Effect of LP-EGR on the Emission Characteristics of GDI Engine

Abstract

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) can improve the fuel economy of gasoline direct-injection (GDI) engines, but at the same time it will have a significant impact on emissions. In this paper, the effects of low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (LP-EGR) and its rate on the main gaseous and particulate emission characteristic of a GDI engine were investigated. The results showed that the particle size distribution of the GDI engine presented bimodal peaks in nucleation and accumulation mode, and the nucleation mode particles comprised the vast majority of the total particles. The effect of LP-EGR on emissions depended on the engine conditions. At low and medium speed, the particle emissions increased with the increase in the EGR rate, while at high speed, a reduction in the particle emission was observed. When the engine operated in full load condition, an increase in the EGR rate reduced the particle number (PN) concentration significantly, but increased the particle mass (PM) concentration. In terms of the gaseous emission, the EGR could reduce as much as 80% of the NOx emission; however, the total hydrocarbons (THC) emission presented an increased trend, and the maximum increase reached 23.5%. At low and medium loads, the EGR could reduce the CO emission, but at high load, the CO emission worsened with the EGR.