Advances and challenges of ammonia delivery by urea-water sprays in SCR systems

Over the past decades, selective catalytic reduction (SCR) using aqueous urea sprays as ammonia precursor has become the prevalent technique for NOx emission control in mobile applications. Preparation of ammonia from urea water sprays still represents a challenge in aftertreatment engineering as complex interactions of multiphase physics and chemical reactions have to be handled. Increasingly stringent emission legislations and the ongoing development of fuel-efficient engines and close-coupled aftertreatment systems raise high demands to SCR systems. Due to highly transient conditions and short mixing lengths, incomplete spray evaporation can result in liquid/wall contact and formation of solid urea deposits lowering ammonia selectivity and homogeneity. This article reviews the ongoing development of SCR systems with focus on the efficient evaporation and decomposition of the injected spray for a homogeneous ammonia distribution in front of the SCR catalyst. Critical aspects of spray evaporation and impingement, liquid film and deposit formation are pointed out and potentials for system optimization are discussed.