Comparison of two Exhaust Manifold Pressure Estimation Methods

In turbocharged engines with wastegate the exhaust pressure can change rapidly. Two methods to estimate the exhaust manifold pressure are compared for diagnosis of wastegate and turbocharger of a spark-ignited engine. One relies on the first law of thermodynamics and produces changes in exhaust manifold pressure. The second uses a model of the mass of remaining exhaust gases in the cylinder and results in absolute estimations of the exhaust manifold pressure. They does not require any extra sensors in the exhaust system after the calibration. Estimates of the exhaust manifold pressure relies on information from an air-to-cylinder observer and a static map. The exhaust manifold pressure estimators are compared using a series of wastegate steps on a turbocharged SAAB 2.3 dm SI-engine. The comparison showed that the method based on the first law of thermodynamics was best suited for diagnosis purposes since it was least sensitive to model errors.