How Does Exhaust Gas Recirculation Work? - Mtu Solutions

Nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions can be reduced using internal engine technology by cooling some of the exhaust gas, which is then redirected back into the charge air. This results in the reduction of the combustion temperature and less nitrogen oxide is produced. This process is known as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and is one of the principal methods used to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel engines. mtu has been developing this important technology and the functions and components associated with it since the beginning of the 1990s. It was first introduced in series production in mid-2011 for Series 4000 Oil and Gas engines in hydro-fracking applications (EPA Tier 4 emissions standard). It was likewise introduced in rail engines subject to EU IIIB emissions regulations which came into force in 2012.

Ways to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions

One of mtu´s aims for its engines is to reduce theemission of soot particles and nitrogen oxides in order to achieve compliance with increasingly strict emissions regulations around the world. The main approach pursued by mtu is low-emission combustion, in other words an internal engine solution. However, this means taking into account a basic principle that governs the process of combustion — if the fuel burns at a higher temperature inside the cylinder, little soot is produced, but a large amount of nitrogen oxide. At lower combustion temperatures, nitrogen oxide emissions are low, but the production of soot particulates is high. To find the right balance, therefore, all the key technologies that affect combustion must be perfectly matched. When combined with fuel injection and turbocharging in particular, the use of exhaust gas recirculation results in a combustion process that produces significantly lower levels of nitrogen oxide. The second way of reducing nitrogen oxide emissions is to use exhaust gas aftertreatment with an SCR catalytic converter (selective catalytic reduction, short: SCR). Very low limits for both nitrogen oxide and diesel particulates can make the use of such an SCR system necessary. Exhaust gas recirculationcan reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by around 40 percent. Depending on the application, SCR systems remove up to 90 percent of the nitrogen oxide from exhaust gases. In the case of particularly stringent emission standards, exhaust gas recirculation and a SCR system must be combined to ensure the limits are met.

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