dataset has a limited number of makes - Holden, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi. There are also a limited number of modal operations. The model operations presented in the dataset are cold start, warming-up, and hot stabilised driving conditions. However, enrichment episodes are not adequately presented in the test-drive cycles of the dataset. Moreover, the dataset does not take into account driving behaviour influences, and all measurements are cycle-based averages. The emission measurements of laboratory-based testings are aggregated over a test drive cycle, and the test drive-cycle represents an average trip over an average speed. The exclusion of the measurements of high emitting vehicles from the dataset introduces further limitations. Remote sensing studies show that 20 percent of the on-road vehicle fleet is responsible for 80 percent of HC and CO emissions. The findings of the thesis assist in the identification of the best strategies to mitigate the most adverse effects of air-pollution, such as the most severe pollution that have the most undesirable pollution effects. Also, they provide decision-makers with valuable information on how changes in the operation of the transport system influence the urban air-quality. Moreover, the thesis provides information on how vehicle emissions affect the chemistry of the atmosphere and degrade the urban air-quality.

Les réglementations sur les NOx émis par les avions sont sévères. Les techniques les réduisant ont des inconvénients. Pour les supprimer, deux pistes sont explorées. La première modifie l'architecture des chambres de combustion et les stabilise par une cavité. La seconde dope le kérosène au ralenti.Peu d'information est disponible sur les mécanismes de stabilisation et sur la structure de flamme des Trapped Vortex Combustor. Pour y remédier, un TVC est construit. L'étude de l'écoulement à froid ainsi que l'étude temporellement résolue de la flamme, mettent en avant les éléments stabilisateurs et déstabilisateurs. L'impact de la structure de flamme sur les émissions est évalué.La seconde partie porte sur l'effet de l'ajout d'hydrogène et de gaz de reformeur dans une chambre conventionnelle. Malgré une légère augmentation des émissions de NOx, l'ajout de composés hydrogénés réduit fortement les émissions de CO, augmente la stabilité et réduit la limite d'extinction pauvre. / Environmental standards on aircraff NOx emissions are strict. Technics for reducing them have drawbacks. Two options are explored in this study to supress them. The first one is to fundamentally change the current combustion chamber architecture, to stabilize them by a cavity, the second, to dope fuel at idle.Little information on the mechanisms of stabilization and on the flame structure on Trapped Vortex Combustor is available. To remedy this, a TVC is built. The stabilizing ans destabilizing parameters are pointed out by the cold flow investigation and the temporally resolved study of the combustion. The impact of the flame structure on pollutant emissions is also considered.The second part of this stud, deals with the addition of pure hydrogen an of reformer gas in a conventional combustuion chamber. Despite a slight increase in NOx emissions, the addition of hydrogenated compounds reduces drastically CO emissions, increases the flame stability and reduces the LBO limit.

[ES] Las actuales y futuras normativas, en términos de emisiones contaminantes y movilidad sostenible, continuarán fijando una difícil etapa para el desarrollo y mejoramiento de los motores de combustión interna alternativos (MCIA). Los nuevos parámetros conocidos como, emisiones reales de conducción, los cambios de altitud y las condiciones extremas de operación a bajas temperaturas, son los mayores desafíos para cumplir bajo estas nuevas normativas. Por esta razón, la academia y los fabricantes de la industria de la automoción continúan trabajando en colaboración, tratando de desarrollar más eficientes y menos contaminantes sistemas de propulsión. En este trabajo experimental de investigación, los principales resultados de un proyecto de colaboración llevado a cabo entre la empresa Valeo Systèmes Thermiques y la Universitat Poltècnica de València son presentados. La recirculación de gases de escape, en sus dos configuraciones, de alta y de baja presión, y la desactivación de cilindros, son las principales estrategias que se estudiarán en este trabajo, debido a su alto potencial y su bajo costo de implementación. Estas estrategias son evaluadas en un motor Diesel, instalado en una cámara de ensayos climática y operando a bajas temperaturas ambiente (-7°C). La primera estrategia, es la activación de la EGR de alta presión desde el inicio de un arranque de motor y el desarrollo de un modelo de condensación simple capaz de predecir si hay o no condensación dentro de la línea de EGR bajo estas condiciones. En particular, el ratio de humedad y las condiciones internas del motor que caracterizan la aparición de este fenómeno son calculadas por el modelo. Este modelo es validado por medio de cámaras instaladas en el rail de EGR con el objetivo de visualizar la evolución de la condensación dentro de los componentes. El ratio de humedad calculado y el comportamiento de la condensación observado a través de las cámaras, muestran que durante un arranque de motor en frío, las condiciones de condensación en los gases están presentes hasta que se alcanzan aproximadamente 50°C, mientras que en las paredes sólidas y en los componentes, las condiciones se mantienen hasta que se alcanzan aproximadamente 30°C. En la segunda estrategia, una nueva línea de EGR compacta, equipada con un sistema de bypass para el intercambiador de calor es usada con el objetivo de acelerar el proceso de calentamiento del motor en comparación a la línea de EGR de baja presión original del motor. El objeto de esta estrategia es evaluar el impacto en el comportamiento del motor de realizar EGR de baja presión a bajas temperaturas con la activación del sistema de bypass para deshabilitar el intercambiador de calor. Siguiendo esta estrategia, una notable reducción en emisiones de NOx de aproximadamente 60% con respecto a un caso de referencia sin activación de la EGR de baja presión es lograda. Además, el proceso de calentamiento del motor ha sido reducido en aproximadamente 60 segundos y la temperatura de admisión del motor ha sido aumentada en 30°C, liderando una reducción en las emisiones de CO de aproximadamente 12%. En la tercera estrategia, el impacto de usar una nueva configuración de la desactivación de cilindros con el propósito de acelerar el proceso de calentamiento del motor es evaluada. Los resultados muestran un incremento en la temperatura de escape de alrededor de 100°C, el cual permite reducir la activación del catalizador en 250 segundos además de reducir el proceso de calentamiento del motor en aproximadamente 120 segundos. Esto permite reducir las emisiones de CO y HC en un 70% y 50%, respectivamente. Y finalmente, la última estrategia experimental realizada, evalúa el impacto de usar la EGR de alta presión mientras el filtro de partículas está en el modo activo de regeneración. Siguiendo esta posible condición de calibración de motor, una reducción en emisiones de NOx de aproximadamente 50% con respecto a un caso de referencia ha sido alcanzada. / [CA] Les actuals i futures normatives, en termes d'emissions contaminants i mobilitat sostenible, continuaran fixant una difícil etapa per al desenvolupament i millorament dels motors de combustió interna alternatius (MCIA). Els nous paràmetres coneguts com, emissions reals de conducció, els canvis d'altitud i les condicions extremes d'operació a baixes temperatures, són els majors desafiaments per a complir les noves normatives. Per aquesta raó, l'acadèmia i els fabricants de la indústria de l'automoció continuen treballant en col·laboració, tractant de desenvolupar més eficients i menys contaminants sistemes de propulsió. En aquest treball experimental d'investigació, es presenten els principals resultats d'un projecte de col·laboració dut a terme entre l'empresa Valeo Systèmes Thermiques i la Universitat Politècnica de València. La recirculació de gasos del motor, en les seues dues configuracions, d'alta i de baixa pressió, i la desactivació de cilindres, són les principals estratègies que s'estudiaran en aquest treball, a causa del seu alt potencial i el seu baix cost d'implementació. Aquestes estratègies són avaluades en un motor Dièsel, instal·lat en una cambra d'assajos climàtica i operant a baixes temperatures ambient (-7 °C). La primera estratègia, és l'activació de la EGR d'alta pressió des de l'inici d'una arrancada de motor i el desenvolupament d'un model de condensació simple capaç de predir si hi ha o no condensació dins de la línia de EGR. En particular, el ràtio d'humitat i les condicions internes del motor que caracteritzen l'aparició d'aquest fenomen són calculades pel model. Aquest model és validat per mitjà de càmeres instal·lades a el rail de EGR amb l'objectiu de visualitzar l'evolució de la condensació dins dels components. El ràtio d'humitat calculat i el comportament de la condensació observat a través de les càmeres, mostren que durant una arrancada de motor en fred, les condicions de condensació en els gasos són presents fins que s'aconsegueixen aproximadament 50 °C, mentre que a les parets i als components, les condicions es mantenen fins que s'aconsegueixen aproximadament 30 °C. En la segona estratègia, una nova línia de EGR compacta, equipada amb un sistema de bypass per a l'intercanviador de calor és usada amb l'objectiu d'accelerar el procés de calfament del motor en comparació a la línia de EGR de baixa pressió original del motor. L'objecte d'aquesta estratègia és avaluar l'impacte en el comportament del motor de realitzar EGR de baixa pressió a baixes temperatures amb l'activació del sistema de bypass per a evitar l'intercanviador de calor. Seguint aquesta estratègia, s'aconsegueix una notable reducció en emissions de NOx d'aproximadament 60% respecte a un cas de referència sense activació de la EGR de baixa pressió. A més, el procés de calfament del motor ha sigut reduït en aproximadament 60 segons i la temperatura d'admissió del motor ha sigut augmentada en 30 °C, produint una reducció en les emissions de CO d'aproximadament 12%. Per a la tercera estratègia, és avaluat l'impacte d'usar una nova configuració de la desactivació de cilindres amb el propòsit d'accelerar el procés de calfament del motor. Els resultats mostren un increment a la temperatura dels gasos de al voltant de 100 °C, el qual permet reduir l'activació del catalitzador en 250 segons a més de reduir el procés de calfament del motor en aproximadament 120 segons. Això permet reduir les emissions de CO i HC en un 70% i 50%, respectivament. Finalment, l'última estratègia experimental realitzada, avalua l'impacte d'usar la EGR d'alta pressió mentre el filtre de partícules està en la manera activa de regeneració. Seguint aquesta possible condició de calibratge de motor, ha sigut aconseguida una reducció en emissions de NOx d'aproximadament 50% respecte a un cas de referència sense activar la EGR d'alta pressió. / [EN] Current and future legislations, regarding pollutant emissions reduction and green mobility, will continue fixing a difficult stage for the development and improvement of internal combustions engines (ICEs). The Real Driving Emissions (RDE) parameters, the changes of altitude, and the extreme ambient temperature conditions in operation, are the major challenges to fulfill under these new legislations. By these reason, academy and automotive manufacturers continue working in collaboration, trying to develop more efficient and less polluting powertrains. In this experimental research work, the main results of a collaboration project between the private company Valeo Systèmes Thermiques and the Universitat Poltècnica de València are presented. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), in both configurations, high-pressure and low-pressure, and Cylinder Deactivation (CDA), are the main strategies studied in this work due to its high potential and low-cost implementation. These strategies are evaluated in a Light-duty Diesel engine, fitted in a climatic test bench and operating under low ambient temperature (-7ºC). The first strategy is the High-pressure EGR activation from the beginning of the engine start and the development of a simple condensation model able to predict whether or not there is condensation inside the EGR line under these conditions. In particular, the humidity ratio and the internal engine conditions that characterize the appearance of this phenomenon are estimated by the model. This model is validated by means of cameras fitted on the EGR rail in order to visualize the condensation evolution. The humidity ratio estimate and the condensation behavior observed through the cameras, shows that during an engine cold start, condensation conditions in the gases are present until reach approximately 50ºC, while in solid walls and components, the conditions remains until reach approximately 30ºC. In the second strategy, a new compact line fitted with a bypass system for the cooler is used with the aim of accelerating the engine warm-up process as compared to the original low-pressure EGR line. The aim of this strategy is to evaluate the impact on the engine behavior of performing Low-pressure EGR at cold conditions and to activate the bypass system in order to disable the cooler. Following this strategy, a noticeable NOx emissions reduction of approximately 60% with respect to a reference case without low-pressure EGR has been achieved. In addition, the engine warm-up process has been reduced in approximately 60 seconds and the engine intake temperature has been increased 30ºC, leading a CO emissions reduction of approximately 12%. In the third strategy, the impact of using a new cylinder deactivation configuration with the aim of improving the engine warm-up process is evaluated. The results show an increase of the exhaust temperatures of around 100ºC, which allows to reduce the diesel oxidation catalyst light-off by 250 seconds besides of reducing the engine warm-up process in approximately 120 seconds. This allows to reduce the CO and HC emissions by 70% and 50%, respectively. And finally, the last experimental strategy evaluates the impact of using the high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation while the diesel particulate filter is under active regeneration mode. Following these possible engine calibration conditions, a NOx emissions reduction of approximately 50% with respect to a reference case without high-pressure EGR during a DPF regeneration process has been achieved. / Miguel Ángel Bernal Maldonado has been partially supported through contract FPI-S1-2017-2377 of "Programa de Ayudas de Investigación y Desarrollo (PAID-01-17) de la Universitat Politècnica de València". The support of Valeo Systèmes Thermiques through projects CN-2016-99 and CN-2018-08 is also greatly acknowledged. / Bernal Maldonado, MÁ. (2023). Study of Different Strategies to Improve the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) Operating at Cold Conditions [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/192652

The subject of this study is the effect of in-cylinder selective non-catalytic reduction (SNCR) of NOx emissions in diesel exhaust gas by means of direct injection of aqueous urea ((NH2)2CO) into the combustion chamber. A single cylinder diesel test engine was modified to accept an electronically controlled secondary common rail injection system to deliver the aqueous urea directly into the cylinder during engine operation. Direct in-cylinder injection was chosen in order to ensure precise delivery of the reducing agent without the risk of any premature reactions taking place. Unlike direct in-cylinder injection of neat water, aqueous urea also works as a reducing agent by breaking down into ammonia (NH3) and Cyanuric Acid ((HOCN)3). These compounds serve as the primary reducing agents in the NOx reduction mechanism explored here. The main reducing agent, aqueous urea, was admixed with glycerol (C3H8O3) in an 80-20 ratio, by weight, to function as a lubricant for the secondary injector. The aqueous urea injection timing and duration is critical to the reduction of NOx emissions due to the dependence of SNCR NOx reduction on critical factors such as temperature, pressure, reducing agent to NOx ratio, Oxygen and radical content, residence time and NH3 slip. From scoping engine tests at loads of 40 percent and 80 percent at 1500 rpm, an aqueous urea injection strategy was developed. The final injection strategy chosen was four molar ratios, 4.0, 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5 with five varying injection timings of 60, 20, 10, 0, and -30 degrees after top dead center (ATDC). In addition to the base line and aqueous urea tests, water injection and an 80-20 water-glycerol solution reduction agent tests were also conducted to compare the effects of said additives as well. The comparison of baseline and SNCR operation was expected to show that the urea acted as a reducing agent, lowering NOx emissions up to 100% (based on exhaust stream studies) in the diesel exhaust gas without the aid of a catalyst. The data collected from the engine tests showed that the aqueous urea-glycerol solution secondary had no effect on the reduction of NOx and even resulted in an increase of up to 5% in some tests. This was due to the low average in-cylinder temperature as well as a short residence time, prohibiting the reduction reaction from taking place. The neat water and water-glycerol solution secondary injection was found to have a reduction effect of up to 59% on NOx production in the emissions due to the evaporative cooling effect and increased heat capacity of the water.