An explicit model predictive control framework for turbocharged diesel engines

The turbocharged diesel engine is a typical multi-input multioutput system with strong couplings, actuator constraints, and fast dynamics. This paper addresses the exhaust emission regulation in turbocharged diesel engines using an explicit model predictive control (EMPC) approach, which allows tracking of the time-varying setpoint values generated by the supervisory level controller while satisfying the actuator constraints. The proposed EMPC framework consists of calibration, engine model identification, controller formulation, and state observer design. The proposed EMPC approach has a low computation requirement and is suitable for implementation in the engine control unit on board. The experimental results on a turbocharged Cat C6.6 diesel engine demonstrate that the EMPC controller significantly improves the tracking performance of the exhaust emission variables in comparison with the decoupled single-input single-output control methods.