Selective catalytic reduction device control

Abstract

Technical solutions described herein include an emissions control system for treating exhaust gas in a motor vehicle including an internal combustion engine. The emissions control system includes a model-based controller to control reductant injection into the exhaust gas. Controlling the reductant injection includes determining an amount of NOx and an amount of NH3 at an outlet of the first SCR device, and at an outlet of the second SCR device. The controlling further includes computing an amount of reductant to inject to maintain a first predetermined ratio between the amount of NH3 and the amount of NOx at the outlet of the first SCR device and to maintain a second predetermined ratio between the amount of NH3 and the amount of NOx at the outlet of the second SCR device. Further, the controlling includes sending a command for receipt by the reductant injector to inject the computed amount of reductant.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An emissions control system for treating exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle, the emissions control system comprising:
 a reductant injector;   a first selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device;   a second SCR device; and   a model-based controller that is configured to control the reductant injection into the exhaust gas, the controlling of the reductant injection comprising:
 determining an amount of NOx and an amount of NH3 at an outlet of the first SCR device; 
 determining an amount of NOx and an amount of NH3 at an outlet of the second SCR device; 
 computing an amount of reductant to inject to maintain a first predetermined ratio between the amount of NH3 and the amount of NOx at the outlet of the first SCR device and to maintain a second predetermined ratio between the amount of NH3 and the amount of NOx at the outlet of the second SCR device to ensure the optimal operation of both selective catalytic reduction systems, the first SCR device and the second SCR device; and 
 sending a command for receipt by the reductant injector to inject the computed amount of reductant. 
   
     
     
         2 . The emissions control system of  claim 1 , wherein determining the amount of NH3 at the outlet of the first SCR device is based on computing a first estimated NH3 storage level for the first SCR device, and is further based on receiving a NOx measurement at an inlet of the first SCR device. 
     
     
         3 . The emissions control system of  claim 2 , wherein determining the amount of NH3 at the outlet of the second SCR device is based on computing a second estimated NH3 storage level for the second SCR device, and the amount of NH3 at the outlet of the first SCR device. 
     
     
         4 . The emissions control system of  claim 3 , wherein determining the amount of NH3 at the outlet of the second SCR device is further based on receiving a NOx measurement at the outlet of the first SCR device of the first SCR device. 
     
     
         5 . The emissions control system of  claim 1 , wherein the first SCR device is a SCR filter. 
     
     
         6 . The emissions control system of  claim 5 , wherein the second SCR device is an underfloor SCR device. 
     
     
         7 . The emissions control system of  claim 1 , wherein computing the amount of reductant comprises estimating the amount of NH3 and the amount of NOx at the outlet of the second SCR device based on a state observer that includes a combination of physical models for the first SCR device and the second SCR device. 
     
     
         8 . An exhaust system for treating exhaust gas emitted by an internal combustion engine, configured to perform a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of exhaust gas, the exhaust system comprising:
 at least a first SCR device;   a controller configured to control injection of a reductant into the exhaust gas, the controlling of the reductant injection comprising:
 determining if the exhaust system includes a second SCR device; 
 in response to the exhaust system including the first SCR device only, computing an amount of reductant to inject based on a first model of the first SCR device, the first model estimating a first NH3 storage level at the first SCR device; 
 in response to the exhaust system including the second SCR device, computing the optimal amount of reductant to inject based on a combination of the first model of the first SCR device and a second model of the second SCR device, the combination estimating the first NH3 storage level at the first SCR device and a second NH3 storage level at the second SCR device; and 
 sending a command to a reductant injector to inject the amount of reductant. 
   
     
     
         9 . The exhaust system of  claim 8 , wherein the first model uses a first NOx measurement from an inlet of the first SCR device and a second NOx measurement from an outlet of the first SCR device. 
     
     
         10 . The exhaust system of  claim 9 , wherein the second model uses the second NOx measurement from the outlet of the first SCR device and a third NOx measurement from an outlet of the second SCR device. 
     
     
         11 . The exhaust system of  claim 9 , wherein the first model uses a first NH3 estimation from the outlet of the first SCR device and the amount of reductant injected. 
     
     
         12 . The exhaust system of  claim 11 , wherein the second model uses the first NH3 estimation from an outlet of the first SCR device and a second NH3 estimation from an outlet of the second SCR device. 
     
     
         13 . The exhaust system of  claim 12 , wherein, in response to the exhaust system including the second SCR device, computing the optimal amount of reductant comprises maintaining a first predetermined trade-off between an amount of NH3 and an amount of NOx at the outlet of the first SCR device and to maintain a second predetermined trade-off between an amount of NH3 and an amount of NOx at the outlet of the second SCR device. 
     
     
         14 . The exhaust system of  claim 12 , wherein the second SCR device is an underfloor SCR device. 
     
     
         15 . A computer-implemented method for controlling reductant injection into an emissions control system that comprises a first selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device, the method comprising:
 determining if the emissions control system includes a second SCR device;   in response to the emissions control system including the first SCR device only, computing an optimal amount of reductant to inject based on a first model of the first SCR device, the first model estimating a first NH3 storage level at the first SCR device;   in response to the emissions control system including the second SCR device, computing the optimal amount of reductant to inject based on a combination of the first model of the first SCR device and a second model of the second SCR device, the combination estimating the first NH3 storage level at the first SCR device and a second NH3 storage level at the second SCR device; and   sending a command to a reductant injector to inject the amount of reductant.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first model uses a first NOx measurement from an inlet of the first SCR device and a second NOx measurement from an outlet of the first SCR device. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the second model uses the second NOx measurement from the outlet of the first SCR device and a third NOx measurement from an outlet of the second SCR device. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first model uses a first NH3 estimation from an outlet of the first SCR device and the amount of reductant injected. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein, in response to the emissions control system including the second SCR device, computing the optimal amount of reductant comprises maintaining a first predetermined ratio between an amount of NH3 and an amount of NOx at a first outlet of the first SCR device and to maintain a second predetermined ratio between an amount of NH3 and an amount of NOx at an outlet of the second SCR device. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second SCR device is an underfloor SCR device.