Condensed water treatment device for internal combustion engine

• US 9,695,728 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hashizume, Takeshi, Takada, Noriyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Wongwian, Phutthiwat
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Diem
• Application Number:
  US14/897,513
• Publication Number:
  US 20160138451A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/02 the substance being ammonia or urea
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/03 the substance being hydrocarbons, e.g. engine fuel
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/146 Control thereof, e.g. control of injectors or injection valves
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/0416 using the state of a sensor, e.g. of an exhaust gas sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/005 for draining or otherwise eliminating condensates or moisture accumulating in the apparatus F01N3/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/08 for rendering innocuous using electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01; chemical aspects B01D53/92
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2066 Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/208 Control of selective catalytic reduction [SCR], e.g. dosing of reducing agent
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 37/00 Engines characterised by provision of pumps driven at least for part of the time by exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/00 Engine-pertinent apparatus for adding exhaust gases to combustion-air, main fuel or fuel-air mixture, e.g. by exhaust gas recirculation [EGR] systems
• CPC Class Codes: F02M 26/35 with means for cleaning or treating the recirculated gases, e.g. catalysts, condensate traps, particle filters or heaters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

The condensed water treatment device obtains (S1) the storage water quantity (QW) of a condensed water tank, and drains (S4) condensed water in the condensed water tank when the storage water quantity (QW) is larger than a threshold value (tu) and also urea water is supplied to an exhaust passage for a selective-reduction type NOx catalyst. Thereby, the condensed water is neutralized and then drained to the outside of an internal combustion engine through the exhaust passage.

Claims

1. A condensed water treatment device for an internal combustion engine, the condensed water treatment device being applied to the internal combustion engine comprising:

a selective-reduction type NOx catalyst which is provided on an exhaust passage to reduce NOx and purify exhaust gas by ammonia; and

an additive supplying valve which supplies an additive which is ammonia or a precursor of ammonia to the exhaust passage at an upstream side of the NOx catalyst, the condensed water treatment device comprising;

a condensed water tank which stores condensed water generated in an exhaust system of the internal combustion engine;

a drainage passage which connects the condensed water tank and the exhaust passage;

a switching valve which switches a state of the drainage passage between close and open; and

a computer, by executing a computer program, functioning as a drainage controlling device which is configured to control the switching valve, so that the condensed water is drained to the exhaust passage via the drainage passage while the additive is being supplied to the exhaust passage via the additive supplying valve, wherein

the drainage controlling device is configured to;

obtain a storage water quantity of the condensed water tank;

determine whether the storage water quantity obtained is larger than a predetermined threshold value; and

in a case of determining that the storage water quantity is larger than the predetermined threshold value, control the switching valve so that the drainage passage is opened when the additive is supplied to the exhaust passage.

2. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein

a connecting position where the drainage passage and the exhaust passage are connected with each other is positioned at a downstream side of the additive supplying valve.

3. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 1,

a connecting position where the drainage passage and the exhaust passage are connected with each other is positioned at an upstream side of the NOx catalyst,

the drainage controlling device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to calculate a drainage quantity of the condensed water according to temperature of the NOx catalyst.

4. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 3, wherein

the drainage controlling device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to calculate the drainage quantity within a limitation which does not exceed an upper limit set so as to become larger as the temperature of the NOx catalyst is higher.

5. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 1, wherein

the computer, by executing the computer program, further functions as an additive quantity increasing device which is configured to increase supply quantity of the additive to the exhaust passage so that the supply quantity of the additive to the exhaust passage increases more in drainage time of the condensed water to the exhaust passage in comparison with the supply quantity in non-drainage time of the condensed water to the exhaust passage.

6. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 5, wherein

the additive quantity increasing device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to increase the supply quantity of the additive based on drainage quantity of the condensed water drained to the exhaust passage and pH of the condensed water stored in the condensed water tank.

7. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 5, further comprising an additive holding portion which is connected to the additive supplying valve to hold the additive, wherein

the additive quantity increasing device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to inhibit increase of supply quantity of the additive in a case where holding quantity of the additive in the additive holding position is equal to, or less than a predetermined value, and

the predetermined value is set so as to become smaller as pH of the condensed water stored in the condensed water tank is smaller.

8. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 7, wherein

the internal combustion engine further comprises:

an EGR passage which takes out exhaust gas from the exhaust passage at a downstream of the NOx catalyst and leads the exhaust gas to an intake system;

an EGR cooler which is provided on the EGR passage; and

a back pressure controlling valve which is provided at a downstream side of a connecting position where the drainage passage and the exhaust passage are connected with each other and also at a downstream side of a position where the EGR passage takes out the exhaust gas, and is capable of narrowing down a flow path of the exhaust passage, wherein

the condensed water tank stores condensed water generated in the EGR cooler, as the condensed water generated in the exhaust system, and

the drainage controlling device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to operate the back pressure controlling valve so that the condensed water is drained to the exhaust passage in a state that the flow path of the exhaust passage is narrowed down, in a case where the increase of the supply quantity of the additive is inhibited.

9. The condensed water treatment device according to claim 8, wherein

the internal combustion engine further comprises an EGR valve provided on the EGR passage, and

the drainage controlling device, which the computer by executing the computer program functions as, is configured to operate the EGR valve so that the EGR passage is closed.