Impact of potential engine malfunctions on fuel consumption and gaseous emissions of a Euro VI diesel truck

Although new vehicles are designed to comply with specific emission regulations, their in-service performance would not necessarily achieve them due to wear-and-tear and improper maintenance, as well as tampering or failure of engine control and exhaust after-treatment systems. In addition, there is a lack of knowledge on how significantly these potential malfunctions affect vehicle performance. This study was therefore conducted to simulate the effect of various engine malfunctions on the fuel consumption and gaseous emissions of a 16-tonne Euro VI diesel truck using transient chassis dynamometer testing. The simulated malfunctions included those that would commonly occur in the intake, fuel injection, exhaust after-treatment and other systems. The results showed that all malfunctions increased fuel consumption except for the malfunction of EGR fully closed which reduced fuel consumption by 31%. The biggest increases in fuel consumption were caused by malfunctions in the intake system (16%-43%), followed by the exhaust after-treatment (6%-30%), fuel injection (4%-24%) and other systems (6%-11%). Regarding pollutant emissions, the effect of engine malfunctions on HC and CO emissions was insignificant, which remained unchanged or even reduced for most cases. An exception was EGR fully open which increased HC and CO emissions by 343% and 1124%, respectively. Contrary to HC and CO emissions, NO emissions were significantly increased by malfunctions. The largest increases in NO emissions were caused by malfunctions in the after-treatment system, ranging from 38% (SCR) to 1606% (DPF pressure sensor). Malfunctions in the fuel injection system (24%-1259%) and intercooler (438%-604%) could also increase NO emissions markedly. This study demonstrated clearly the importance of having properly functioning engine control and exhaust after-treatment systems to achieve the required performance of fuel consumption and pollutant emissions.