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EP-4219927-B1 - A METHOD OF DIAGNOSING AN ENGINE SYSTEM

EP4219927B1EP 4219927 B1EP4219927 B1EP 4219927B1EP-4219927-B1

Inventors

  • ENGBOM, JOHAN

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20220126

Claims (12)

  1. A computer implemented method of diagnosing an engine system (10) comprising an engine (15) and an exhaust aftertreatment system (20) for reducing emissions of the exhaust gases from the engine, the engine system comprising a plurality of replaceable engine system components (12), the method comprising: - maintaining (S10) a database (18) with component data, the component data comprising, for each one of the replaceable engine system components, a deterioration efficiency parameter (ηD1 - ηDn) correlating a deterioration status (DS) of the replaceable engine system component to emission reducing efficiency (ηE), and a utility component parameter (UC1 - UCn) comprising component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn); - providing measurement data by a plurality of sensors (31, 37, 38) of the engine system; - determining (S20) the deterioration status (DS1 - DSn) of each one of the replaceable engine system components in response to the measurement data; - estimating (S30) the emission reducing efficiency (ηE1 - ηEn) for each one of the replaceable engine system components in response to the determined deterioration status and the deterioration efficiency parameter; - providing (S45) a target for the overall emission reducing efficiency of the engine system (10), and - based on known relation between component exchangeability data and the resulting emission reducing efficiency of a potential exchange of the replaceable engine system component, identifying (S40) a replaceable engine system component to exchange in response to at least reach the target for the overall emission reducing efficiency of the engine system.
  2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn) includes costs associated with exchanging the corresponding replaceable engine system component.
  3. The method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn) includes the downtime of exchanging the corresponding replaceable engine system component.
  4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn) includes the amount of CO2 equivalents associated with exchanging the corresponding replaceable engine system component.
  5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: - providing (S15) an emission threshold of emissions out from the exhaust aftertreatment system (20) of the engine system (10), wherein the identification of the replaceable engine system component to exchange is performed in response to that emissions out from the exhaust aftertreatment system are above the emission threshold.
  6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein determining the deterioration status of each one of the replaceable engine system components comprises: - determining (S22) a plurality of residuals by comparing the measurement data with reference data; - determining (S24) the deterioration status (DS1 - DSn) of each one of the replaceable engine system components (12) using the plurality of residuals.
  7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the measurement data is input from a passive diagnostics or is input from an active diagnostics.
  8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the known relation between component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn) and the resulting emission reducing efficiency (ηE1 - ηEn) of a potential exchange of the replaceable engine system component is correlating how the emission reducing efficiency can be improved or optimized with regards to the component exchangeability data.
  9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the identification of the replaceable engine system component to exchange comprises comparing the overall emission reducing efficiency (ηEO) with regards to the component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn) for the potential exchange of each one of the replaceable engine system components (12), wherein the exchange of the replaceable engine system component resulting in the best overall emission reducing efficiency with regards to the component exchangeability data is identified for exchange.
  10. A computer program comprising program code means for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, when the program is run on a computer.
  11. A computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code means for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 9, when the program product is run on a computer.
  12. A controlling apparatus (17) for diagnosing an engine system (10) comprising an engine (15) and an exhaust aftertreatment system (20) for reducing emissions of the exhaust gases from the engine, the engine system comprising a plurality of replaceable engine system components (12), the controlling apparatus being configured to: - maintain a database (18) with component data, the component data comprising, for each one of the replaceable engine system components, a deterioration efficiency parameter (ηD1 - ηDn) correlating the deterioration status (DS) of the replaceable engine system component to emission reducing efficiency (ηE), and a utility component parameter (UC1 - UCn) comprising component exchangeability data (CE1 - CEn); - determine the deterioration status (DS1 - DSn) of each one of the replaceable engine system components in response to measurement data provided by a plurality of sensors (31, 37, 38) of the engine system; - estimate the emission reducing efficiency (ηE1 - ηEn) for each one of the replaceable engine system components in response to the determined deterioration status and the deterioration efficiency parameter; - provide a target for the overall emission reducing efficiency of the engine system (10); - based on a known relation between component exchangeability data and the resulting emission reducing efficiency of a potential exchange of the replaceable engine system component, identify a replaceable engine system component to exchange in response to at least reach the target for the overall emission reducing efficiency of the engine system.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a method of diagnosing an engine system comprising an engine and an exhaust aftertreatment system for reducing emissions of the exhaust gases from the engine, the engine system comprising a plurality of replaceable engine system components. The invention further relates to a computer program, and a computer readable medium carrying a computer program, the computer program comprising program code means for performing the method, a controlling apparatus for diagnosing an engine system, and to a vehicle. The invention may be applied in any engine system that comprises an exhaust aftertreatment system for reducing emission from an engine. In particular, the invention can be applied in heavy-duty vehicles, such as trucks, buses and construction equipment. Although the invention will be described with respect to a hybrid heavy-duty truck, the invention is not restricted to this particular vehicle, but may also be used in other vehicles such as buses, trailers, wheel loaders, excavators, passenger cars, vessels, ships, etc. It is applicable in hybrid operated vehicles as well as in vehicles operated solely by an engine or combustion engine. BACKGROUND A vehicle typically comprises an engine for propelling the vehicle. The engine may be an internal combustion engine powered by e.g. liquid or gaseous fuel, or it may be an electric machine powered by electricity. Moreover, hybrid solutions exist in which the vehicle is propelled both by an internal combustion engine and an electric machine. In case the engine is a combustion engine, such as e.g. a diesel engine, it is common to provide the vehicle with an exhaust aftertreatment system, EATS, to handle emissions from the engine. An EATS for a diesel engine typically includes one or more of the following components: a diesel oxidation catalyst, DOC, a diesel particulate filter, DPF, and a selective catalytic reduction SCR catalyst. A reductant, such as urea or an ammonia comprising substance, is typically injected upstream of the SCR catalyst to assist in converting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as NOx, with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen, N2, and water, and potentially carbon dioxide CO2 (depending on the choice of the reductant). The cleaned, or at least emission reduced, exhaust gases then leave the EATS and the vehicle through the tailpipe of the vehicle. Other types of engines causing at least partly similar emissions as the diesel engine may utilize the same, or a similar, EATS. Government regulations, together with a constant demand for increased fuel economy of the vehicle, implies a need for a more efficient operation of the EATS. However, the components of the engine and/or the EATS, commonly referred to as an engine system, are over time subject to deterioration resulting in a reduced emission reducing efficiency of the engine system. Exchange of the components of the engine system is often costly, complex, and/or time consuming. There is thus a need in the industry for an improved diagnosis of the engine system. WO2021061603A1 discloses a system for diagnosing engine components and identifying field-replaceable units using sensor data and digital twin simulations. It does not disclose correlating deterioration status with emission reducing efficiency, nor using exchangeability data to select a component for exchange to reach a target efficiency. SUMMARY It is an object of the present invention to at least to some extent improve the diagnosis of the engine system. According to at least a first aspect of the present invention, a method of diagnosing an engine system according to claim 1 is provided. Hereby, an efficient diagnosing method of an engine system is provided. Thus, the exchange of at least one replaceable engine system component out of a plurality of replaceable engine system components may be determined with regards to the deterioration efficiency parameter and the utility component parameter for each one of the replaceable engine system components. That is, the exchange of the replaceable engine system component out of a plurality of replaceable engine system components which results in the most desired modification of the engine system (i.e.in response to the known relation between component exchangeability data and the resulting emission reducing efficiency) may be identified in an efficient manner. The resulting emission reducing efficiency for each one of the replaceable engine system components is e.g. defined as the difference in emission reducing efficiency between its current state (i.e. with its determined deterioration status) and if exchanged (i.e. with no deterioration). Thus, for each one of the replaceable engine system components, a known relation between the component exchangeability data and the resulting emission reducing efficiency (if exchanged) is provided, and by comparing a potential exchange of each one of the replaceable engine system components, the repla