Issues in cold start emission control for automotive IC engines

We consider the problem of reducing unburned tailpipe hydrocarbon (HC) emissions for internal combustion engines during the "cold start" period. Using Pareto-optimization, a cold start engine and catalyst model, the trade-offs between rapid catalyst "light-off" and reduction in unburned HC are analyzed. The effects of different operating constraints and catalyst light-off characteristics on the optimization results are also discussed.