Diesel air path control using pressure difference: Pumping loss and aging considerations

Abstract

Pressure difference across the exhaust and intake manifolds ([Formula: see text] P) is a crucial variable to control the pumping loss and cylinder charge dilution through the exhaust gas recirculation in a diesel engine. This paper presents a novel architecture for controlling [Formula: see text] P and the engine-out NO x emissions, which increases the controller tolerance to engine components aging. The architecture has an internal control loop, designed as a two-input two-output controller, to coordinate the exhaust gas recirculation and variable geometry turbine valves. Using feedback from [Formula: see text] P and the estimated cylinder oxygen ratio [Formula: see text] cyl, the two-input two-output controller regulates the pumping loss and the engine NO x emissions. To reduce high turbo lag and its associated slow air–fuel ratio ([Formula: see text]) response, which are inherent features of a [Formula: see text] P-based control strategy, the two-input two-output linear quadratic controller is tuned such that [Formula: see text] is also regulated, but only during fast transients. An external loop is supplementing the core two-input two-output controller correcting the internal loop set points to reduce the effects of [Formula: see text] cyl estimation errors on NO x control and ensure [Formula: see text] stays above a minimum value, [Formula: see text] min, critical for smoke emissions. As a feature of the proposed control system, direct feedback from [Formula: see text] P increases pumping loss robustness to common degradation in diesel engines, namely, turbine efficiency and diesel particulate filter blockage due to ash deposit, compared to a conventional boost pressure–based controller. Also, it is shown that the input–output coupling structure of the proposed two-input two-output controller and use of the NO x feedback mitigate effects of exhaust gas recirculation fouling and associated exhaust gas recirculation valve saturation on increase in NO x emission.