What is thermal window?
Now that I understand NOx emissions and EGR, what is a “thermal window”?
What is thermal window?
Now that I understand NOx emissions and EGR, what is a “thermal window”?
We have recently highlighted several of the latest court rulings, all of which have gone categorically against the car manufacturers who have been behind the diesel emissions scandal. These judgments have had references to technical topics such as NOx emissions, EGR valves, and not least the thermal window, soå so that we can understand judgments better, and not least what they mean for appeals, we have created a small series of articles that look at what these "things" is really about.
In the two previous articles we wrote about NOx emissions and EGR systems, which give us background for å understanding why "thermal window" was introduced and what it is. And not least, HOW IT HAS BEEN USED FOR Å F&A; IT TO Å LOOK AS IF DIESEL CARS MEET STRICT EMISSION REQUIREMENTS WHILE IN DAILY DRIVING THEY DID NOT AT ALL.
In short, a "thermal window" in the emission control systems of diesel cars, a temperature interval in which the emission systems work optimally. Automakers have used thermal window and similar strategies for å control emissions during test versus normal driving. In a nutshell; They have used it for å limit NOx purification at low or high temperatures, and THIS IS WHAT THE EU COURT OF COURT NÅ HAS BLOWN DOWN PÅ AS ILLEGAL.
Thermal window IS the Dieselgate 2.0 thing itself
- but it also applieså for the Dieselgate cars AFTER the improvement
Dieselgate 2.0 applies to cars equipped with illegal thermal windows ... or rather ... cars equipped with thermal windows, because THAT is illegal! Anyway, Dieselgate 2.0 applies to all cars with thermal windows, regardless of car brand. The Dieselgate case really only concerned Volkswagen Group cars (Audi, Seat, Skoda, Porsche and Volkswagen) with the EA189 engine, but when they came up with their so-called "fix," they replaced the ORIGINAL cheat with a thermal window! Altså they replaced an illegal device and replaced it with another ... and told the whole world that the cars nå was done in legal capacity. It was precisely here that the Norwegian authorities and NAF made the huge mistake å select å BELIEVE in the cheating Volkswagen.
They were actually soå convinced that Volkswagen was telling the truth, that they chose å DO NOT read the EU Court's later provisions that alsoå thermal window was illegal ... and that ALL the original Dieselgate cars were thus STILL illegal. Instead, get adapt to this, the Norwegian consumer authorities and NAF å direct scathing criticism of the work on the Norwegian Dieselgate case.
How thermal window is used for å control emissions
At å program a temperature range or operating condition where the engine management's emission-limiting functions are activated or deactivated, car manufacturers have obtained emission control systems such as EGR, SCR (emissions purification), NOx stock catalyst, or exhaust gas temperature-related strategies to å function fully only when the engine, cooling system and / or exhaust system have reached a certain temperature or do not exceed a certain temperature. The form is often å secure against damage, against reduced lifespan, or against freezing at low temperatures, but the EU Court has nå established that cars equipped with thermal windows are illegal.
This is altå the very core of both Dieselgate 2.0 and Dieselgate (after the so-called correction)
- Limited activation: Emission controls are programmed to å be inactive or partially reduced in cold conditions, very hot conditions, or low loads.
- Operation profile detection: Engine management recognizes test profiles or stabilized operation and activates full control only during these periods. Outside these periods, controls are weakened.
- Temperature and time logic: Control algorithms use sensor inputs (kitchen living temperature, exhaust temperature, driving time) to å åopen a «window» where SCR (AdBlue) dosage, EGR amount, or particulate filter regeneration takes place optimally. Outside the window, the exhaust control is reduced or stopped, for å avoiding high fuel consumption, increased noise, or damage to the car's systems and components.
Manufacturers who have used thermal window or similar strategies
First and foremost, of course, we have our old acquaintance the Volkswagen Group, where the use of software and strategies that produced lower NOx in test conditions than in real, daily driving has been documented and proven. But ... and we må say UNFORTUNATELY ... it appears that THEYMOST HAVE CHEATED, including Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, Renault, and many, many more. With some, it has been shown to be "defeat devices", i.e. override systems, with other more gray zone strategies where manufacturers point to; technical reasons for using thermal windows.
Consequences of and alternatives to å use thermal window as control strategy
We have seen the consequences more closely on; already, especially in the article on NOx. Higher actual NOx emissions in traffic than what was required for type approval has led to negative and serious local health and environmental consequences. In addition, there are legal, financial and reputational consequences for the manufacturers when it is proven that they have manipulated the test results. Consumer confidence weakens, and aftermarket costs for upgrades and recalls increase.
What has NOT been written much about ... and especially not in Norway (where everything that happens about Dieselgate has been ridiculed and hacked at) is the more CONFIDENTIAL side of the scandal. We are of course thinking about all HEALTH damages. We will return to this in a later article.
Så what could the producers do instead?
We at Bilklager are not car engineers or car mechanics ... there are even probably a whole lot of people out there with a considerably greater interest in cars than us ... but you won't have to look long for; internet for you to find a number of subject-based recommendations:
- Robust finishing for the entire operating spectrum,
- Faster heat management,
- Adaptive dosing and advanced sensor data,
- Hybridization and charging assistance,
- System level testing and functional verification,
- Continuous monitoring and diagnostic measures.
First and foremost, aftertreatment systems such as AdBlue, catalysts and particle filters could have been designed with capacity and control algorithms that had ensured low NOx and particle emissions right from cold start to high load. Larger catalyst volumes and more precise AdBlue control had resulted in consistently lower NOx emissions and ensured that the car consistently and over time complied with the emission requirements. For the producers, these measures also had prevented them from having to carry out expensive remedial programs, and for the car owners they had reduced the risk of expensive repairs.
In addition, the manufacturers could use electric heating elements for rapid heating of exhaust systems and catalysts, so that the EGR system could be started earlier at cold temperatures without any problems. Rapid warm-up measures affect fuel consumption somewhat, but they greatly reduce NOx from a cold start. And therefore naturally improves the local air quality.
They could alsoå used more and better sensors as well as adaptive and flexible control algorithms that ensured precise dosing of AdBlue and optimal EGR function regardless of short-term temperature variations. If they had also combined the diesel engines with an electric drivetrain, i.e. hybrid drive, they could have had reduced use of the diesel engine in so-called "catalytically unfavorable zones", i.e. especially during cold starts and city driving where the diesel engine's emissions are typically the highest. Hybridization requires higher production costs and thus increases the price of the car, but it is an effective method of å acquisition low emissions in city traffic.
And soå to what is at the heart of this scandal. THEY EVEN SHOULD NOT HAVE CREATED SOFTWARE AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS FOR Å DELIVERING LOW EMISSIONS ONLY DURING LAB TESTS, BUT ALSOÅ IN DAILY USE. This is not rocket science! IT IS BOTH IMMORAL AND IRRESPONSIBLE, VERY HARMFUL TO HEALTH AND NEARLY OGSÅ CONFIRMED BY THE EU COURT, ILLEGAL Å CHEATING WITH THE EXHAUST EXHAUST!
Not only should they have made the cars so that they actually passed the emissions tests when they were type-approved, and subsequently on; each bid EU control, they should also have installed permanent engine monitoring systems that ensured the functional integrity of after-treatment systems and prevented degradation or deactivation in daily use and over time! Nobody wants to å drive around with a car that emits far more harmful exhaust than is legal? We want the car to speak up, soå we can take it onå workshop and delivery; order the cases!
Så, what nowå?
Whether the use of thermal window can be a legitimate technical adaptation or not, it is up to others than us å decide, but what we see is that the technology has been misused to å slipemit far higher emissions than what is legal. This has naturally led to major consequences for the producers - there should just be a lack - but NOT big enough. Far from there ... in Norway they have actually gotten away with 100%, ALL TOGETHER ... right up until now. But Dieselgate and Dieselgate 2.0 are not finished ... NORWEGIAN CAR OWNERS are NOT finished with Dieselgate and Dieselgate 2.0. We will ensure that all cheaters have their passports written down!
MILLIONS OF CAR OWNERS HAVE BEEN BURNED, with worse cars than what they paid for, high and undeserved repair costs, low fuel consumption, as well as a bad conscience about the emissions they contribute to. spew out through the use of the illegal cars. In addition, the judgment on 25 September in Schleswig-Holstein has in practice established that approx. 200 type approvals of diesel cars are illegal, and thus open to the risk that if the cars cannot be improved, so they are separated. This does not apply to 200 cars, but to 200 TYPES of cars ... MILLIONS OF CARS CAN BE SEPARATED.
Do we all agree that car owners should get replacement? CAN WE ALL AGREE THAT THE COMPENSATION MÅ BE SUFFICIENT TO Å COVER THE ØECONOMIC LOSSES, THE EXTRA BILLS, AND ALL THE HASSLE WE'VE HAD? Or what? The EU Court of Justice has ALREADY DECIDED this, but ... if YOU do not demand å getting this compensation you are entitled to, then you can just forget å getting it. It's not like the car manufacturers come running after you, eager for å make up for yourself. No, you will be forced to å JOIN and make claims. You will be forced to å sign up for in the complaint that concerns you. It's terribly simple, you just go to www.bilklager.no, wait a few seconds until a small window appears and enter your license plate number... then the systems CHECK whether your car has been affected and in which complaint it belongs... especially; can you sign up for.
Anyone who HAS or HAD a diesel car should now, if they haven't already, CHECK IF THEY MAY HAVE THE RIGHT PÅ REPLACEMENT:
- Gå into www.bilklager.no and tryøk å sign up the car.
- If it has not been touched, get a message about this.
- If someone else has already reported it onå (if the car has had several owners), get a message about it.
- If the car is affected and not already registered, then you will have it registered on; ... FREE.
Gå therefore into The car complaints page and find out if you have cars that can participate in our ongoing complaints.
It is quite possible that you are entitled to compensation, but it does not come automatically. There is a lot of work as må is done, but we will take care of that. YOUR job, it's å sign up the car, and as mentioned, it's absolutely FREE.
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What is NOx?
Nice to hear about all the judgments, but tell me, what exactly is this thermal EGR-NOx stuff?
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