Optimization of Engine Control Strategies for Low Fuel Consumption in Heavy-Duty Commercial Vehicles

The reduction of fuel consumption in engines is always considered of vital importance. Along these lines, in this work, this goal was attained by optimizing the heavy-duty commercial vehicle engine control strategy. More specifically, at first, a general first principles model for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and a transient fuel consumption model for heavy-duty commercial vehicles were developed and the parameters were adjusted to fit the empirical data. The accuracy of the proposed model was demonstrated from the stage and the final results. Next, the control optimization problem resulting in low fuel consumption in heavy commercial vehicles was described, with minimal fuel usage as the optimization goal and throttle opening as the control variable. Then, a time-continuous engine management approach was assessed. Next, the factors that influence low fuel consumption in heavy-duty commercial vehicles were systematically examined. To reduce the computing complexity, the control strategies related to the time constraints of the engine were parametrized using three different methods. The most effective solution was obtained by applying a global optimization strategy because the constrained optimization problem was nonlinear. Finally, the effectiveness of the low-fuel consumption engine control strategy was demonstrated by comparing the simulated and field test results.