Low-pressure EGR valve having a condensate line

A low-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve comprising:

• a fresh air inlet at a first side of the EGR valve;
• an outlet at a second side of the EGR valve, opposite the first side of the EGR valve;
• an exhaust gas inlet at a bottom of the EGR valve, between the first and second sides of the EGR valve, leading from an EGR line;
• a drain at the bottom of the EGR valve adjacent to the exhaust gas inlet and closer to the first side of the EGR valve than the second side of the EGR valve, wherein the drain is fluidly coupled to a condensate collection container configured to release condensate to a portion of an exhaust-gas path upstream of the exhaust gas inlet;
• and
• a valve housing defining an internal wall, a ceiling, and a bottom surface, at least one path to the exhaust gas inlet from any point on one or more of the wall, the ceiling, and the bottom surface running monotonically down to the EGR line;
• and
• instructions stored in non-transitory memory for controlling opening of an exit of the condensate collection container responsive to predetermined conditions, including selectively releasing condensate to the portion of the exhaust-gas path upstream of the exhaust-gas inlet when it is not determined to regenerate a particulate filter or a lean NOx trap.

A motor vehicle comprising:

• a low-pressure EGR valve having:
• a fresh air inlet coupled to the EGR valve at a first side,
• an outlet coupled to the EGR valve at a second side, and
• an exhaust gas inlet defined at a bottom of the EGR valve for fluidically coupling with an EGR passage;
• a drain at the bottom of the EGR valve adjacent to the exhaust gas inlet and biased to the first side, further comprising a depression extending from the drain completely around the exhaust gas inlet, wherein the drain is fluidly coupled to a condensate collection container configured to release condensate to a portion of an exhaust-gas path upstream of the exhaust gas inlet outside of a regeneration of a particulate filter or a regeneration of a lean NOx trap;
• and
• a throttle mechanism located inside the EGR valve and configured to control relative amounts of:
• inflow of fresh air via the exhaust gas inlet into a housing cavity in the EGR valve, and inflow of exhaust via the exhaust gas inlet into the housing cavity;
• and
• surfaces defining the housing cavity such that from any point on a bottom surface of the housing cavity there is at least one path running monotonically downward and into the EGR passage;
• and
• instructions stored in non-transitory memory for controlling opening of an exit of the condensate collection container responsive to predetermined conditions, including selectively releasing condensate to the portion of the exhaust-gas path upstream of the exhaust gas inlet when it is not determined to raise an exhaust-gas temperature, and not releasing condensate when it is determined to raise the exhaust-gas temperature.