Design of a selective catalytic reduction system to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions of the 2003 West Virginia University FutureTruck

A Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) System was designed and built to reduce NOx emissions of the 2003 West Virginia University (WVU) Diesel Hybrid-Electric FutureTruck. FutureTruck was a student competition that challenged students to redesign a new Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. A comprehensive literature review discussing all aspects of SCR was completed. The review focuses on harmful effects of NOx emissions, future emission standards, NOx reduction technologies and last presents an in-depth review of SCR. The SCR control system designed was used for both data acquisition and determination of urea injection amounts. The system control strategy determined NO x emissions based on engine fueling rate. To determine the effectiveness of the SCR system, a steady state test was conducted. Test results showed the average error in estimating NOx emissions for all test points was 22%. Also, the test revealed flaws in the system which limited NO x reduction ability. Average NOx reduction for all test points was 26%. Possible causes for the low NOx reduction were low catalyst temperature and poor atomization of urea in the exhaust flow.