Reduced Emissions, Higher Performance
REHAU Advances SCR Technology for Passenger Vehicle Diesel Engines
Diesel engines have long represented the standard when it comes to trucks and commercial vehicles. But diesel powered passenger cars are also rapidly advancing throughout the world since the advantages of the auto-ignition system are undisputed. The fuel saving drive combined with excellent driving dynamics and new emissions technologies has the potential of gaining acceptance for diesel engines in areas where it has to date been viewed skeptically.
The SCR process (Selective Catalytic Reduction) leads to a drastic reduction in the emission of health hazardous nitric oxides – one of the major problems related to diesel engines – and, using a urea-based solution known as “AdBlue”, converts the oxides into water vapor and nitrogen. In commercial vehicles, AdBlue is carried in a separate reservoir and injected into the exhaust system. Ingenious metering systems in the exhaust equipment coupled with an SCR catalytic converter contribute to a reduction in nitric oxide emissions by up to 85 percent and a reduction in soot particles by around 40 percent. As an additional benefit, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to five percent. Currently, only the SCR method allows both the particulate and the nitric oxide emissions to be simultaneously reduced, thus permitting diesel engines to meet new emissions standards. This means that focus is increasingly being directed at exhaust gas treatment. By now, service stations throughout the Federal Republic are offering the emission reducing solution. Because AdBlue freezes at a temperature of around minus 11 degrees Centigrade, hoses through which the synthetically manufactured urea solution flows must be heated. The polymer specialist, REHAU, supplies both rigid and flexible heated hoses for this special application to the entire commercial vehicle industry. The plastic hoses are wrapped with a heater coil which draws power from the onboard electrical system to generate a certain level of heating power around the hose, thus either preventing the solution from freezing or thawing out frozen AdBlue.
In view of pending, still stricter standards as well as continuously increasing fuel prices, it is quite possible that diesel will conquer new territory in the passenger vehicle market as well. Series production of passenger vehicles equipped with AdBlue tanks is anticipated to begin as early as 2008. As an innovative systems manufacturer and creative development partner to the automotive industry, REHAU is helping to drive this advance forward through ingenious hose modules and designed internally heated hose systems for passenger vehicles. The team surrounding project manager, Dr. Michael Schöbel, found itself confronted by several challenges in this regard. “Integrating this technology in cars requires extremely small hose diameters. There is nowhere near the same amount of space available as in a truck. In addition, just as is the case with trucks, the tube and hose material must be sealed against diffusion and must be resistant to the effects of the urea solution while coping with temperatures ranging from –35°C to +100°C”, notes Dr. Schöbel. But the polymer specialist overcame these problems. By embracing innovative technologies and trends in the supplier industry, REHAU was able to very quickly establish itself and move from a provider of semi-finished goods to an innovative supplier of complex, ready-to-install routing systems. Today, the company and its development are in a position to offer vital support to both the utility and the passenger vehicle sectors of the automobile industry in their efforts to find clever ways of reducing emissions and thus protecting our environment.
The SCR process (Selective Catalytic Reduction) leads to a drastic reduction in the emission of health hazardous nitric oxides – one of the major problems related to diesel engines – and, using a urea-based solution known as “AdBlue”, converts the oxides into water vapor and nitrogen. In commercial vehicles, AdBlue is carried in a separate reservoir and injected into the exhaust system. Ingenious metering systems in the exhaust equipment coupled with an SCR catalytic converter contribute to a reduction in nitric oxide emissions by up to 85 percent and a reduction in soot particles by around 40 percent. As an additional benefit, fuel consumption can be reduced by up to five percent. Currently, only the SCR method allows both the particulate and the nitric oxide emissions to be simultaneously reduced, thus permitting diesel engines to meet new emissions standards. This means that focus is increasingly being directed at exhaust gas treatment. By now, service stations throughout the Federal Republic are offering the emission reducing solution. Because AdBlue freezes at a temperature of around minus 11 degrees Centigrade, hoses through which the synthetically manufactured urea solution flows must be heated. The polymer specialist, REHAU, supplies both rigid and flexible heated hoses for this special application to the entire commercial vehicle industry. The plastic hoses are wrapped with a heater coil which draws power from the onboard electrical system to generate a certain level of heating power around the hose, thus either preventing the solution from freezing or thawing out frozen AdBlue.
In view of pending, still stricter standards as well as continuously increasing fuel prices, it is quite possible that diesel will conquer new territory in the passenger vehicle market as well. Series production of passenger vehicles equipped with AdBlue tanks is anticipated to begin as early as 2008. As an innovative systems manufacturer and creative development partner to the automotive industry, REHAU is helping to drive this advance forward through ingenious hose modules and designed internally heated hose systems for passenger vehicles. The team surrounding project manager, Dr. Michael Schöbel, found itself confronted by several challenges in this regard. “Integrating this technology in cars requires extremely small hose diameters. There is nowhere near the same amount of space available as in a truck. In addition, just as is the case with trucks, the tube and hose material must be sealed against diffusion and must be resistant to the effects of the urea solution while coping with temperatures ranging from –35°C to +100°C”, notes Dr. Schöbel. But the polymer specialist overcame these problems. By embracing innovative technologies and trends in the supplier industry, REHAU was able to very quickly establish itself and move from a provider of semi-finished goods to an innovative supplier of complex, ready-to-install routing systems. Today, the company and its development are in a position to offer vital support to both the utility and the passenger vehicle sectors of the automobile industry in their efforts to find clever ways of reducing emissions and thus protecting our environment.
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© REHAU Incorporated 2008
© REHAU Incorporated 2008