- Exhaust gas after-treatment concept for EURO VI: smaller, lightweight, more efficient and less complex
- Product portfolio to support growth and new markets in Asia
- Integration of Emitec into the new Continental business unit Fuel & Exhaust Management (FEM) combines strengths in the product portfolio
At the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles show Emitec presents new concepts to optimize exhaust gas after-treatment in accordance with the valid Euro VI standard. Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) plays a key part in this to meet NOx limits. To minimize emissions, Emitec offers highly efficient catalytic converters based on metal substrates, PM-Metalit particle filters, and SCR dosing systems, all of which are comprehensively proven in many volume applications. The recent integration of Emitec into Continental Powertrain has formed a joint expertise which ranges from injection and engine control to questions of system configuration to sensors which measure and monitor the exhaust gas quality as well as the oxygen contents in the intake manifold on to the exhaust gas after-treatment components. “This offers the ideal prerequisites for the continued optimization of emissions and fuel efficiency”, says Dr. Markus Distelhoff, Head of the new Continental Powertrain Business Unit Fuel & Exhaust Management (FEM).
Dr. Berthold Curtius, Head of Exhaust Management Business Segment within FEM, sees Emitec well positioned: „Together with our customers, we will continue to develop innovative concepts in the usual way, ready for series production. Yet, together with Continental we are in an even better position to meet the stringent requirements in the important growth area of exhaust gas after-treatment“.
Concept to optimize complex exhaust gas after-treatment systems
In Europe, the current development focus is on optimization strategies. Systems and components are expected to be reduced in size and weight and offer better efficiency, while being less complex at the same time. As a concept study, Emitec shows a system approach at the IAA in Hannover, which significantly reduces weight as well as the spatial envelope of exhaust gas after-treatment in a commercial vehicle. This offers new benefits for payload and vehicle design and also supports the continuing increase of fuel efficiency.
Based on this concept, it is the first time that the robustness and design flexibility of the Emitec metal substrates for catalytic converters made it possible to integrate the converter in the free space between the engine and chassis of a commercial vehicle. By doing so, the back pressure is reduced thanks to a sufficient cross section. The efficiency of exhaust gas after-treatment benefits from this configuration due to minimized heat loss. Moreover, the catalytic effect can already be used at low loads and low temperatures during real-world driving.
As part of the system concept, the subsequent AdBlue injectionis carried out by highly precise Continental AdBlue injectors which are configurated by Emitec for the individual commercial vehicle application and according to customer-specific requirements. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tools serve to optimize the AdBlue vaporization in the exhaust gas in order to achieve high NOx abatement rates in the high-performance metal substrate SCR converter at already low temperatures. The dosing system (Gen III), which was developed for the start of production at Emitec, is integrated into the AdBlue tank. It incorporates sensor functions and further reduces the system complexity of the concept study, while requiring no additional space in the chassis.
Product portfolio for growth and new markets in Asia
Exhaust gas after-treatment is a worldwide growth market: In the U.S. and Japan the emission limits are similarly stringent as they are in Europe. Also, vehicle homologation in China will require at least EURO IV technology from the beginning of the year 2015. In this context, it is a great advantage that Emitec products are long proven in Asia. With the mandatory introduction of Euro IV in China, the demand for emission reduction technology will continue to grow there as well. Emitec already supplies SCR dosing systems on top of catalytic substrates to customers in the region. For the near future Continental plans to manufacture Emitec AdBlue injection systems as a part of SCR solutions at the Wuhu location (China).
With sales of around €33.3 billion in 2013, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires, and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently employs approximately 186,000 people in 49 countries.
The Powertrain division (sales of approximately €6.3 billion in 2013, roughly 32,400 employees) integrates innovative and efficient system solutions for vehicle powertrains. The comprehensive range of products includes gasoline and diesel injection systems, engine management and transmission control, including sensors and actuators, as well as fuel supply systems, and components and systems for hybrid and electric drives.