Development Overview and Prospects of the Automotive Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Industry

Development Overview and Prospects of the Automotive Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) Industry

The pollution of motor vehicles to the environment mainly comes from exhaust emissions, with the main pollutants being carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Nitrogen oxides are generated under high temperature conditions in the combustion chamber by the oxidation reaction between nitrogen and oxygen in the air. The amount of nitrogen oxides generated depends on temperature and oxygen concentration. An increase in oxygen concentration will lead to an increase in the amount of nitrogen oxides generated. The longer the duration of high temperature, the greater the amount of nitrogen oxides generated.

Exhaust Gas Recirculation System (EGR system) is a system that reduces nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from internal combustion engines. This system reduces the temperature of the combustion process by recycling some of the engine exhaust gas back to the combustion chamber and mixing it with fresh air/fuel mixture. It can effectively control the content of nitrogen oxides (NOX) in the exhaust gas of the car, achieve the function of reducing pollutant emissions, and reduce the fuel consumption rate of the internal combustion engine.

There are many forms and control methods of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems. According to the action control form of the system actuator (EGR valve), it can be divided into mechanical control EGR system and electronic control EGR system; According to the control object of the EGR valve, that is, the system control method, it can be divided into direct control EGR system and indirect control EGR system; According to the number of valves in the EGR system, it can be divided into single valve control type and multi valve control type; According to the control structure of the EGR system, it can be divided into open-loop control EGR system and closed-loop control EGR system.

As one of the recognized effective methods to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions from automobiles, exhaust gas recirculation technology has been rapidly promoted in the 21st century, driven by economic benefits and emission regulations. With the increasingly stringent implementation of motor vehicle emission standards, the exhaust gas recirculation industry has developed rapidly, greatly promoting the research and application of exhaust gas recirculation system components. At present, due to the relatively late start of China's exhaust gas recirculation industry compared to foreign countries, domestic enterprises in this industry must continue to maintain technological innovation, research and development investment, and talent reserves.

In recent years, with the continuous growth of domestic car ownership, environmental protection issues and energy shortages have become increasingly prominent, and national industrial policies have been gradually introduced and implemented. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and five other departments have issued announcements that starting from July 1, 2023, the national VI emission standard 6b stage will be fully implemented nationwide, and the production, import, and sale of cars that do not meet the national VI emission standard 6b stage will be prohibited. Overall, with the comprehensive implementation of the National VI emission standards, the requirements for pollutant emissions are becoming increasingly stringent. Encouraging the development of various advanced exhaust after treatment systems and exhaust gas recirculation systems greatly enhances the demand for exhaust gas recirculation technology in downstream diesel and gasoline vehicle markets. The demand for exhaust gas recirculation technology in the automotive manufacturing and engine industries will be further released.

Due to the continuous upgrading of national emission standards, the automotive and engine manufacturing industries, as downstream industries of the exhaust gas recirculation industry, will significantly increase their requirements for exhaust gas recirculation system products in terms of technical content, product compatibility, and performance stability. The rapid rise of domestic advantageous enterprises has led some leading domestic waste gas recirculation production enterprises to form a certain competitive advantage in the waste gas recirculation industry through years of technological accumulation and market development. With existing advantages, they continue to increase research and development investment, develop new products, and continuously improve product performance, using equipment technology upgrades as the basis for meeting national emission standards. This means that in the future, with the continuous upgrading of exhaust gas recirculation technology, engines can meet their emission limit requirements through matching exhaust gas recirculation technology, which will serve as a new growth point for the exhaust gas recirculation industry and promote its further development.