Applied Research on Diesel Engine SCR system
with the Variable Structure Control Theory
Binbin Shen
School of energy and power engineering
Wuhan University of Technology
Wuhan Hubei
whutsbb@126.com
Abstract—As one of the selective technology for meeting the
demand of diesel engine emission standard, SCR technology has
been applied in China & Abroad widespreadly. In order to meet
the stricter technical requirements and standard, it’s more
necessary to adopt the optimal SCR technology based on close-
loop control system comparing the insufficient open-loop control
system. This paper deals with a new research of the close-loop
control on the SCR system.
Considering the demand of SCR transient control, We have
designed a variable structure controller based on the variable
structure control theory and use the ETC transient experimental
test data on a vehicle with SCR system, and a simulation is made
for the controller at last.
The simulation results indicate that the variable structure
controller has a good robustness and quick-response capability
and can adjust urea injecting quantity quickly in specified time,
also it can ensure the NOx emission and the NH 3 leakage within
the specified range to meet the emission standard.
Keywords-SCR; ETC; variable structure control
I. SCR SYSTEM
China has issued its national standardċČ anFč for
diesel engine emission in 2006, and the implementation of it
were issued in 2008, 2010 and 2012 respectively. Beijing had
executed national Č standard in 2008. As an optional
technology meeting the national standard Č emission, SCR
has been used in China & Abroad, what’s more, it has fuller
fuel combustion.
A. The characteristics of SCR system
SCR system based on engine operating conditions and
catalyst temperature to determine the urea injecting quantity,
precise control of dosing unit to the exhaust pipe injection
Adblue to achieve catalytic reduction to achieve the purpose of
reducing NOx emissions. In considering the characteristics of
SCR system, it is necessary to consider both cases of the
steady-state and dynamic-state.
Steady-state condition,i.e.ESC (European Steady-state test
cycle),which consists of A,B,C three speed on four different
load points and an idle condition. Each condition takes 2
minutes. In Steady-state condition, the urea injection and NOx
emission showed a linear relationship, and the delay has little
effect on the SCR system, the open-loop control strategy often
used.
Dynamic condition, namely ETC (European transient test
978-1-4244-8165-1/11/$26.00 ©2011 IEEE
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Fangping Yu,Huabiao Jin, Huayu Zhang,Qidou Wu
School of energy and power engineering
Wuhan University of Technology
Wuhan Hubei
yu_fph@163.com, yx_jhb@163.com,
dahai50241217@163.com, wutianflying@163.com
cycle), the ETC test time is 1800s, each second corresponds to
a condition. Most diesel engine operating conditions are
changing as the transient of real-time conditions, the urea
injection calibrated under the steady-state condition must be
corrected to used in dynamic conditions, transient conditions is
complex, and it is a multi-input single-output system, and the
system exists the delay time-varying interference, including the
speed step, torque step, the temperature step etc. So the
transient characteristics of practical engineering applications
are more useful.
B. The research status of SCR system
In SCR transient conditions,some factors such as the air
inlet temperature and moisture will have an influence on the
generation of nitrogen oxides, and the open-loop control
strategy is not sensitive. In order to further improve quality
control and stability, people made a close-loop control strategy,
close-loop control will put the output feedback to the input,and
compare to the given value, then control by errors, therefore,
make the input and output data anastomotic by interference
correction.Composite control combines open-loop control and
closed-loop control which can improve accuracy and steady-
state performance. The results of close-loop control research
are described as follows:
1)Da Yu Wang and other people made a surface coverage
model and control model of ammonia leakage combined
control programs, including control of surface coverage,
ammonia leak feedback control, adaptive control model
switching module with three parts.In this paper,a model-based
SCR control strategy deploying an ammonia feedback sensor
demonstrated high NOx conversion,low NH3 slip and good
robustness against disturbances.
2)Frank Willems, Robert Cloudt,who made a NOX sensor
feedback signal based on control program.The plan has two
links that’s the open-loop control and closed loop control.The
programs indicates the effects is similar to the open-loop
control under the normal circumstances,so it is suit for the
high-temperature steady-state conditions.
3)Andrew Herman and Frank Willems has made a similar
strategy for the control strategy,based on NH 3 sensors to do
high-quality control.
4)U.S DeNOxer company based on pre-and post-NOX
sensor and temperature sensor to control. The control is not
used with the introduction of engine ECU condition
information, it can be used in all types of diesel engines.This
control is good to improve control quality and reduce NH 3 slip.
 Therefore,for the characteristics of SCR transient systems,it injecting before, in and after period as a cycle,ETC experiment
is necessary to adopt a control strategies with extremely strong is made of those cycles.For the convenience of the research and
robustness and rapid responseDŽ simulation,one cycle is taken among them,i.e.figure 2 has
shown the 16 working condition points.
II. VARIABLE STRUCTURE CONTROL 


A. The characteristics of variable structure control 


Variable structure control produced in the 1950s has 
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WUXHLQMHFWLRQ
formed a relatively independent research branch. It pulls a state  12[
RULJLQDO1R[
trajectory of any point to the designated straight line by the 

control effect, and then go along the line slip to origin?. 

   
The fundamental difference between this kind of control 

and conventional control is that variable structure control can Figure 2 (a) The NOx discharge for the 16 working condition points
change system structure at any time, that is, not continuity. The
sliding mode is able to be designed,and has nothing with the 

parameters of the system and the disturbance.The biggest




characteristic is to make the system has the fast response, the 
strong robustness (that is,have an excellent insensitivity for the
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 WUXHLQMHFWLRQ

controlled object model error,object parameters change and 

12[

external disturbances),no system online identification, small 

amount of calculation,strong real-time property etc. 

The SCR system of diesel engine is nonlinear,and has delay
disturbance characteristics,the variable structure control has a
good control for SCR transient system in principle.
B. SCR system control strategy
In this paper,SCR system does not include the oxidation
and after oxidation catalysts,it uses closed-loop control and
needs air assist.The control ideas are as follows:
circuit˗ Liquid channel˗ Gas path
Figure 1 The control ideas
The controller calculates urea injections according to the
information that the controller collects.Urea decomposes and
generates to NH 3 in the catalyst,with NOx reacts N 2 and H 2 O.
In order to guarantee the NOx emissions can meet higher law
standard,we ues closed-loop control.The controller collects
downstream NOx emissions instruction,and compares to the
regulations NOx emissions,get Δ Nox.And then, The controller
gets the urea injections according to the computation.Urea
measurement jet pump changes injection according to the
controller instructions,which makes sure the NOx emissions
are to regulations value.

      
Figure 2 (b) 5 sample points from 16 working condition points.
Conclusion:
1)Before injecting urea,the discharge of NOx and the added
SCR after-treatment NOx of the prime motor keeps the
same,but there is difference between them because the catalyst
has the ability to store ammonia,after during the last injecting
process,the catalyst has consumed NOx.
2)Injecting urea at 105s,but the NOx discharge is still the
same of prime motor,likewise,when stopped the urea injecting,
NOx discharge is not picking up immediately.Apart from the
influence of the variable working condition,there obviously has
a delay.The experimental data shows the delay is about 5s.
3)The target of the variable control is the NOx discharge
and the injecting quantity of urea,to simplify the processing of
the experimental data, the working condition which is from
105s to 109s is cut out, the speed,urea injecting quantity and
NOx emissions are shown on figure 2(b).
4)The paper has processed the 5s working condition data
and its fitting.
Where: x=NOx(ppm); u=The urea injecting quantity(ml/h).
The processing steps are as follow:
g

III. VARIABLE STRUCTURE CONTROLLER DESIGN x

A. Modeling of SCR system g

x = α ( x1 , x2 ) + β ( x1 , x2 )u
The ETC data is from the experiment on the 385 mill
type,it consists 1800 working conditions,it injects at every 200s, Figure 3 Process steps
therefore,the data is excusive and complicated.Given the urea

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 After the data-fitting,there is
g
x = (0.43 x 2 − 13.997 x + 34.9) + (0.05 x + 26.15)u 3-1
2
= (d 2 x − d 4 x + d 6 ) + (d1 x + d3 )u
g
To simplify x = A( x) + B ( x)u 3-2
Figure 4 The strategy of the variable control
Given: c0 =NOx specified value, c =NOx experimental
SCR system variable control:
∫
data, e = c0 − c , x1 = edt , x2 = e ,formula 3-2 could be
simplified as:
⎡g⎤ x 3-3
⎢ x1 ⎥ = ⎡ 2 ⎤ ⎡0
+
⎤
u
⎢ g ⎥ ⎢⎣ −(d 2 c 2 − d 4 c + d6 ) ⎥⎦ ⎢⎣ −(d1c + d3 ) ⎥⎦
x
⎣ 2⎦

B. The design of variable structure controller

The design of variable structure controller is mainly on the
selection of slipping surface s ( x ) and the controlling on

⎧⎪u + ( x) s ( x) > 0
u ( x) = ⎨ − Figure 5 The simulation of SCR system variable control
⎪⎩u ( x) s( x) < 0
SCR model is:
As for the system,taken the linear switch function as:
s = ax1 + x2 3-4

The system enters the slipping model,which meets:

g
s ( x ) = ax1 + x2 = ax1 + x1 = 0 ,and its solution x1 (t ) = x1 (0)e− at .
Apparently,only when a > 0 ,the system could be stable.For
this switch function,the equivalent controlling and slipping
movement are attained.Given the derivative of the switch Figure 6 SCR model
function for the system as:
Controller model˖
ds dx dx
= a 1 + 2 = ax2 − A( x) − B( x)u
dt dt dt
Meanwhile B( x) ≠ 0 ,therefore,the equivalent controlling
is ueq = B −1 ( x )[ ax2 − A( x )] .

Taken the proportional approaching rate to control,

ds
= −ε sgn( s) − ks ε , k > 0 ,it reaches the variable
dt
control as
− d 2 x 2 + d 4 x − d 6 + ax2 + ε sgn( s ) + ks
u= 3-5
d1 x + d3

IV. THE APPLICATION OF SCR SYSTEM ON THE SIMULATION OF
VARIABLE CONTROL
A. The simulation model of variable structure controller
The idea of SCR variable control is shown in figure 4,the
input are the experimental value and the difference value,the
output is the urea injection quantity.To control the urea
injecting quantity could enable the NOx experimental value to
reach the NOx specified value without external interference.
Figure 7 Controller model
In the model,the sample period is 1s.The initial urea
injecting quantity is 800ml/h,and the next second quantity is
the calculated value.The simulation time is 500s.The initial
speed and torsion are the set value,they will be changed every
second, by the stimulation,the values of a, ε , k are attained.
Taken the simulation time 500s,the last urea injecting quantity
and the NOx discharge are as follow:

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 Analysis of the results:
1) The data in Figure 9 show, once conditions change,
urea injection and NOx emission was rapidly changed.This
suggests that the variable structure control has a good
tracking property for the SCR transient system.
2) Figure9(a) shows,NOx emission are within 400—
580ppm,Less than specified value 587ppm which is
calculated by the inversing of the brake NOx emission
weighed method referring to the brake NOx emission
3.2g/kw.h.Figure9(b) shows NH 3 slip are within
Figure 8(a) NOx emission 20ppm.This suggests that the former controller is also
applicable to other conditions.

V. SUMMARY AND PROSPECT

The paper shows that the variable structure control has a
good tracking property for the SCR transient system.The
condition of the engine is very complex.In practical
application, we have to consider many factors such as the
load and inlet pressure Therefore for industrial application,a
variety of complex factors should be taken into
Figure 8(b) NH 3 slip consideration.

B. Application of variable structure controller THANKS

Choose other conditions of the ETC experiment, the speeds Thanks for Professor Yu Fangping, thanks for his guidance
are 1348,1200,1546rad/s;the torques are 52,35,67Nm.Using and help, and also thanks for everyone in the lab.
variable structure control for these three conditions,and the
sampling time,the initial urea injection and simulation time REFERENCES
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Figure 9(b) NH 3 slip

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