Analysis of Non-Selective Catalyst Reduction Performance with Dedicated Exhaust Gas Recirculation

Rich burn industrial natural gas engines offer best in class post catalyst emissions by using a non-selective catalyst reduction aftertreatment technology. However, they operate with reduced power density when compared to lean burn engines. Dedicated exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) offers a possible pathway for rich burn engines to use non-selective catalyst reduction aftertreatment technology without sacrificing power density. In order to achieve best in class post catalyst emissions, the precious metals and washcoat of a non-selective catalyst must be designed according to the expected exhaust composition of an engine. In this work, a rich burn industrial natural gas engine operating with dedicated EGR was paired with a commercially available non-selective catalyst. At rated brake mean effective pressure (BMEP) the air-fuel ratio was swept between rich and lean conditions to compare the catalyst reduction efficiency and post catalyst emissions of rich burn and dedicated EGR combustion. It was found that due to low oxides of nitrogen (NO_x) emissions across the entire air-fuel ratio range, dedicated EGR offers a much larger range of air-fuel ratios where low regulated emissions can be met. Low engine out NO_x also points towards a possibility of using an oxidation catalyst rather than a non-selective catalyst for dedicated EGR applications. The location of the NO_x-CO tradeoff was shifted to more rich conditions using dedicated EGR.