Control Oriented Modeling of a Diesel Active Lean NOx Catalyst Aftertreatment System

Abstract

The 2004 Federal Tier II and California LEV I emission standards for diesel light trucks mandate tailpipe NOx levels of 0.6g∕mi. Active lean NOx catalysts (ALNC or LNC) have been proposed as a means to achieve this standard. These catalysts require the delivery of supplemental hydrocarbons in order to reduce NOx in the lean environment typical of diesel exhaust. In the system studied here, these additional hydrocarbons are injected into the exhaust system downstream of the turbocharger. A control-oriented, gray-box mathematical model is developed for diesel active lean NOx catalysts. The model represents the phenomena relevant to NOx reduction and HC consumption, namely, the catalyst chemical reactions, HC storage in the ALNC, and heat transfer behavior on the basis of an individual exhaust element. As an illustration of how the model may be used, dynamic programing is applied to determine the optimal trade-off of NOx conversion efficiency versus quantity of injected hydrocarbons.