Electronic Engine Control

Engine control means regulating fuel and air intake as well as

spark timing to achieve desired performance in the form of
torque or power output.

Electronic engine control is used to reduce exhaust emissions and

improve fuel economy, both of which have limits set by the government.
 MOTIVATION FOR ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL
1 - Legislation to regulate automobile exhaust emissions under the authority of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

2 - To improve the national average fuel economy by government regulation

Exhaust Emissions

The combustion of gasoline in an engine results in exhaust gases including CO 2, H2O, CO,
oxides of nitrogen, and various hydrocarbons.

Gasoline is a mixture of chemical compounds that are called hydrocarbons

If combustion of the IC engine is not perfect, then in addition to the CO 2 and H2O, the
exhaust contains amounts of carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx),
unburned hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of sulfur, and other compounds. Some of the
exhaust constituents are considered harmful and have come under the control of the
federal government.
The exhaust emissions controlled by government standards are CO, HC, and NOx.
Fuel Economy

Fuel economy means, the number of miles that can be driven for each gallon of gasoline
consumed. It is referred to as miles per gallon (MPG) or simply mileage.

It is well fact that the mileage of a vehicle is not unique.

It depends on size, shape, weight, and how the car is driven.

- The best mileage is achieved under steady cruise conditions.

- City driving, with many starts and stops, yields worse mileage than steady
highway driving.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TEST PROCEDURES
A chassis dynamometer is a test stand that holds a vehicle such as a car or truck.
It is equipped with instruments capable of measuring the power that is delivered at
the drive wheels of the vehicle under various conditions. The vehicle is held on the
dynamometer so that it cannot move when power is applied to the drive wheels.
The drive wheels are in contact with two large rollers. One roller is mechanically
coupled to an electric generator that can vary the load on its electrical output. The
other roller has instruments to measure and record the vehicle speed. The
generator absorbs all mechanical power that is delivered at the drive wheels, and
the horsepower is calculated from the electrical output. (746 watts of electrical
output equals 1 horsepower.)

The controls of the dynamometer can be set to simulate the correct load (including
the effects of tire rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag) and inertia of the
vehicle moving along a road under various conditions. The conditions are the same
as if the vehicle actually were being driven except for wind loads.
urban cycle trip involves
acceleration, deceleration,
stops, starts, and steady
cruise such as would be
encountered in a “typical”
city automobile trip of 7.45
miles (12 km).

The highway schedule

takes 765 seconds and
simulates 10.24 miles
(16.5 km) of highway
driving
 During the operation of the vehicle in the urban test, the exhaust is
continuously collected and sampled. At the end of the test, the absolute mass
of each of the regulated exhaust gases is determined. The regulations are
stated in terms of the total mass of each exhaust gas divided by the total
distance of the simulated trip.

Summary of the exhaust emission requirements and CAFÉ standards for a few representative years

CAFE - Corporate Average Fuel Economy

 Control System

Generic Electronic Engine Control System

The electronic engine control system receives input electrical signals from the various
sensors that measure the state of the engine. From these signals, the controller generates
output electrical signals to the actuators that determine the engine calibration (i.e., correct
fuel delivery and spark timing)
CONCEPT OF AN ELECTRONIC ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM

The power produced by the engine is proportional to the air flow into the engine

As the driver depresses the accelerator

pedal, the throttle angle (θ in fig)
increases, which increases the cross-
sectional area through which the air
flows, reducing the resistance to air
flow and thereby allowing an increased
air flow into the engine.
The role of fuel control is to regulate
the fuel that is mixed with the air so
that it increases in proportion to the air
flow

Fig: Intake System with Throttle Plate

In mathematical terms we can write:
Pb = KMA
where
Pb = power from the engine (hp or kw)
MA = mass air flow rate (kg/hr) or (lb/hr)
K = constant relating power to air flow (kw/kg/hr) or (hp/lb/hr)
 Engine Functions and Control

Throttle position sensor (TPS)

Mass air flow rate (MAF)
Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve position
Exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) concentration

There is a fuel metering system to set the air–fuel mixture flowing into the engine
through the intake manifold. Spark control determines when the air–fuel mixture
is ignited after it is compressed in the cylinders of the engine. The power is
delivered at the driveshaft, and the gases that result from combustion flow out of
the exhaust system. In the exhaust system, there is a valve to control the amount
of exhaust gas being recirculated back to the input, and a catalytic converter to
further control emissions.
Engine Parameters

A parameter is a numerical value of some engine dimension that is fixed by design.

Engine design parameters :

Bore : Piston diameter
Stroke: The distance the piston travels on one stroke
Throw: The length of the crankshaft lever arm

The bore and stroke determine the cylinder volume and the displacement.

Displacement is the total volume of air that is displaced as the engine rotates
through two complete revolutions.
Compression ratio is the ratio of cylinder volume at BDC to the volume at TDC.
Other parameters that engine designers must specify include combustion chamber
shape, camshaft cam profile, intake and exhaust valve size, and valve timing.

All of these design parameters are fixed and are not subject to control while the
engine is operating.
 Engine Variables
A Engine Variable is a quantity that changes or may be changed as the engine operates,
typically under the control of the electronic control system.
Some of the important engine variables are
-mass air flow
-fuel flow rate
-spark timing
-power
-intake manifold pressure
Major Controller Inputs from Engine

1. Throttle position sensor (TPS)

2. Mass air flow rate (MAF)
3. Engine temperature (coolant temperature- CT)
4. Engine speed (RPM) and angular position
5. Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve position
6. Exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) concentration

Major Controller Outputs to Engine

1. Fuel metering control

2. Ignition control
3. Ignition timing
4. Exhaust gas recirculation control
Power
Power is a measurement of an engine’s ability to perform useful work.
Power is given in kilowatts or in horsepower (note: .746 kilowatt = 1 horsepower).

Brake power, which is measured with an Engine dynamometer, is the actual power
developed by the engine minus losses due to internal friction.

Engine dynamometer is similar to Chassis Dynamometer except that the engine output
shaft drives the dynamometer directly instead of coupling the output through wheels
and rollers.

Power varies with engine speed and throttle angle. Power may be measured at the
drive wheels or at the engine output shaft

Brake power - Pb
Indicated power - Pi - total amount of power that is actually developed in the engine

The indicated power differs from the brake power by the loss of power in the engine
due to friction between cylinders and pistons, and other friction losses. That is,
Pb = Pi - friction and other losses
BSFC - Brake-Specific Fuel Consumption

BSFC is a measurement of an engine’s fuel economy. It is the ratio of fuel flow to the brake
power output of the engine.

BSFC = the fuel flow rate (in kg/hr or lb/hr) / the brake power output (Pb)
 Torque

Torque is the twisting force of an engine’s crankshaft

The torque is expressed as the product of force applied to a lever and the length of the
lever.
The units of torque are N·m (Newton Meters) in the metric system or ft lb
(foot-pounds) in the U.S. system. The torque of a typical engine varies with RPM

Volumetric Efficiency (breathing efficiency)

Volumetric efficiency actually describes how well the engine functions as an air pump,
drawing air and fuel into the various cylinders.
It depends on various engine design parameters such as piston size, piston stroke, and
number of cylinders and is strongly influenced by camshaft design
 Thermal Efficiency
Thermal efficiency expresses the mechanical energy that is delivered to the vehicle relative to
the energy content of the fuel.
In the typical SI engine,
35% of the energy that is available in the fuel is lost as heat to the coolant and lubricating oil,
40% is lost as heat and unburned fuel in exhaust gases,
5% is lost in engine and drivetrain friction.
This means that only about 20% is available to drive the vehicle and accessories.
These percentages vary somewhat with operating conditions but are valid on the average.

Calibration
The definition of engine calibration is the setting of the air/fuel ratio and ignition timing for
the engine.
With the new electronic control systems , calibration is determined by the electronic engine
control system.
 Engine Mapping

For engine mapping, the engine is connected to a dynamometer and operated

throughout its entire speed and load range. Measurements are made of the
important engine variables while quantities, such as the air/fuel ratio and the
spark control, are varied in a known and systematic manner.

From this mapping, a mathematical model is developed that explains the

influence of every measurable variable and parameter on engine performance.
Effect of Air/Fuel Ratio on Performance

BSHC = brake-specific HC concentration = rHC/Pb

where
BSCO = brake-specific CO concentration = rCO/Pb rHC = HC rate of flow
BSNOX = brake-specific NOX concentration = rNOx/Pb rCO = CO rate of flow
rNOx = NOx rate of flow
Stoichiometry is sufficiently important that the fuel and air mixture is often represented
by a ratio called the equivalence ratio, which is given the specific designation λ(i.e., the
Greek letter lambda). The equivalence ratio is defined as follows:

λ = (air /fuel) / (air /fuel stoichiometry)

A relatively low air/fuel ratio, below 14.7 (corresponding to l < 1), is

called a rich mixture; an air/fuel ratio above 14.7 (corresponding to l > 1) is
called a lean mixture.
Emission control is strongly affected by air/fuel ratio, or by λ.
Effect of Spark Timing on Performance

Spark advance is the time before top dead center (TDC) when the spark is initiated. It
is usually expressed in number of degrees of crankshaft rotation relative to TDC

Figure reveals the influence of spark timing on brake specific exhaust emissions with
constant speed and constant air/fuel ratio. Note that both NOx and HC generally
increase with increased advance of spark timing. BSFC and torque are also strongly
influenced by timing. Figure shows that maximum torque occurs at a particular
advanced timing denoted MBT (mean best torque)
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