Effects of Cooled EGR on a Small Displacement Diesel Engine: A Reduced-Order Dynamic Model and Experimental Study

Diesel engines are critical in fulfilling transportation and mechanical/electrical power generation needs throughout the world. The engine’s combustion by-products spawn health and environmental concerns, so there is a responsibility to develop emission reduction strategies. However, difficulties arise since the minimization of one pollutant often bears undesirable side effects. Although legislated standards have promoted successful emission reduction strategies for larger engines, developments in smaller displacement engines has not progressed in a similar fashion. In this paper, a reduced-order dynamic model is presented and experimentally validated to demonstrate the use of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to alleviate the tradeoff between oxides of nitrogen reduction and performance preservation in a small displacement diesel engine. EGR is an effective method for internal combustion engine oxides of nitrogen $(NOx)$ reduction, but its thermal throttling diminishes power efficiency. The capacity to cool exhaust gases prior to merging with intake air may achieve the desired pollutant effect while minimizing engine performance losses. Representative numerical results were validated with experimental data for a variety of speed, load, and EGR testing scenarios using a $0.697l$ three-cylinder diesel engine equipped with cooled EGR. Simulation and experimental results showed a 16% drop in $NOx$ emissions using EGR, but experienced a 7% loss in engine torque. However, the use of cooled EGR realized a 23% $NOx$ reduction while maintaining a smaller performance compromise. The concurrence between simulated and experimental trends establishes the simplified model as a predictive tool for diesel engine performance and emission studies. Further, the presented model may be considered in future control algorithms to optimize engine performance and thermal and emission characteristics.