Patent ID: 8191412

Claim:
A method for determining a deviation of a fuel quality from a reference fuel quality and for determining a change in exhaust gas emissions caused by this deviation by evaluating pressure waves in a fuel system of an internal combustion engine outfitted with one of a discontinuous fuel delivery and a fuel take-off, the method comprising: detecting pressure oscillations in the fuel system during operation by at least one sensor; determining the deviation of the fuel quality from the reference fuel quality by analyzing the detected pressure oscillations in an electronic monitoring unit; determining, from the deviation of the fuel quality from the reference fuel quality, at least one of: deviations of the untreated emissions of the internal combustion engine from the untreated emissions occurring when using the reference fuel, and influences on the behavior of an aftertreatment system downstream of the internal combustion engine, which behavior is changes in comparison to the operation with the reference fuel, based on the deviation of the fuel quality from the reference fuel quality, at least one of: determining a change in service intervals, displaying information about use of a fuel deviating from the reference fuel, if the change in service intervals is determined, then displaying the changed service interval, changing operating parameters of the internal combustion engine, and changing operating parameters of the exhaust gas aftertreatment system downstream of the internal combustion engine; and wherein emissions resulting when a non-reference fuel is used are adapted to the emissions resulting when the reference fuel is used by changing an amount of reduction agent supplied when using a catalytic converter for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides.