Engine technology

Exhaust Gas Recirculation:

Internal engine technology for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions

Authors: 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
Dr. Johannes Kech the reduction of the combustion temperature and less nitrogen oxide is produced. This
Head of Development, Turbocharging, Fuel process is known as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and is one of the principal methods
Injection and Components used to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel engines. MTU has been testing this
key technology for years. As a standard feature, it will be included for the first time in
Günther Schmidt Series 4000 engines — starting mid-2011 in oil & gas engines for hydro frac applications to
Team Leader, Component Design and Fuel ensure compliance with EPA Tier 4 interim emission standards, followed by rail applica-
Injection Testing tions who need to meet EU Stage IIIB emission standards which come into force in 2012.

Christian Philipp Ways to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions other words an internal engine solution. Howe-
Engine Concepts, Components and Systems In order to comply with the increasingly tough ver, this means taking into account a basic prin-
emission standards worldwide, engine manufac- ciple that governs the process of combustion
Helmut Rall turers are forced not only to substantially reduce — if the fuel burns at a higher temperature inside
Team Leader, Thermodynamics and Combustion emissions of soot particulates (PM), but also the cylinder, little soot is produced, but a large
Development Series 4000 emissions of nitrogen oxides. The main approach amount of nitrogen oxide. At lower combustion
pursued by MTU is low-emission combustion, in temperatures, nitrogen oxide emissions are low,

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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 emis-

sions 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, as it
removes up to 90 percent of the nitrogen oxide
produced during the combustion process from
the exhaust gas. Exhaust gas recirculation can
reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by around 40
percent. An even greater reduction requires the
use of an SCR system, which — depending on the
application — removes up to 90 percent of the
nitrogen oxide from the exhaust gas. In the case
of particularly stringent emission standards,
exhaust gas recirculation and a SCR system Fig. 1: Integration of exhaust gas recirculation in engine design concept
must be combined to ensure the limits are met. MTU has integrated the exhaust gas recirculation system into the engine design so that it
has very little effect on space requirements.
Examples of EGR use in MTU drive systems
The US EPA Tier 4 interim emission standard,
which came into force as from 2011, limits this technology, too. Nitrogen oxide and hydro- The US EPA Tier 4 final standard for non-road
nitrogen oxide emission levels for mobile appli- carbon (HC) emissions combined may not mobile engines with power outputs below 560 kW,
cations above 560 kW to a maximum of exceed 4.0 g/kWh. By contrast, the limit for which will come into force as from 2014, is extre-
3.5 g/kWh. At MTU, this will affect Series NOX emissions for railcars in the same EU Sta- mely challenging. In this case, the nitrogen oxide
1600, 2000 and 4000 engines, which will meet ge IIIB emission standard is only 2.0 g/kWh. For limits are down 90 percent to 0.4 g/kWh compa-
this limit with exhaust gas recirculation. The this reason, MTU is equipping its Series 1600 red with EPA Tier 3 regulations. In order to comply
Series 1600 and 4000 locomotive engines for engines for underfloor drive systems with an with these tough limits, MTU will incorporate both
the EU Stage IIIB emission standards that SCR exhaust aftertreatment — with no exhaust exhaust gas recirculation and an SCR system.
come into force in 2012 will be equipped with gas recirculation.
Benefits of exhaust gas recirculation from MTU
Generally speaking, systems designed to redu-
ce emissions must be modified to match the
drive systems. MTU has produced a very com-
pact design that permits all the exhaust gas
recirculation components to be integrated into
the engine concept (see Figure 1), so that any
modifications to the engine have relatively little
effect on space requirements and the exhaust
system. It is necessary to modify the radiator,
however, in order to cope with the increased
cooling capacity of the engine. Compared with
an engine application requiring an SCR system,
it is now much easier for customers to upgrade
their application to comply with a new emission
standard. Furthermore, exhaust gas recirculati-
on requires no additional consumables to redu-
ce nitrogen oxide levels, which would otherwise
result in costs for an additional fuel tank and
piping. The customer benefits in terms of redu-
ced costs for handling and maintenance.
Fig. 2: Schematic diagram of exhaust gas recirculation
In exhaust gas recirculation, some of the exhaust gas is returned to the fresh air intake. The resultant mixture
of fresh air and exhaust gas has a lower calorific value in terms of the volume. This lowers combustion chamber Principle of operation
temperatures, thus reducing the production of nitrogen oxide (NOX). In exhaust gas recirculation, some of the ex-
haust gas is drawn off from the exhaust system,

Exhaust Gas Recirculation: Internal engine technology for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions | MTU | 2
 High and low-pressure exhaust recirculation

Info The exhaust gas recirculation system widely used today draws off part of the exhaust flow upstream of the turbocharger turbine and feeds
it back into the air intake system downstream of the compressor. It works at the level of the boost pressure generated by the turbocharger
and is therefore referred to as high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation. In the case of low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation, the exhaust is
drawn off downstream of the turbocharger turbine and returned upstream of the compressor, so that the pressure level is roughly equiva-
lent to ambient pressure. Compared with high-pressure exhaust recirculation, low-pressure recirculation has serious drawbacks: the com-
pressor has to work harder, with the result that the heat to be removed from the intercooler increases. In addition, the system requires a
diesel particulate filter, as otherwise particulates in the exhaust gas could damage components of he recirculation system or the compres-
sor and intercooler. By comparison, high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation is inherently more robust so that no particulate filter is re-
quired. Low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation could be a means of subsequently upgrading an existing engine design to comply with
stricter emission standards. Due to the considerable drawbacks of the system, particularly with regard to the maintenance requirement
for the customer, MTU is not currently working on this version.

cooled and redirected back into the cylinders the charge air systems leads to gas cycle los­- Dirt build-up on components and the amount
(see Figure 2). Although the exhaust fills the com- ses. These factors tend to result in lower engine of servicing required over the service life of the
bustion chamber, it is not involved in the combus- performance or higher fuel consumption. To application are lower with the donor cylinder
tion reaction that takes place in the cylinder due improve the combined effect of exhaust gas concept, as is the case with high-pressure ex-
to its low oxygen content. The speed of the com- recirculation and turbocharging, MTU has de­ haust gas recirculation: unlike the situation with
bustion process overall is thus reduced, with the veloped what is known as the donor cylinder low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation, the
result that the peak flame temperature in the exhaust gas recirculation system (see Figure 3). exhaust gas is not fed into the intake air until
combustion chamber is lowered. This dramati- immediately before it enters the cylinder, which
cally reduces the production of nitrogen oxides. MTU’s patented system only uses some of the means that only clean air flows through the
engine’s cylinders as the donor for exhaust gas compressor impeller and the intercooler and
Patented solution from MTU: the donor recirculation. An exhaust valve (donor valve) not exhaust gas containing particles as well.
cylinder concept holds back the exhaust gas flow downstream of
Exhaust gas recirculation places higher de- the donor cylinders and thus creates the neces- Cooling system for exhaust gas recirculation
mands on exhaust gas turbocharging, since sary pressure drop between the exhaust and the The exhaust gas drawn off for recirculation has a
higher boost pressures have to be achieved with charge air systems. This means that the tur- temperature of around 650 degrees Celsius. It is
reduced mass flow in the turbocharging system. bocharging system can be optimized to a very therefore far too hot to be fed directly into the
These high boost pressures are required to di- good efficiency level, with gas cycle losses only cylinders; it would increase the temperature of
rect the increased mass flow resulting from the affecting the donor cylinders. Compared with the combustion chamber even further, thereby
exhaust gas recirculation rate into the cylinder conventional high-pressure exhaust gas recircu- defeating its actual purpose — that of reducing
during the gas cycle. In addition, the exhaust lation (as in the case of the Series 1600 engine), nitrogen oxide formation by lowering the combus-
gas can only be redirected back into the cylin- the donor cylinder concept (Series 2000 and tion temperature. For this reason, the exhaust gas
ders when there is a pressure drop between the 4000) achieves lower fuel consumption, since it is first cooled to around 120 degrees Celsius (see
exhaust and the charge air systems. This pres- reduces the gas cycle losses in the engine and Figure 4). In the case of industrial engines with
sure drop must be established with an appropri- permits higher turbocharger efficiency levels. high intake air and exhaust mass flow rates that
ately configured turbo­charging system, which For this purpose, an additional donor cylinder requires high cooling capacities, which have to be
results in a reduction in turbocharging efficien- exhaust valve is required in comparison with supplied by high-performance heat exchangers.
cy. The pressure drop between the exhaust and high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation. Basically speaking, standard commercial vehicle

Fig. 3: EGR donor cylinder concept

Compared with conventional high-pressure exhaust
gas recirculation, MTU’s patented system achieves
lower fuel consumption, since it reduces the gas cycle
losses in the engine and permits higher turbocharger
efficiency levels. This requires an additional donor
cylinder exhaust valve.

Exhaust Gas Recirculation: Internal engine technology for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions | MTU | 3
 Fig. 4: Section through a radiator
The exhaust gas drawn off for recirculation at a temperature of around 650 degrees
Celsius is far too hot to be fed directly into the cylinders. For this reason, the exhaust
gas is first cooled to around 120 degrees Celsius. The cooling system is optimally
integrated into the engine design concept, so that the customer needs only to allow for

Glossar: Funktionsweise einer Mehrfacheinspritzung a very small space requirement.

aus Vor-, Haupt- und Nacheinspritzung

radiators can be used in such cases. However, to ne modifications to further reduce emissions de- the need for additional exhaust aftertreatment for

Photo captions: Pages 1 to 4, Adam Wist for MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH.

cover the cooling capacity required for a 16-cylin- pends on the limits specified in the emission NOX removal. In cases where emissions legislation
der engine with a capacity of 4.8 liters per cylin- standard applicable to the individual application. is particularly strict, an SCR system or even a
der, depending on the supplier, four to eight combination of exhaust gas recirculation and SCR
conventional commercial vehicle radiators of the Summary system is required. MTU has produced a compact
highest capacity available would be needed for Exhaust gas recirculation is one of MTU’s key solution to integrate all the exhaust gas recirculati-
exhaust gas recirculation. Using this number of internal engine technologies for reducing emissi- on components into the engine design concept so
single radiators with the required mechanical ons. It can be used to reduce nitrogen oxide for- that no additional installation space is required
strength is not possible in a mobile application. mation inside the cylinder by 40 percent and (see Figure 5). It means that customers can up-
more, with the result that many applications — de- grade their applications to comply with new emis-
For this reason, MTU works with the suppliers to pending on the applicable limits in each case — sion standards with no great effort involved. The
develop integrated radiator solutions in which can meet the required emission standards without system also requires no additional consumables.
only the internal components of the heat ex-
changers are adopted from proven commercial
vehicle applications and the highly integrated cast Fig. 5: Comparison of 16V 4000 R43 engine for rail applications with no EGR and 16V 4000 RX4 with EGR
body is developed in-house. The heat exchanger MTU is including exhaust gas recirculatino for the first time as a standard feature in Series 4000 engines — starting
mid-2011 in oil & gas engines for hydro frac applications to ensure compliance with EPA Tier 4 interim emission
body is designed to match the contours of the standards, followed by rail applications who need to meet EU Stage IIIB emission standards which come into force
engine perfectly and incorporates all connecting in 2012. Since the compact design permits the individual components to be integrated into the engine concept,
pipes. The benefits for the customer are a smaller additional space is hardly required, which can be seen in the comparison of the Series 4000 engines for rail appli-
cations with no exhaust gas recirculation.
space requirement, high functional reliability and
low maintenance. MTU uses as many common
parts as possible for engines within the same
series with different numbers of cylinders. Due to
the advanced stage of development maturity, this
also results in a high level of functional reliability.

Interaction with other key technologies

Although exhaust recirculation results in lower
nitrogen oxide emissions, soot particulate emissi-
ons increase to an undesirable degree if no coun-
ter-measures are taken. To prevent this happening,
MTU has further refined both fuel injection and
turbocharging. Whether a diesel particulate filter
(DPF) is needed in addition to these internal engi-

MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH

A Rolls-Royce Power Systems Company

www.mtu-online.com August 2011

MTU is a brand of Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG. MTU high-speed

engines and propulsion systems provide power for marine, rail,
power generation, oil and gas, agriculture, mining, construction and
industrial, and defense applications. The portfolio is comprised of
diesel engines with up to 10,000 kilowatts (kW) power output, gas
engines up to 2,150 kW and gas turbines up to 35,320 kW. MTU also
offers customized electronic monitoring and control systems for its
engines and propulsion systems.

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