Search Results

Following the successful market introduction of diesel particulate filters (DPFs), this class of emission control devices is expanding to include additional functionalities such as gas species oxidation (such as CO, HC and NO), storage phenomena (such as NOx and NH3 storage) to the extent that we should today refer not to DPFs but to Multifunctional Reactor Separators. This trend poses many challenges for the modeling of such systems since the complexity of the coupled reaction and transport phenomena makes any direct general numerical approach to require unacceptably high computing times. These multi-functionalities are urgently needed to be incorporated into system level emission control simulation tools in a robust and computationally efficient manner. In the present paper we discuss a new framework and its application for the computationally efficient implementation of such phenomena.

Direct catalytic soot oxidation is expected to become an important component of future diesel particulate emission control systems. The development of advanced Catalytic Diesel Particulate Filters (CDPFs relies on the interplay of chemistry and geometry in order to enhance soot-catalyst proximity. An extensive set of well-controlled experiments has been performed to provide direct catalytic soot oxidation rates in CDPFs employing small-scale side-stream sample exposure. The experiments are analyzed with a state-of-the-art diesel particulate filter simulator and a set of kinetic parameters are derived for direct catalytic soot oxidation by fuel-borne catalysts as well as by catalytic coatings. The influence of soot-catalyst proximity, on catalytic soot oxidation is found to be excellently described by the so-called Two-Layer model, developed previously by the authors.

DPF design, system integration, regeneration control strategy optimization and ash ageing assessment, based on a traditional design of experiments approach becomes very time consuming and costly, due to the high number of tests required. This provides a privileged window of opportunity for the application of simulation tools and hence simulation is increasingly being used for the design of exhaust after-treatment systems with a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF). DPF behavior depends strongly on the coupling of physico-chemical phenomena occurring over widely disparate spatial and temporal scales and a state-of-the-art simulation approach recognizes and exploits these facts introducing certain assumptions and/or simplifications to derive an accurate but computationally tractable DPF simulation tool, for the needs of industrial users.

Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) behavior depends strongly on the microstructural properties of the deposited soot aggregates. In the past the issue of the growth process of soot deposits in honeycomb ceramic filters has been addressed under non-reactive conditions and the influence of the filter operating conditions has been defined in terms of the dimensionless Peclet number. In the present work appropriate soot cake microstructural descriptors are studied under reactive conditions for different oxidation modes. To this end the effect of deposit microstructure on the soot oxidation kinetics is investigated. Different microstructural models for the reacting soot deposit are examined in a unified fashion and a generalized constitutive equation is obtained, describing several modes of microstructure evolution (shrinking layer, shrinking density, discrete columnar and continuous columnar).

Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) need to be periodically regenerated in order to achieve efficient and safe vehicle operation. Under typical diesel exhaust conditions, this invariably requires the raising of the exhaust gas temperature by active means, up to the point that particulate (soot) oxidation can be self-sustained in the filter. In the present work the development path of an advanced catalytic filter technology is presented. Full scale optimized Catalytic Diesel Particulate Filters (CDPFs) are tested in the exhaust of a light-duty modern diesel engine in line with a Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC). The management of the DOC-CDPF emission control system is facilitated by a virtual soot sensor in order to ensure energy-efficient operation of the emission control system.

Establishing a certain maintenance-free time period regarding modern diesel exhaust emission control systems is of major importance nowadays. One of the most serious problems Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) manufacturers face concerning system's durability is the performance deterioration due to the filter aging because of the accumulation of the ash particles. The evaluation of the effect of the ash aging on the filter performance is a time and cost consuming task that slows down the process of manufacturing innovative filter structures and designs. In this work we present a methodology for producing filter samples aged by accumulating ash produced by the controlled pyrolysis of oil-fuel solutions. Such ash particles bear morphological (size) and compositional similarity to ash particles collected from engine aged DPFs. The ash particles obtained are compared to those from real engine operation.