Fuel Quality Sensing Is On Its Way To Truck Application

However, the list of challenges continues: Long-haul truck engines, for instance, are exposed to a growing number of changing blends of diesel and biofuels, which influence not only the combustion but also the post injection strategy required for exhaust gas aftertreatment. Depending on the region, the fuel can be contaminated by unwanted substances as well. An overly high sulphur content, for instance, can damage the engine. This creates new needs in the market. As an answer to these needs Continental, the international automotive system supplier, is presenting the latest stage of development of its fuel sensor solutions at the IAA Truck Show. “There is an increasing demand for sophisticated truck engines around the globe”, says Mathias Miedreich, head of the Exhaust & Emission Sensors segment within the Continental Business Unit Sensors & Actuators. “The properties of fuel can have great influence on the efficiency, emission level, and also the durability of modern diesel engines. Therefore we see a huge demand for solutions to detect important fuel quality parameters. Our new products address this issue. Detecting sulphur in the fuel is probably the most urgent requirement.” After successfully concluding the four year Euripides research project, which ended in 2011, Continental has now provided product samples of its new Fuel Quality Sensor to several truck OEMs for testing and vehicle integration.



Core challenges: Combustion control and system durability



As commercial vehicles’ usage profiles more often contain use in multiple countries and world regions, there is higher likelihood to meet different fuel qualities than for passenger cars. This applies to long-haul trucks in particular. As the energy content of the fuel depends on its exact chemical composition, the sophisticated combustion processes of clean and efficient truck diesel engines are impacted by variations of the fuel quality. This can result in a lower than optimal fuel economy. To overcome the new challenges, fuel quality sensing needs to address two main aspects. One is combustion control: The new Continental Fuel Quality Sensor can determine the changing diesel/biodiesel blend in the tank and its actual cetane count with a targeted precision of less than ±5 % biodiesel. Based on this information, the combustion strategy and the post injection strategy, which is part of aftertreatment, can be adjusted to achieve the maximum engine efficiency at minimum emissions. The second challenge is ensuring emissions and system robustness. If this challenge is not overcome, contaminants in the fuel can reduce the engine durability and the efficiency of aftertreatment systems: To check the fuel for a comprehensive range of its chemical constituents, including sulphur, Continental has developed the Fuel Quality Sensor which is based on an optical measurement principle. “This sensor is in fact a miniaturized fuel lab”, says Hervé Richard, Project Manager Fuel Quality Sensor, “it detects the optical fingerprint of the fuel and thus allows an exact fine tuning of the engine management but it also measures the amount of problematic substances such as sulphur, water, or gasoline in the diesel fuel.” By delivering this information, the fuel quality sensor can help to detect contaminants early before they can cause such failures as sulphur poisoning of the aftertreatment system. Depending on the level of contaminants appropriate countermeasures can be taken to avoid damage and resulting warranty issues.