In Situ Formation of Silicon Carbide Nanofibers on Cordierite Substrates

Twenty-five years of diesel particulate filter (DPF) developments have shown that high-volume ceramic materials are well suited for the harsh requirements of exhaust after treatment. Nevertheless, problems regarding filter reliability and durability associated with the regeneration of the filter have limited their serious application until only recently. To extend useful filter life, the present study has examined the growth of silicon carbide (SiC) nanofibers by a simple carbothermal reduction process on cordierite support surfaces using cheap raw materials such as kaolin, talc, and carbon black. Transmission electron microscopy confirms the crystalline (β - SiC) nature of the nanofibers (10–20 nm diameter). The growth of these nanofibers increases the support-specific surface area restricting the agglomeration of noble metal catalyst particles that otherwise occurs in wash-coat sintering. As a result, fewer particles are needed to perform the catalyst role (at reduced cost) and the support structure can host the catalyst for prolonged times at higher temperatures. As the future will see increasing economic competition in filter fabrication routes and materials, this new design of catalytic DPF promises to play a significant role.     

RECP: A Reactor Designed to Test the Effect of a Catalyst on Soot Oxidation in a Diesel Particulate Filter

A new reactor designed to test soot combustion on a filter coated with an oxidation catalyst is described. It is designed to achieve screening investigations of catalysts in realistic conditions, i.e., close to those prevailing in a diesel particulate filter (DPF). In a DPF a soot layer is formed at the surface of a porous wall (filtration area) which may or may not be covered with a catalytic layer. In this new setup, the soot is deposited on a sample of a DPF which can be easily impregnated with oxidation catalysts. A model soot (commercial carbon black) is used for the investigation, and different procedures for the soot „deposit on the filter are tested.     

Hot zones formation during regeneration of diesel particulate filters

A diesel particulate filter (DPF) is used to remove particulate matter (PM) from the diesel engine exhaust. The accumulated PM is periodically removed by combustion, which sometimes leads to excessive temperature excursions that melt the ceramic filter. This behavior cannot be explained by operation under stationary feed conditions. We propose that these temperature excursions are a dynamic effect following a rapid change in the driving mode while the DPF is being regenerated. Specifically, a rapid decrease in the exhaust temperature can lead to a counterintuitive large transient temperature rise above that which would exist under a higher stationary feed temperature. This unexpected behavior is similar to the well‐known wrong‐way behavior in packed‐bed reactors, even though the axial‐dependent flow through the filter in a DPF is rather different from the constant axial flow through a packed bed. We present simulations that provide insight about the dependence of the amplitude of this wrong‐way temperature rise on the filtration velocity, the PM loading, dimensions of the DPF, and the amplitude of the rapid temperature decrease and when it occurs after the start of the regeneration. The insight provided by these simulations will help develop operation and control protocols that circumvent or at least decrease the probability of the occurrence of the destructive melting of the DPF. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011     

Multi-channel simulation of regeneration in honeycomb monolithic diesel particulate filters

In recent years advanced computational tools of diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration have been developed to assist in the systematic and cost-effective optimization of next generation particulate trap systems.In the present study, we employ a previously validated, state-of-the-art multichannel DPF simulator to study the regeneration process over the entire spatial domain of the filter. Particular attention is placed on identifying the effect of inlet cones and boundary conditions, filter can insulation and the dynamics of “hot spots” induced by localized external energy deposition. Lateral heat losses through the insulation and the periphery of the filter can, as captured by the magnitude of the Nusselt number, Nu, are detrimental to the effectiveness of the regeneration process. A filter can Nu number less than 10 and preferably less than 5 is a good design target for high regeneration efficiency. For the case studied, insulation of the inlet cones can lead to a gain of 30% in regeneration efficiency by eliminating radial temperature gradients at the inlet filter face. The multichannel simulator provides an instructive illustration of the well-appreciated effects of localized hot spot on filter regeneration: hot spots play a more significant role (spread over) when located near the entrance of the filter.     

Evaluation of Performance of Diesel Particulate Filters Through Integrated Multi-Scale Computer Calculations

Wall-flow channel models and soot deposition models based on micro scale considerations are integrated into global 3D diesel particulate filter simulations. In addition, transient and steady-state simulations are combined to understand at the same time short- and long-time behaviour of the diesel particulate filter (DPF). The functionality of the simulation tool is achieved and correlations with measured data encourage the use of the model as a tool to predict DPF behaviour.     

A catalytic diesel particulate filter with a heat recovery function

Based on a folded sheet design, we made and tested a miniature diesel particulate filter (DPF) that can transfer the heat generated by catalytic oxidation in the DPF to its upstream, thus promoting substantial temperature rise at the position where pieces of SiC felt working as PM filters are situated. When 0.6% of H₂, corresponding to 50 K in adiabatic temperature rise, was added to a 43 L/min of exhaust gas, the observed maximum temperature rise at the filter material exceeded 350 K, from which the heat recovery rate was estimated to be more than 86%. The PM filtration rates were 80–90%.     

Effects of hydrothermal aging on SiC-DPF with metal oxide ash and alkali metals

The silicon carbide used to make diesel particulate filters (SiC-DPF) has a maximum temperature of use, which is not the melting point of the filter material itself but rather the eutectic melting points of the ash materials and alkali metals deposited on the filter wall. Chemical reactions between the SiC filter and the other materials, i.e. ash materials and/or alkali metals, decrease the filtration efficiency and catalytic reactivity of engine out emission. The objective of this study is to understand the effect of hydrothermal aging on the SiC-DPF, and on the SiC-CDPF (catalyzed diesel particulate filter) deposited with ash materials and/or alkali metals. Hydrothermal aging simulated for the extreme condition of uncontrolled regeneration in DPF is carried out by using H₂O at high temperature. The surface change of the SiC filter was characterized in terms of the geometric microstructure and metal composites of the filter by using the SEM-EDS, BET and XRD. The accumulated ash materials and alkali metals in the SiC-DPF were an admixture, and the SiC-DPF after-treatment system always contained H₂O. According to the results, H₂O in the after-treatment system can be regarded as an influential factor of SiC-DPF durability even though the SiC itself has a very high melting point. The regeneration temperature has to be controlled under a critical value to ensure the durability of SiC-DPF in the after-treatment system, considering the fact that large quantities of ash materials, alkali metals and H₂O components are included in the exhaust gas.     

In-Operation Monitoring of the Soot Load of Diesel Particulate Filters: Initial Tests

Diesel particulate filters (DPF) are indispensable parts of modern automotive exhaust gas aftertreatment systems due to the stringent emissions legislation. For a fuel-efficient control strategy, it would be beneficial to determine directly and in-operation their actual trapped soot mass. Two novel approaches—based on the electrical conductivity of trapped soot particles—emerged recently. By measuring the electrical resistance between different single walls inside the filter, the soot load is determined with local resolution. The microwave-based technique is a contactless approach that gives an integral value depending on the soot mass in the DPF. We present investigations on loading and regeneration of DPFs in a dynamometer test bench applying both methods. The results are compared with each other and correlated with the differential pressure and the soot mass. Especially the microwave-based technique has a potential for serial application.     

New Tool for Experimental Analysis of Diesel Particulate Filter Loading

The loading of a diesel particulate filters (DPFs) entails the need of trap regeneration by particulate combustion, whose efficiency and frequency are somehow affected by the way soot is deposited along the channels. Great efforts are thus spent to improve the understanding of the filtration process of DPFs, aimed at obtaining a deeper insight into the relationship between engine performance and filter loading so as to take advantage of this insight for DPF design and optimization purposes. Small lab-scale 300 cpsi DPF samples were loaded downstream the Diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) in an ad hoc designed reactor capable of hosting five samples with part of the entire flow produced by an automotive diesel engine at the 2500 × 8 BMEP operating condition, selected to be representative as one of the critical engine points of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). Soot layer thickness was estimated by means of Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) observations after sample sectioning at progressive locations, obtained through a procedure defined not to affect the distribution of the soot inside the filter and to enable estimation of the actual soot thickness along the channel length. This is a pre-requisite to get suitable data for the validation of the DPF models required for trap design and optimisation.     

Mechanical Characterization of Diesel Particulate Filter Substrates

Test procedures for the mechanical evaluation of diesel particulate filter (DPF) substrate materials have been developed and applied for the characterization of porous cordierite under ambient conditions. Specifically the double-torsion test method was employed to characterize fracture toughness and slow crack behavior while resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (RUS) was used to determine the elastic properties of the substrate walls. A dry grinding procedure was developed to fabricate test specimens for these tests. The fracture behavior of porous cordierite was related to the pore structure inside the filter wall. Implications of the test results on the mechanical reliability of DPFs are discussed.     

Influence analysis of monolith structure on regeneration temperature in the process of microwave regeneration in the diesel particulate filter

Based on models A, B, and C of three kinds of diesel particulate filter (DPF) with microwave regeneration, a DPF microwave regeneration model is established according to the laws of conservation of mass, momentum, and energy. The trends of internal temperature under different velocities of exhaust gas in channels are simulated and analyzed. The results show that: (1) Regeneration temperature in the process of microwave regeneration will begin to increase from the front to the rear end of along the axial direction, and the maximum temperature value will appear in the rear end of the monolith. (2) The internal flow velocity in the DPF of model C is the most uniform and the temperature gradient is the smallest among the three models. Therefore, it is the most useful for DPF regeneration. (3) The minimal thermal stress is exerted on the DPF of model C. Therefore, this model is most useful for prolonging the service life of a DPF.     

Date palm fibers as polymeric matrix reinforcement: Fiber characterization

Stringent environmental regulations and increased interest in the preservation of natural resources have forced the composite industry to examine “ecofriendly” components. Efforts are being deployed to find alternative reinforcements and resin systems that are environmentally friendly while providing the same performance as their synthetic counterparts. The aim of this article is to study the potential of using date palm fibers (DPF) as reinforcement in polymeric materials. This objective was achieved by characterizing the DPF through the evaluation of their chemical, physical, and mechanical properties and comparing them with other commonly used natural fibers. The effect of different surface modification processes on DPF properties such as tensile strength, density, surface morphology, and thermal stability were investigated. POLYM. COMPOS., 26:486–497, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers.     

Evidences of the Cerium Oxide-Catalysed DPF Regeneration in a Real Diesel Engine Exhaust

The active phase Ce_0.5Pr_0.5O₂ has been loaded on commercial substrates (SiC DPF and cordierite honeycomb monolith) to perform DPF regeneration experiments in the exhaust of a diesel engine. Also, a powder sample has been prepared to carry out soot combustion experiments at laboratory. Experiments performed in the real diesel exhaust demonstrated the catalytic activity of the Ce–Pr mixed oxide for the combustion of soot, lowering the DPF regeneration temperature with regard to a counterpart catalyst-free DPF. The temperature for active regeneration of the Ce_0.5Pr_0.5O₂-containing DPF when the soot content is low is in the range of 500–550 °C. When the Ce_0.5Pr_0.5O₂-containing DPF is saturated with a high amount of soot, pressure drop and soot load at the filter reach equilibrium at around 360 °C under steady state engine operation due to passive regeneration. The uncoated DPF reached this equilibrium at around 440 °C. Comparing results at real exhaust with those at laboratory allow concluding that the Ce_0.5Pr_0.5O₂-catalysed soot combustion in the real exhaust is not based on the NO₂-assisted mechanism but is most likely occurring by the active oxygen-based mechanism.     

Emissions from a diesel car during regeneration of an active diesel particulate filter

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Joint Research Center of the European Commission (JRC) have collaborated on emissions testing of a light duty diesel vehicle, which is Euro 4 compliant and comes equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). The California testing included an investigation of the regeneration of the DPF over cruise conditions and NEDC test cycles. DPF regeneration is caused by the buildup of soot in the filter, and for the present test vehicle the regeneration process is assisted by a fuel borne catalyst. Regulated exhaust emissions increased substantially during the regeneration events; however, PM emissions levels were below California LEVII emissions standards. There was a very large increase of volatile particles between 5 and 10 nm, and these volatile particles were generated during all of the observed regeneration events. It appears that the particle number instruments that use the PMP methodology do not capture the PM mass increase during DPF regeneration; however, for one regeneration event there was an apparent large increase in solid particles below the PMP size limit. The PM mass increase associated with regeneration appears to be due to semi-volatile particles collected on filters. During the testing, the regeneration events exhibited considerable variations in the time for regeneration as well as the amount of PM emissions. From this investigation, several questions have been posed concerning the emission of very small (<20 nm) volatile and solid particles during DPF regeneration that need further investigation.     

DPF520型淀粉分离机设计及样机带物料应用试验

DPF520型淀粉分离机的设计与样机带物料应用试验作了介绍,并与DPX445型淀粉分离机在主要性能参数上作了对比,通过样机的实际应用试验,证明该型机满足了顾客提出的技术指标,设计是成功的,产品开发达到了目的。     

A study on remanufacturing of deactivated commercial DPF using diesel engine dynamo system in ND-13 mode

In this study, the deactivated diesel particulate filters (DPFs) which could remove the air pollutants such as CO, HC and PM in the exhaust gas from diesel vehicle were remanufactured at various conditions and their catalytic performances and characterization were also investigated.The remanufacturing process includes high-temperature cleaning of incineration, ultrasonic cleaning for washing in acid/base solutions to remove deactivating materials deposited to the surface of the catalysts, and active component re-impregnation for reactivating catalytic activity of them.The catalytic performance tests of the remanufactured DPFs were carried out by the diesel engine dynamo systems in ND-13 mode which is official exhaust gas test method of diesel heavy duty vehicle, and all prepared catalysts were characterized by the optical microscopes, SEM, EDX, porosimeter and BET to investigate correlation between catalytic activity and surface characteristics of them.It was found that remanufactured DPFs showed improved catalytic performances reaching about 90% of fresh DPF, which is caused by removing the deactivating materials from the surface of the deactivated DPF through the analyses of catalytic performance test and their characterization.     

Particle Measurement Programme (PMP) Light-Duty Inter-Laboratory Exercise: Repeatability and Reproducibility of the Particle Number Method

A Euro 4 Light-Duty Diesel vehicle equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF) was circulated to 9 labs where repetitions of the current regulatory New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) were conducted. Regulated gaseous and improved (with cyclone, filter temperature 47 ± 5°C, constant filter face velocity, high precision balance at all labs) particulate mass (PM) measurements were also conducted. A reference particle number (PN) measurement system measuring non-volatile particles was circulated along with the test vehicle. Labs also tested their own PN systems built to comply with the reference system's performance specifications. The mean PN emissions level of the vehicle was below 1 × 10¹¹ particles/km. The intra-lab variability (repeatability) was ～ 40% and the inter-lab variation was ～ 25%. The study showed that the new PN method had similar variability to other gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons and better than the PM (intra-lab variability ～ 55% and inter-lab ～ 35%). Even with the improved PM method the emissions of the vehicle were similar to the background level (～ 0.4 mg/km) and the method was subject to volatile artifact. The PN method showed greater sensitivity than the PM method as it could distinguish the DPF fill state or different preconditioning states of the vehicle. However, the PN emission level of the vehicle estimated by the reference system were on average 15% higher than any given lab's own system, indicating that the procedures and calibration designed for the standardization of performance should be precisely defined and followed.     

Numerical simulation of soot filtration and combustion within diesel particulate filters

The numerous benefits offered by diesel engines, compared to gasoline ones, are balanced by a drawback of increasing concern, namely soot emissions. Nowadays, soot emissions can be reduced by physically trapping the particles within on-board diesel particulate filters (DPF). The filter gets progressively loaded by filtering the soot laden flue gases, thus causing an increasing pressure drop, until regeneration takes place. The aim of this work is to develop a fully predictive three-dimensional mathematical model able to accurately describe the soot deposition process into the filter, the consequent gradual modification of the properties of the filter itself (i.e. permeability and porosity), the formation of a soot filtration cake, and the final regeneration step. The commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent 6.2.16, based on a finite-volume numerical scheme, is used to simulate the gas and particulate flow fields in the DPF, whereas particle filtration sub-models and regeneration kinetics are implemented through user-defined-subroutines (UDS).Model predictions highlight uneven soot deposition profiles in the first steps of the filtration process; however, the very high resistance to the gas flow of the readily formed cake layer determines the evolution into an almost constant layer of soot particles. The ignition of the loaded soot was simulated under different operating conditions, and two regeneration strategies were investigated: a “mild regeneration” at low temperature and oxygen concentration, that operated a spatially homogeneous ignition of the deposited soot, and a “fast regeneration”, with an uneven soot combustion along the axial coordinate of the filter, due to strong temperature gradients inside the filter itself. These findings are supported by comparison and validation with experimental data.     

Biocomposites based on date palm flour reinforced (70/30) polypropylene/thermoplastic starch blend: Effects of flour treatment and selective dispersion

In this work, biocomposites have been prepared from a matrix consisting of polypropylene (PP) and thermoplastic starch (TPS) compatibilized using maleic anhydride (MA) grafted PP (PP-g-MA) and flour obtained from local date palm trees (DPF). To mediate the high hydrophilic character of the filler and attain an optimal dispersion, MA treated DPF (MA-DPF) was prepared via DPF esterification. Pretreated and MA treated DPF composites have been prepared by incorporating 10, 20 and 30% of the flour. MA-DPF has also been dispersed according to a second method consisting of dispersing the flour into starch/glycerol mixture before plasticizing to obtain MA-DPF modified TPS batches that were incorporated into PP to get the same matrix composition and flour loadings as for the first composites. The study of the composites properties proved the MA-DPF efficiency in increasing their impact resilience and diminishing their aptitude to water absorption. This was possible due to the association of the MA-DPF/TPS existing interactions to the better affinity of the esterified flour for the PP phase through its reduced hydrophilic nature. Also, SEM analysis confirmed that the interesting impact and water resistances of MA-DPF modified TPS filled PP composites derive from the DPF reinforced TPS phase consisting the materials.     

Structured glass catalysts for diesel particulate filters

Efforts to create a structured glass catalyst coating for use in diesel particulate filters (DPF) are described. Several methods for producing porous ceramics were investigated as possible routes to increase the active surface area of a K–Ca–Si–O (KCS) glass catalyst coating applied via a sol-gel route. A carbon pitch template yielded a desirable fibrous glass catalyst structure, but the fibers lay predominantly parallel to the substrate surface, minimizing their effectiveness in capturing soot particles and blocking the cordierite pore structure. A mesophase carbon microbead template yielded a structure that was too fragile for practical use. A chemical blowing agent (CBA) based on ethylene cellulose encapsulated KHCO₃ was developed that offered a means to orient glass catalyst fibers away from the surface. However the viscosity of the CBA/fiber loaded sol makes it unsuited for applying into DPF channels. Finally, phase separation by addition of polypropylene glycol (PPG) was successful for creating a microporous K–Ca–Si–O glass catalyst coating on a cordierite filter. A PPG/KCS coated cordierite filter provides 2.8 times higher active surface area than a non-porous KCS coated cordierite filter, and a T₅₀ (the temperature when half of the carbon is oxidized) that is 30°C lower than a non-porous KCS-coated cordierite filter. The excellent performance of the PPG/KCS coated cordierite filter is attributed to its higher catalyzed surface area and more intensive soot-catalyst interaction.