Emissions in Internal

Combustion Engines

By
Dr. Dilip Sharma
Mechanical Engineering
Department
M.N.I.T., Jaipur
Emissions from Internal combustion Engines

 Evaporative losses from

fuel tank and carburetor
(15-25% of HC)
 Crankcase blow by (20-
35% of HC)
 Exhaust (50-60% of HC,
almost all of CO, NOx,
smoke, SPM, SO2 and
Lead)
 Action Taken
 Evaporative losses: Use of Evaporative losses control device
(ELCD). It aims at capturing the vapors and
recirculating them at the appropriate time.
 Blow by Losses: Use of Positive crankcase ventilation (PCV)
 Exhaust Emissions:Engine Design Modification
Use of Leaner A/F mixture
Adoption of MPFi system
Retarding ignition timing
Modification in combustion chamber to reduce
quenching areas
Lowering the compression ratio
Reduced Valve overlap
Exhaust Gas Treatment
Use of after burners
Use of manifold reactors
Use of Catalytic converters
Fuel Modification
 Exhaust Pollutants – Causes, Effects and Action taken

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Causes:
Carbon Monoxide (CO) occurs only in engine exhaust. It is a
result of incomplete combustion. Instead of forming carbon
dioxide by oxidation results in carbon monoxide.
Effects:
 Fatal in large doses
 Aggravates heart disorders
 Affects central nervous system
 Impairs oxygen carrying capacity of blood

Treatment:
 Use of after burners
 Use of manifold reactors
 Use of Catalytic converters
 Unburned Hydrocarbons (HC)
Causes:
Unburned hydrocarbon emissions are the direct result of
incomplete combustion .
Effects:
 Drowsiness, eye irritation and coughing

 Known carcinogen, also cause other life threatening diseases

 Reacts with oxides of nitrogen and produces the highly toxic

ozone
Treatment:
 Use of after burners

 Use of manifold reactors

 Use of Catalytic converters

 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx)
Causes:
NOx formation in an engine is primarily a function
of reaction temperature, available oxygen and duration of
availability.
Effects:
 Irritation of respiratory tract
 Increase in acute respiratory infections and bronchitis
 Morbidity in children
Treatment:
 Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)
 Water injection in the combustion chamber
 Use of Catalytic converters
 Smoke
Causes:
Smoke is produced during acceleration, overloading or even
during full load operation of the engine. Because of high temperature
there is thermal cracking of molecules rather than normal oxidation. This
thermal cracking is in the form of soot/carbon. This soot is a graphite
structure, jet black in colour and is called smoke.
Effects:
 Irritation of respiratory tract
 Increase in acute respiratory infections and bronchitis
 Causes stunted babies
Treatment:
 Running at low loads (Derating)
 Proper maintenance of injector and Combustion chamber geometry
 Use of smoke suppression additives (Some barium compounds reduce
reaction temperature thus reduce thermal cracking)
 Use of Catalytic converters
 Fumigation
 Sulphur dioxides (SO2)
Causes:
Sulphur content in the fuel.
Effects:
 High doses can cause laryngo-tracheal and pulmonary oedema
 Causes Cardiovascular deaths
 Causes suffocation, irritation of throat and eyes
 Combined with smoke, aggravates respiratory problems like
bronchitis and asthma
 Combines with atmospheric water vapor to produce acid rain
 Leads to acidification of lakes and soils. Corrodes buildings
Treatment:
 Use of low sulphur fuel
 Lead (Pb)
Causes:
Present in the fuel.
Effects:
 Adversely affects blood and human nervous system and
causes hypertension
 Causes anemia, brain dysfunction and kidney damage
 A major health threat to children under six, it severely
 Retards mental growth and some times even death
Treatment:
 Use of Lead free fuel
 Exhaust Gases

HC increases NOx
increases

Richer 14.7 – 1 AFR Leaner

HC and CO
NOx
decreases
decreases
 Exhaust Gases

 Automotive manufactures agree the best

way to lower exhaust emission is to burn
all the fuel entering the combustion
chamber.
 Modern engine have introduced several
modification to ensure all fuel entering
the combustion chamber is burned.
 Some engine modifications are:
 Lower compression ratio, by lowering compression ratio
vehicle can burn unleaded fuel. The use of unleaded
fuel allows for catalytic converters that help reduce HC
and CO emissions.
 Lower compression ratio also lower combustion
temperature reducing NOx emission.
 Smaller combustion chambers, allows for more heat to
remain inside the combustion chamber that can aid in
the burning of fuel.
 Reduce quench areas, the areas between the piston
and the cylinder head is the quench area. If this area is
too close, fuel will not burn completely increasing HC
and CO emission. Modern engines are design to reduce
high quench areas.
Quench area

Quench area
 Valve Overlap

 Decrease valve overlap, is used to decrease exhaust

emission. A larger valve overlap increases power but
dilutes incoming fuel mixture and requires a richer air
fuel mixture at lower engine speed therefore increasing
HC and CO emissions.
 Some more Options:

 Higher
Hi combustion chamber temperature, are
used to reduce HC and CO emissions.
 Today vehicles used hot thermostats than earlier
model helping to increase combustion chamber
temperature.
 Leaner air-fuel mixtures help fuel burn better
lower HC and CO emissions.
 Wider spark plug gaps are used to burn the
leaner fuel mixture and helps prevent spark
plug fouling.
 Emission Control Systems
 There are several different types of emission control
system used on modern vehicles.
 Positive crankcase ventilation system (PCV): is used

to re-circulate engine crankcase fumes back into the

combustion chamber.
 A PCV valve uses manifold vacuum to draw blow-by

gases from the engine into the intake manifold for

re-burning by the engine.
 In earlier years automotive manufactories uses road

draft tubes to remove crankcase blowby gases.

 Vehicle Emission Control

 The uses of road drift tube allowed for blowby gases

containing HC, CO, particulates, Sulphur and small
amounts of water to be vented in the atmosphere.
 At idle when there is very low engine vacuum the PCV
valve is pulled open to remove blow-by gases from
inside the engine.
 At part throttle when vacuum is lower a spring inside
the PCV valve forces the valve partially closed. But still
allows for some blowby gases to be vented back into
the intake manifold for burning by the engine.
 Vehicle Emission Control

When engine Vacuum is High

PCV valve plunger is nearly
closed
When engine vacuum is low plunger
Opens. Allowing crank case gasses into
PCV
Engine.
Plunger
Typical PCV valve
 Evaporative Emissions Control
Systems (EVAP)

 The EVAP system prevents Hydrocarbons in the form of

fuel vapors from entering the atmosphere even when
the vehicle is not running.
 An EVAP system is considered a closed system.
 Fuel vapor are stored in a charcoal canister when the
engine is off.
 When the engine is started vacuum pulls fuel vapors
into the engine for burning.
 EVAP system different from per emission vehicle
because no fuel or vapor is vented into the atmosphere.
 Unvented Fuel Cap
Rollover Valve
Intake
Manifold
Vacuum

Charcoal Canister
Fuel Tank
 A rollover valve is used to prevent fuel spillage in case
of a rollover.
 A liquid-vapor separator is sometime used to prevent
liquid fuel from entering the charcoal canister.
 A charcoal canister is used to store fuel vapor when the
engine is not operating.
 Most modern vehicles electrically control the EVAP
system to ensure a cleaner burning engine.
 The EVAP system uses purge lines to connect the fuel
tank to the charcoal canister and the intake manifold.
 12 Volts with engine
on
PCM
EVAP
Solenoid Rollover Valve

Fuel Tank
Charcoal Canister
 Enhanced EVAP system

 An enhanced EVAP system has the following

additional components.
 Fuel tank pressure sensor: This sensor monitor
internal fuel tank pressure.
 Canister Vent Solenoid: An electrically operated
solenoid that replaces the Fresh air valve on earlier
systems.
 Service Port: is a test point located in the engine
compartment and is used for testing the EVAP
system.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation System
(EGR)

 An EGR system has two important jobs

1.The recirculation system is used to
burn un-burns gasses (HC and CO): By
recirculation of un-burn gasses lower
emissions can be achieved.
2. Lowering combustion chamber
temperature: By lowering combustion
chamber temperature NOx emission can
be lowered.
Exhaust Gas Recirculation System
(EGR)
EGR Control Solenoid
Vacuum Line PCM Controlled

Exhaust Gasses
To EGR valve EGR Valve

Vacuum source
Exhaust Gas Recirculation System
(EGR)

 Later model vehicles use an electronic

EGR value.
 The PCM is used to control the flow of
vacuum to the EGR valve.
 By controlling vacuum to the EGR valve
better exhaust gas metering can be
obtained.
EGR Valve Charcoal Canister
 Catalytic Converters
 In the mid 70s automotive manufacture begin installing
catalytic converters to assist in meeting tougher
emission standards.
 A Catalytic is a material that can speed-up chemical
action without changing itself.
 Automotive catalytic converter are made of platinum,
palladium and rhodium or a combination of these
materials.
 Platinum and Palladium are used to change HC and CO
into CO2 and Water.
 Rhodium acts to reduce NOx emissions
 Catalytic Converters
 Due to enhance emissions standard later model
catalytic converters now use Cerium to attract and
release Oxygen inside the converter to aid in the
process of changing HC and CO to CO2 and H2O
 The catalyst agent inside a catalytic converter is either
ceramic beads or a honeycomb-shaped blocks.
 All catalytic converters are encased in a stainless steel
housing.
 NOTE: stainless steal is used on newer vehicle with
catalytic converters because the production of water
will rust traditional exhaust system medals in only a few
years.
 Catalytic Converters

Catalytic Converter

CO2 H2o
HC and CO
Engin
e

Exhaust Flow from engine

through converter
 Catalytic Converters
 Stainless steel catalytic converter housing are design to
resist heat.
 Before the catalytic converter can operate, an operating
temperature of around 300 ˚F must be reached.
 This is a honey-comb block type catalytic converter.
 Exhaust gasses flow thru the honey-comb block
 Catalytic Converters
 There are a few different types catalytic
converters.
 Monolithic Converter
 Two way converter
 Three way converter
 Dual bed converter
 Catalytic Converters
 Monolithic converter uses ceramic honey-
comb catalytic.
 Small ceramic beads converter are
referred to as a pellet type catalytic
converter.
 Catalytic Converters
 Two way catalytic converters only
convert HC and CO.
 With a two way converter NOx is not
converted.
 Two way converter are coated with
Platinum only.
 Two way converter are sometime referred
to as oxidation converters.
 Catalytic Converters
 Three way catalytic converters can convert all three
exhaust gasses
 HC

 CO

 Nox

 A three way catalytic converter is usually plated with

rhodium and platinum
 Three way converter are also called reduction
converters.
 Catalytic Converters
 Dual bed catalytic converter is an
oxidation and reduction converter built
into one unit.

CO, CO2 and H20

HC
and
NOx
Mixing Chamber
 Catalytic Converters
 Dual bed catalytic converters must be at
an operating temperature of 130 ˚F
 When the engine is cold additional air is
forced into the exhaust manifold to aid in
the burning and reduction of HC and CO
 Catalytic Converters
 On a warn engine air is forced into the
converter to aid in burning exhaust gasses.
 As exhaust gasses flows iinto the front part of
the converter HC,CO and NOx is reduced.
 As exhaust flow into the mixing chamber
additional air is added to continue the burning
process.
 Exhaust gasses is passed into the rear part of
the converter to reduce HC,CO2 and NOx ever
more.
 Indian and EURO Norms for Petrol Driven Passenger Cars

1991-92 1996 1998 1996 2000 2005

INDIA EURO INDIA INDIA EURO INDIA EURO EURO

I II III IV

CO 14.3 2.72 8.68 4.34 2.2 2.72 2.03 1.0

g/km -27.1 -12.4 -6.20
HC 2.0 -2.9 -- -- -- -- -- 0.20 0.1
g/km
NOx -- -- -- -- -- -- 0.15 0.08
g/km
HC + -- 0.97 3.4 1.5 0.57 0.97 -- --
NOx -4.36 -2.18
g/km
Thank you