The use of biodiesel blends has the potential to result in many benefits including decreased reliance on imported petroleum, increased sustainability, decreased net carbon dioxide emissions, and decreased particulate matter emissions. There are, however, two major combustion-related challenges to the use of biodiesel blends: (1) decreased torque/power capacity and (2) increased emissions of nitrogen oxides. The work presented in this paper demonstrates that both of these challenges can be met through the use of a physically based fuel-flexible combustion control strategy. The approach consists of two parts: estimation, whereby the engine control module (ECM) detects the biodiesel blend fraction being supplied to the engine, and accommodation, whereby the ECM dynamically changes the control setpoints in order to improve the combustion performance. The proposed control method utilizes only stock engine hardware and does not require the creation of new ECM lookup maps. The proposed framework is incorporated into an already complex engine control system, and as such, it must be ensured that the stability of the overall system is not detrimentally affected. A formal stability analysis is outlined which demonstrates that the engine control system will remain stable. Experimental validation of this control strategy on a 2007 6.7 liter Cummins ISB series engine at several very different operating modes shows that this fuel-flexible control strategy greatly reduced or completely eliminated increases in emissions of nitrogen oxides of up to 30% while largely maintaining the torque/power capacity of the engine when operating with biodiesel.
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November 2013
Research-Article
Fuel-Flexible Engine Control of Biodiesel Blends During Mixing-Controlled Combustion
Gayatri H. Adi,
Carrie M. Hall,
Carrie M. Hall
1
e-mail: hallcm@purdue.edu
School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
,School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907
1Corresponding author.
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Bryan W. D. Belt,
Gregory M. Shaver
Gregory M. Shaver
e-mail: gshaver@purdue.edu
School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
,School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Search for other works by this author on:
Gayatri H. Adi
e-mail: gayatri.adi@cummins.com
Carrie M. Hall
e-mail: hallcm@purdue.edu
School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
,School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907
David B. Snyder
Bryan W. D. Belt
e-mail: bbelt@purdue.edu
Gregory M. Shaver
e-mail: gshaver@purdue.edu
School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
Ray W. Herrick Laboratories
,School of Mechanical Engineering,
Purdue University,
West Lafayette, IN 47907
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Dynamic Systems Division of ASME for publication in the Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement, and Control. Manuscript received July 15, 2011; final manuscript received November 19, 2012; published online August 30, 2013. Assoc. Editor: Xubin Song.
J. Dyn. Sys., Meas., Control. Nov 2013, 135(6): 061017 (15 pages)
Published Online: August 30, 2013
Article history
Received:
July 15, 2011
Revision Received:
November 19, 2012
Citation
Adi, G. H., Hall, C. M., Snyder, D. B., Belt, B. W. D., and Shaver, G. M. (August 30, 2013). "Fuel-Flexible Engine Control of Biodiesel Blends During Mixing-Controlled Combustion." ASME. J. Dyn. Sys., Meas., Control. November 2013; 135(6): 061017. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4023299
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