Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Patrick G Szymkowicz

Frederic Anton Matekunas

Paul Anthony Battiston

Anupam Gangopadhyay

Alexander Knafl

Nancy L Johnson

Alan L Browne

Ibrahim Haskara

Alok Warey

Yuntao Gu

Sandro R Balestrino

Mingjie Tu

Calvin Thomas

Anthony B LaConti

Arun S Solomon

Roger B Krieger

Norman Dale Brinkman

Paul J Childs

Richard C Peterson

David L Hilden

Keith D Patch

David R Monroe

Ronald M Otto

Wei Li

Arjun D Tuteja

Xiaobin Li

An exhaust gas treatment system including: an internal combustion engine comprising an exhaust gas outlet; a first three way catalyst downstream of the exhaust gas outlet, wherein the first three way catalyst receives an exhaust output from the exhaust gas outlet; a hydrocarbon trap downstream of the first three way catalyst, wherein the hydrocarbon trap receives an exhaust output from the first three way catalyst; an exhaust heating unit downstream of the hydrocarbon trap, wherein the exhaust heating unit receives an exhaust output from the hydrocarbon trap; and a second three way catalyst downstream of the exhaust heating unit, wherein the second three way catalyst receives an exhaust output from the heating unit, wherein an air injection port is configured to selectively deliver a stream of air upstream of the hydrocarbon trap and downstream of the first three way catalyst.

Exhaust gas treatment system for controlling hydrocarbon adsorption/desorption in hydrocarbon trap

An exhaust system includes a light-off catalyst, an exhaust system component, and at least one HO trap. The exhaust system component is upstream from the light-off catalyst and includes catalyst material, the catalyst material configured to store hydrocarbons during a period when the light-off catalyst is warming up to a light-off temperature. The at least one HO trap is at or upstream from the exhaust system component and is configured to perform HO adsorption and desorption to increase a length of time for the exhaust system component to reach a hydrocarbon release temperature and prevent the exhaust system component from reaching the hydrocarbon release temperature prior to the light-off catalyst reaching the light-off temperature.

Hydrocarbon adsorption and desorption control in vehicle exhaust systems using HO traps

An apparatus for mitigating fouling within a heat exchanger device includes an internal combustion engine and an external exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) circuit. The internal combustion engine is fluidly coupled to an intake gas manifold upstream of the engine and an exhaust gas manifold downstream of the engine. The EGR circuit is fluidly coupled to the exhaust gas manifold at a first end and is configured to selectively route back exhaust gas flow as EGR flow into the intake gas manifold at a second end. The EGR circuit includes the heat exchanger device for cooling the EGR flow prior to entering the intake manifold and a surface deposit removing device configured to remove surface deposit build-up from within the heat exchanger device when the surface deposit removing device is activated.

Method and apparatus to recover exhaust gas recirculation coolers

An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) cooler for cooling exhaust gas via a coolant includes at least one channel having an inlet and an outlet, and a casing defining a cooling chamber for carrying the coolant around the at least one channel. The exhaust gas is flowable through the at least one channel from the inlet to the outlet. At least a portion of the at least one channel is variable between a fully compressed position and an uncompressed position. The casing includes a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet through which the coolant enters and exits the cooling chamber. The casing also includes an exhaust gas inlet from which the exhaust gas enters the at least one channel, and an exhaust gas outlet into which the exhaust gas exits the at least one channel.

Exhaust gas recirculation cooler and system

An internal combustion engine is equipped with an EGR system that includes an EGR heat exchanger. A method for monitoring the EGR heat exchanger includes monitoring an EGR gas inlet temperature to the EGR heat exchanger, an EGR gas outlet temperature from the EGR heat exchanger, a coolant temperature and a mass EGR flowrate through the EGR heat exchanger for a present engine operating point. An actual thermal effectiveness of the EGR heat exchanger for the present engine operating point is determined. A maximum heat transfer coefficient for the EGR side of the EGR heat exchanger is determined for the present engine operating point. The EGR heat exchanger is regenerated when the actual heat transfer coefficient differs from the maximum heat transfer coefficient for the present engine operating point.

Method and apparatus for monitoring performance of EGR heat exchanger

An exhaust gas recirculation system adapted for use by an internal combustion engine, and for selectively diverting a recirculated portion of the engine exhaust away from the EGR cooler, includes a by-pass conduit and/or feed line shiftable between open and closed conditions, and an active material actuator.

Exhaust gas recirculation system having active material actuated by-pass

A vehicular heat exchanger processes a exhaust gas recirculation flow. A method to manage combustion by-product contaminant deposits within the heat exchanger includes repeatedly cycling a flow control device controlling the exhaust gas recirculation flow through the heat exchanger from an original position to an intermediate position and back to the original position. The original position is determined based upon a required exhaust gas recirculation flow into an intake manifold.

Modulating hydrodynamic flow characteristics to alleviate automotive heat exchanger contamination

A method for operating an internal combustion engine configured to operate lean of stoichiometry includes reducing temperature of a portion of an exhaust gas feedstream recirculated to an intake system of the engine, and reducing mass flowrate of particulate matter and hydrocarbons borne in the recirculated portion of the exhaust gas feedstream upstream of the heat exchanger effective to reduce deposition of particulate matter and hydrocarbons onto and adhesion to surface areas of the heat exchanger.

Heat exchanger method and apparatus for engine exhaust gas recirculation system

A cleaning mechanism for and method of autonomously removing deposits from the interior surface of a tube comprises a cleaning member secured relative to the surface and preferably, an active material element drivenly coupled to or engaged with the member so as to selectively cause the member to translate, thereby removing deposits from the surface.

Exhaust Gas Recirculation cooler cleaner having active material actuator

A spark plug includes a center electrode substantially aligned with a longitudinal first axis and a surface-gap ground electrode radially aligned with the center electrode along a surface-gap electrode second axis substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal first axis and passing therethrough. The center electrode and the surface-gap ground electrode define a radial spark gap therebetween. The spark plug further includes a J-gap ground electrode radially aligned with the center electrode. The center electrode and the J-gap ground electrode define an axial spark gap therebetween. The J-gap ground electrode radial alignment has an angular separation from the surface-gap electrode second axis of no greater than about 30 degrees.

Direct-injection spark-ignition system

A heat exchanger of motor vehicle processes a gas flow including combustion exhaust gas. Combustion by-product deposit build-up within the heat exchanger is reduced by maintaining a minimum gas flow velocity within the heat exchanger by reducing heat exchanger total gas flow cross section to locally increase a gas flow velocity.

Modulating flow through an exhaust gas recirculation cooler to maintain gas flow velocities conducive to reducing deposit build-ups

The invention comprises a method to determine a position of a piston in a cylinder of an engine during ongoing operation, comprising adapting pressure sensing devices to monitor in-cylinder pressure, and, operating the engine. In-cylinder pressure is monitored along with a corresponding engine crank position. The engine is operated in a motoring mode and in a cylinder firing mode, and a plurality of instantaneous in-cylinder pressure states are determined during compression and expansion strokes. Pressure ratios are determined based upon the instantaneous in-cylinder pressure states, which are used to determine an engine crank angle and compression ratio error and, adjust the monitored engine crank position based upon the crank angle error and readjust engine operation according to these sensed errors.

Method and apparatus for determining piston position in an engine

A method for controlling operation of an internal combustion engine operating lean of stoichiometry is described. The engine is a multi-cylinder direct-injection engine operative in repetitive cycles each cycle including intake, compression, expansion, and exhaust strokes. The method includes adapting a plurality of fuel injectors to directly inject a first and a second mass of fuel into the cylinders during each cycle. Pressure sensing devices monitor in-cylinder pressure in the cylinders during ongoing operation. The first mass of fuel is injected into one of the cylinders. A cylinder pressure ratio is determined in the cylinder subsequent to injecting the first mass of fuel based upon the monitored pressure. The first mass of fuel injected is adjusted during a subsequent cycle based upon the cylinder pressure ratio.

Method for controlling fuel injection in a compression ignition engine

The invention comprises a method to operate a direct-injection engine operative at various air/fuel ratios. The method comprises monitoring in-cylinder pressure, along with a corresponding engine crank position to periodically to determine instantaneous in-cylinder pressure states corresponding to the engine crank position during compression and expansion. Pressure ratios are determined based upon the instantaneous in-cylinder pressure states. A combustion heat release is determined based upon the pressure ratios. An aspect of the invention comprises extending the operation to diesel, diesel premixed and to HCCI engines.

Method for internal combustion engine control using pressure ratios

An internal combustion engine is configured with combustion chamber pressure sensing and exhaust gas recirculation apparatus. Exhaust gas recirculation control includes closed-loop controlling exhaust gas recirculation apparatus in accordance with a predetermined control target. Adjustments to the control target are made based on combustion chamber pressure information.

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Shelby Township, MI, United States of America

Patrick G Szymkowicz