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This study deals with a coupled experimental and modeling approach of Diesel Particulate Filter cracking. A coupled model (heat transfer, mass transfer, chemical reactions) is used to predict the temperature field inside the filter during the regeneration steps. This model consists of assembled 1D models and is calibrated using a set of laboratory bench tests. In this set of experiments, laboratory scale filters are tested in different conditions (variation of the oxygen rate and gas flow) and axial/radial thermal gradient are recorded with the use of thermocouples. This model is used to build a second set of laboratory bench tests, which is dedicated to the understanding of the phenomena of Diesel Particulate Filter cracking.

With more and more stringent standards concerning soot mass and number at the tailpipe of Diesel vehicles, the control of Diesel Particulate Filter regenerations is becoming a key feature for car manufacturers. When regulations on particle number will appear, even low cracking of the DPF could lead to the non-conformity of the filter with respect to the regulations. Strategies of regeneration control are often developed for the most critical regeneration conditions for DPF durability, the so-called “Back to Idle” tests. The development of those strategies is time-consuming, since the influence of the engine tuning on regeneration control means to load DPF for each engine tuning tested. Moreover, as the best engine tuning strategy is determined relatively to other strategies results, one needs very repeatable tests conditions and soot loading in terms of distribution and soot reactivity. This repeatability is very hard to get in real conditions.