EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF IC ENGINES

Air Pollution Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms Air pollution, or damages the natural environment, into the atmosphere. Health hazards Lung problems Cancer Irritations heart attacks asthma

Types of engine emissions Exhaust emissions Unburnt hydrocarbons (HC) Oxides of carbon (CO,CO2) Oxides of nitrogen(NO,NO2) Oxides of sulphur(SO2,SO3) Particulates Soot and smoke

Other pollutants Aldehydes , lead, phosphorus Non-exhaust emissions Emissions from fuel tank Emissions from carburetor Blow-by gases and fuel vapors from crankcase Hydrocarbons (HC) Hydrocarbon emission consists of some unburnt part of fuel (nearly 40%) and partially reacted components (60%) not present in original fuel. For SI engines, exhaust gases contain up to 6000 ppm or 1-1.15% of fuel. Their emission is strong function of equivalence ratio. Higher its value (ie richer fuel) more unburnt fuel so more amount of emissions. Emissions are high during starting and accelerating when mixture is richer

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES. Too lean mixture also results in incomplete combustion so higher HC emissions Causes of HC emissions Incomplete combustion Crevice volumes and flow in crevices Leakage past the exhaust valve Valve overlap Deposition on walls Oil on combustion chamber walls

Incomplete combustion Improper mixing: Due improper mixing or lack of swirl fuel particles do not find enough oxygen to react Flame quenching: As the flame goes close to the walls it gets quenched at the walls leaving unburnt fuel Expansion of gases in power stroke retards combustion which causes HC emissions High exhaust gas contamination also results in flame quenching at low loads and idle conditions This problem can be solved by using multiple spark plugs at appropriate locations and restricting bore and stroke of combustion chamber Exhaust valve leakage High pressure during compression and combustion, causes mixture to escape around exhaust valve and between the valve and valve seat When the exhaust valve opens , fuel in crevice volumes gets carried into exhaust manifold This does not contribute much towards pollution (nearly 2-3 %) Valve overlap Valve overlap is generally kept to ensure complete combustion and proper scavenging During valve overlap both intake and exhaust valve are simultaneously open, which can cause some fresh charge to directly escape with the exhaust As valve overlap is in terms of crank angles, overlap time in milliseconds is high during low speed and idle Thus effect on pollution is most severe in these conditions Properly located intake and exhaust valves can minimize this type of pollution Absorption due to deposits on wall Fuel and other gas particles get absorbed by the deposits on walls of combustion chamber This absorption is a function of gas pressure

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES. As pressure is high during compression and combustion , rate of absorption is high Later in the cycle as exhaust valve opens, pressure is reduced, so the gas particles (including HC) are desorbed back to the cylinder. These gases come out with exhaust and cause pollution High compression ratios cause more pollution Some additives when used with fuel reduce deposit build-up in engines High swirl also helps in keeping deposits to a minimum OXIDES OF NITROGEN (NOX) Exhaust gases of an engine has up to 2000 ppm of oxides of nitrogen (mostly NO with small amounts of NO2). Oxides of nitrogen can be represented as NO X, where, X-some suitable no. Sources for formation of NOX : 1) Mostly from N2 in air. 2) Fuel which contains N2 and trace amounts of NH 3, NC, HCN. Some reactions that occur during combustion and immediately after it are: O + N2 NO + N N + O2 N + OH NO + O NO + H

NO, in turn, forms NO2 : NO + H2O NO2 + H2 NO2 + O

NO + O 2

In the temperature range of 2500-3000 K which prevails in the combustion chamber of an engine , some diatomic nitrogen (N 2) (which is stable at low temperatures) breaks down to mono-atomic nitrogen (N): N2 2N Other gases that contribute to formation of NO X at high temperatures are O2 and water vapor. O2 2O H 2O OH + H2

Chemical kinetics show that, higher the combustion reaction temperature, the more N2 will dissociate to N, and more NOX will be formed

Other pollutants
Aldehydes , lead, phosphorus.

Unleaded gas Removing the lead from gasoline has two nasty side-effects: running unleaded gas can be unhealthy for older cars (before about 1973) without hardened valve seats, and it reduces the effective octane of the gas. Over time, new

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

compositions have helped to raise octane, and other additives allow classic car owners to keep their engines healthy.
The problems of unleaded gas are completely wiped out by the health benefits, namely:

The amount of lead in the air has been dramatically reduced, particularly in urban areas. Even small amounts of lead can cause mental retardation in children, and physical illness in children and adults. Having unleaded gas allows us to use catalytic converters, which convert all sorts of nasties into carbon dioxide and water.

Emissions in SI engine
o

Emissions in CI engines.

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

Engine Modification Related to Emission Control

Reduce Quench Areas in the Combustion Chambers Lower HC and CO emissions. Quench areas- movement of piston too close to the cylinder head. If too close, it tends to quench (put out) combustion and increase emissions

due to unburned fuel. Smaller Combustion Chamber Surface Volume Reduce HC emissions. Lowers the amount of heat dissipation out of the fuel mixture. Reduce the chance of fuel condensation.

Lower Compression Ratios Use of unleaded gasoline that permits use of catalytic converters and burns completely to lower HC emissions. Lower combustion temperature = Lower NOx emissions.

Engine Emissions Control Systems. 1.EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation)

This system was introduced in the early 1970s. The EGR valve directs exhaust gas from the exhaust passage into the intake manifold. EGR reduces emissions and may increase gas mileage slightly; some vehicles shut off EGR during wideopen throttle in order to avoid having it interfere with power.

The purpose of EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) is to reduce the NOx emissions. Air is mainly made of oxygen and nitrogen (O2 and N2). At temperatures above 1300C , these molecules split apart and rejoin with each other to make

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

nitrogen oxides (like NO, NO2, etc...). The nitrogen oxides contribute to smog formation. EGR puts a portion of the exhaust gas back into the intake manifold, so it mixes with the fuel and air. (Note that the exhaust adds to the fuel and air; it doesnt replace any of it). The added mass in the cylinder is harder to heat up, so the combustion events have lower peak temperatures. The lower temperatures prevent the O2 and N2 from splitting and combining. Even though the exhaust is hot, about 600C, it's much cooler than the 1300C required to make NOx. In summary, the exhaust adds mass, increasing the heat capacitance of the mixture (i.e. making it harder to heat up the mixture in the cylinder). Peak temperatures are lower, reducing NOx formation, which ultimately reduces smog in the environment. The reason EGR improves fuel economy is because it reduces the engine's pumping losses. For the cylinder to move down on the intake stroke, the piston is working against the intake manifold vacuum. Another way to say it is that the vacuum above the piston tries to prevent the piston from going down. EGR increases the mass in the intake; more mass means higher pressure, or less vacuum. Now the piston has less resistance during each intake stroke, which results in better gas mileage.

2.Catalytic converter
The catalytic converter is a fairly simple device, based on the fact that some chemical reactions will take place at lower temperatures when certain materials are around. In short, having exhaust gases pass through a honeycomb of iridium, platinum, palladium, alumina and other metals will cause unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide to burn, producing carbon dioxide and water. The catalytic converter is one of the most effective pollution prevention devices.

The main problem with catalytic converters is that they are destroyed by lead, which coats the metals and prevents them from working. (They can also get clogged, though this is fairly unusual).

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

3.Air injection
One of the first-developed exhaust emission control systems is secondary air injection. Originally, this system was used to inject air into the engine's exhaust ports to provide oxygen so unburned and partially-burned hydrocarbons in the exhaust would finish burning. Air injection is now used to support the converters oxidation reaction, and to reduce emissions when an engine is started from cold. After a cold start, an engine needs a fuel-air mixture richer than what it needs at operating temperature, and the catalytic converter does not function efficiently until it has reached its own operating temperature. The air injected upstream of the converter supports combustion in the exhaust head pipe, which speeds catalyst warm up and reduces the amount of unburned hydrocarbon emitted from the tailpipe.

4.PCV (Positive Crankcase ventilation system)

This system draws air into the engine through the oil filler cap or the air cleaner and circulates it through the engine. The air combines with vapors in the crankcase and exits the engine through a metering valve mounted in the rocker arm cover. The air vapor mixture than re-enters the engine through the intake manifold and passes the combustion chamber where it is burned. PCV is absolutely a good system and should never be removed; but do check the PCV valve and hoses from time to time, and use a good quality replacement valve when needed.

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

Evaporative emissions control Evaporative emissions are the result of gasoline vapors escaping from the vehicle's fuel system. Since 1971, vehicles have had fully sealed fuel systems that do not vent directly to the atmosphere; mandates for systems of this type appeared contemporaneously in other jurisdictions. In a typical system, vapors from the fuel tank and carburetor bowl vent (on carbureted vehicles) are ducted to canisters containing activated carbon. The vapors are adsorbed within the canister, and during certain engine operational modes fresh air is drawn through the canister, pulling the vapor into the engine, where it burns.

EMISSIONS AND CONTROL OF I.C.ENGINES.

REFERENCES Internal Combustion Engines by V Ganesan www.howstuffworks.com www.dieselnet.in www.auto101.com www.wikipedia.com Mathur & Sharma.; Internal Combustion Engine.