Research Applied to Exhaust Gas After-Treatment Systems in 1.6 L Zsg 416 Ford Engine

In the present paper it is synthesized an applied study of the influence that exhaust gas after-treatment systems have upon the power output, engine torque, fuel specific consumption (due to the back-pressure in the exhaust) by testing a modern Ford engine (type ZSG 416), and converting it to a virtual simulation software—Lotus Engine Simulation. The first main objective of the present paper is the comparison of the experimental practical values with the software simulation results and outlining the significant differences. The second main objective is the modification of the initial engine-test-bench by decreasing and also increasing the exhaust back-pressure through the configuration of exhaust gas after-treatment system configuration (minimum back-pressure resistance—no exhaust pipe; standard after-treatment components; clogged catalyst in after-treatment system—high back-pressure) in order to outline the influence on the power and torque curves. In conclusion, the after-treatment system influence on the engine behavior may be altered by catalyst clogging and cleaning (thus the engine operation in all available regimes is needed) and also by mounting an exhaust flaps which can be controlled by modifying its translation inside the gas exhaust pipe.