Multimode combustion in a mild hybrid electric vehicle. Part 2: Three-way catalyst considerations

This is the second of a two-part study that discusses multimode combustion in a mild hybrid electric vehicle. Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion oxidizes the oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of the three-way catalyst (TWC), thereby removing the TWC's ability to convert NOx under lean conditions. Despite prolonged operation in HCCI mode, enabled by the electric motor, the depletion of the OSC causes significant penalties in fuel economy and the amounts of tailpipe NOx are substantial. Counter-intuitively, it is seen that decreasing the sizes of both HCCI regime and OSC results in reduced tailpipe NOx while maintaining fuel economy benefits.