20.500.12556/RUL-176210 Implications of discrete vs. continuously adjustable current for electrically heated catalytic converters Despite the obvious shift in daily commuting towards electromobility, internal combustion engines (ICEs) still dominate the market, particularly in the transport sector. Their main drawback—cold-start emissions—has driven the development of active control strategies beyond passive exhaust optimizations. An electrically heated catalytic converter (EHC) helps the catalytic converter reach the light-off temperature more quickly through active control; however, it places additional demands on the already strained onboard electrical power distribution network. This paper presents a case study comparing two power supply and control configurations for managing the temperature of the EHC: (i) a smart-switch-based approach using bang-bang control, and (ii) a DC/DC converter with a proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controller. To define key target requirements for a dedicated DC/DC converter suitable for real-world conditions, measurement data such as temperature and electrical power demand were gathered through preliminary pollutant emissions tests performed in a laboratory environment using a programmable bench power supply. For the selected test procedure, engine cold-start emissions using various heater power supply scenarios were reduced by a factor of 6 for Total Hydrocarbons (THC) and by a factor of 5 for Carbon Monoxide (CO). Based on a comparative analysis of power supply parameters, a custom four-leg interleaved Buck converter was developed to meet the target power requirement and to specifically reduce voltage overstress caused by parasitic inductances in the onboard distribution network during rapid load current transients. The efficiency of the proposed DC/DC converter reached 95.8%. Unlike a bang-bang-controlled smart switch, the use of the DC/DC converter reduces both electrical and thermal stress on the vehicle’s cable harness. DC/DC converter electric heater catalytic converter temperature control pollutant emissions battery internal combustion engine smart switch voltage stress DC/DC pretvornik električni grelnik katalizator regulacija temperature emisije baterija motor z notranjim zgorevanjem pametno stikalo napetostna obremenitev true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2025-11-25 14:23:49 2025-11-25 14:23:49 2025-12-19 03:53:09 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2025 0 0 23 str. issue 23, art. 12483 Vol. 15 Dec-1 2025 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 621.3 2076-3417 10.3390/app152312483 258654467 applsci-15-12483.pdf applsci-15-12483.pdf 1 3C02F74D09F31064878597B4DF2E5F4D 181b5cc9abf5befc58c2dfb234f5e868a1c58a0d938124499a253abcca0330bf bcaa8413-ca01-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=222480 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/23/12483 1 9e30dd4e-ca01-11f0-9328-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=222479 Fakulteta za elektrotehniko 0 0 0