Method and systems for EGR control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10794304-B2
Application number	US-201815941291-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 30, 2018
Priority date	Sep 22, 2014
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

Various methods and systems are provided for estimating fresh intake air flow. In one example, a system comprises an engine having an intake manifold to receive fresh intake air and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to supply EGR to the intake manifold, where flow of EGR through the EGR system is controlled by one or more exhaust valves. The system further includes a controller configured to adjust a position of the one or more exhaust valves based on an estimated fresh intake air flow rate, where during a first set of operating conditions, the fresh intake air flow rate is estimated based on a total gas flow rate into the engine and further based on a current position of the one or more exhaust valves, intake manifold pressure, air-fuel ratio, and fuel flow to one or more cylinders of the engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
with a controller, during a first mode of operation, estimating a first fresh intake air flow rate to an engine based on a volumetric efficiency estimation, the engine having an intake manifold to receive fresh intake air and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to supply EGR to the intake manifold, flow of EGR through the EGR system controlled by one or more exhaust valves; and
with the controller, during a second mode of operation, estimating a second fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on a combination of a transient flow estimation and a steady state flow estimation, where the steady state flow estimation is selected from among a plurality of different steady state flow estimations, and the plurality of different steady state flow estimations differ in at least one or more inputs used to calculate each respective steady state flow estimation.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first mode of operation comprises engine operation without EGR, and wherein the second mode of operation comprises engine operation with EGR.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the first fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on the volumetric efficiency estimation comprises estimating the first fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on engine speed, exhaust pressure, intake manifold pressure, and intake manifold temperature.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transient flow estimation estimates a third fresh intake air flow rate based on the volumetric efficiency estimation adjusted for EGR flow rate, where the EGR flow rate is estimated based on current EGR valve position and intake manifold pressure.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of different steady state flow estimations comprises:
a first steady state flow estimation that estimates a fourth fresh intake air flow rate based on an air-fuel ratio and fuel flow to the engine;
a second steady state flow estimation that estimates a fifth fresh intake air flow rate based on a map of compressor air flow as a function of pressure ratio across a compressor of a turbocharger, at a given turbocharger speed; and
a third steady state flow estimation that estimates a sixth fresh intake air flow rate based on the volumetric efficiency estimation adjusted for EGR flow rate, where the EGR flow rate is estimated based on exhaust NOx concentration.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the steady state flow estimation is selected from among the plurality of different steady state flow estimations by selecting the first steady state flow estimation if the air-fuel ratio is below a threshold and selecting the second or third steady state flow estimation if the air-fuel ratio is above the threshold.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the steady state flow estimation is selected from among the plurality of different steady state flow estimations by estimating a respective fresh intake air flow rate using each of the plurality of steady state flow estimations, and selecting the steady state flow estimation that outputs the lowest fresh intake air flow rate.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, with the controller, controlling one or more positions of the one or more exhaust valves based on the first fresh intake air flow rate or the second fresh intake air flow rate.

9. A system comprising:
an engine having an intake manifold to receive fresh intake air;
an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system to supply EGR to the intake manifold, flow of EGR through the EGR system controlled by one or more exhaust valves; and
a controller configured, during a first mode of operation, to estimate a first fresh intake air flow rate to an engine based on a volumetric efficiency estimation,
wherein the controller is further configured, during a second mode of operation, to estimate a second fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on a combination of a transient flow estimation and a steady state flow estimation, where the steady state flow estimation is selected from among a plurality of different steady state flow estimations, and the plurality of different steady state flow estimations differ in at least one or more inputs used to calculate each respective steady state flow estimation.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the first mode of operation comprises engine operation without EGR, and wherein the second mode of operation comprises engine operation with EGR.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to estimate the first fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on the volumetric efficiency estimation by estimating the first fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on engine speed, exhaust pressure, intake manifold pressure, and intake manifold temperature.

12. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the transient flow estimation as an estimation of a third fresh intake air flow rate based on the volumetric efficiency estimation adjusted for EGR flow rate, where the EGR flow rate is estimated based on current EGR valve position and intake manifold pressure.

13. The system of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of different steady state flow estimations comprises:
a first steady state flow estimation that estimates a fourth fresh intake air flow rate based on an air-fuel ratio and fuel flow to the engine;
a second steady state flow estimation that estimates a fifth fresh intake air flow rate based on a map of compressor air flow as a function of pressure ratio across a compressor of a turbocharger, at a given turbocharger speed; and
a third steady state flow estimation that estimates a sixth fresh intake air flow rate based on the volumetric efficiency estimation adjusted for EGR flow rate, where the EGR flow rate is estimated based on exhaust NOx concentration.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to select the steady state flow estimation from among the plurality of different steady state flow estimations by selecting the first steady state flow estimation if the air-fuel ratio is below a threshold and selecting the second or third steady state flow estimation if the air-fuel ratio is above the threshold.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the controller is configured to select the steady state flow estimation from among the plurality of different steady state flow estimations by estimating a respective fresh intake air flow rate using each of the plurality of steady state flow estimations, and selecting the steady state flow estimation that outputs the lowest fresh intake air flow rate.

16. The system of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to control one or more positions of the one or more exhaust valves based on the first fresh intake air flow rate or the second fresh intake air flow rate.

17. A method, comprising:
during a first mode of operation, estimating a first fresh intake air flow rate to an engine based on a volumetric efficiency estimation; and
during a second mode of operation, estimating a second fresh intake air flow rate to the engine based on a combination of a transient flow estimation and a steady state flow estimation, where the steady state flow estimation is selected from among a plurality of different steady state flow estimations, and the plurality of different steady state flow estimations differ in at least one or more inputs used to calculate each respective steady state flow estimation.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the first mode of operation comprises engine operation without exha

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Henry Luke Michael
• Mischler James Robert
• Zielinski David
• Hazen Samuel Lyle
• Wheeland Ralph

Classifications

• F02D41/0007

  for control of turbo-charged or super-charged engines (control of the pumps per se F02B37/12) · CPC title

• F02D41/0082

  per groups or banks (F02D41/0087 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02T10/40

  Engine management systems · CPC title

• F02M26/08

  for engines having two or more intake charge compressors or exhaust gas turbines, e.g. a turbocharger combined with an additional compressor · CPC title

• F02D2200/0402

  the parameter being determined by using a model of the engine intake or its components · CPC title