Thanks to Continental’s advanced new AdBlue dosing system, a premium German manufacturer has been able to achieve extremely low NOx emissions levels. In a recently conducted test, the new model fell below the applicable limit for lab tests of 80mg/km on the road, by almost 50%.
The four-cylinder diesel engine uses SCR technology for its exhaust-gas aftertreatment, during which process an injector adds the AdBlue urea to the exhaust pipe, thus triggering a chemical process SCR in the catalytic converter. The result is a significant reduction in nitrogen-oxide emissions.
“We are delighted to have been able to play our part in developing these pioneering new engine families. The latest test results in real driving conditions clearly show that diesel technology and its low carbon dioxide emissions can play an important role in reducing greenhouse gases, when combined with effective exhaust-gas aftertreatment,” said Wolfgang Breuer, head of the engine systems business unit in the Continental powertrain division.
Continental supplies the complete AdBlue dosing system for the new engine family. Its main components are the injector, a tank flange module, which includes the pump, as well as its own electronic control unit. This electronic control unit, which is coupled with the engine control unit, not only controls the injector, it also regulates the pump pressure and diagnoses the fill level of the AdBlue tank, for example.
“This model is one of the first systems on the car market to measure the urea concentration of the fluid in the AdBlue tank. With the help of the urea concentration sensor on the tank flange module, the system detects whether the tank has been filled with water or a solution with a concentration that is too low,” added Dr Markus Distelhoff, head of business unit fuel and exhaust management, powertrain division.
Here, the SCR system is not in the underbody area, it is placed directly on the engine instead, to ensure optimum operating temperatures for the exhaust-gas aftertreatment. This also means that the injector must be designed to handle ambient temperatures of 200°C and above, which is where the first water-cooled AdBlue injection valve from Continental comes into play. The dosing system is also protected against the cold. Because the urea solution freezes at temperatures below -11°C, the tank flange module and the injector are connected by a heatable line, which is also available from the Continental ContiTech division.
December 9, 2016