Continental has introduced the Active Purge Pump (APP) as a new solution to meet stricter hydrocarbon evaporation legislation around the globe. Gasoline fuel is not only highly combustible, it also evaporates easily. The fumes – which contain benzene – pose a health hazard when inhaled and in combination with sunlight and exhaust gases they can cause photochemical smog which is a concern in large cities. This is why modern gasoline cars have a system onboard to minimise hydrocarbon emissions. A canister filled with activated carbon is used to collect all fumes from the tank. Of course the canister with the cumulated hydrocarbon (HC) needs to be flushed or purged from time to time. The air content, rich in HC, is fed forward to the intake manifold and flows into the combustion chambers where it gets burnt. This system has greatly reduced evaporative HC emissions.
“Continental has developed an electrified solution to further reduce HC evaporative emissions. For the first time the Active Purge Pump makes canister purging available independent from engine operation point and vacuum availability. With the APP vehicle manufacturers will be in a much better position to meet oncoming HC emission legislation,” said Klaus Hau, head of the Business Unit Sensors & Actuators in the Continental Division Powertrain.
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