Advances in the Development of Filterless Soot Deposition Systems for the Continuous Removal of Diesel Particulate Matter

A model catalytic converter system has been developed to investigate and characterize novel catalyst structures for filterless diesel particulate matter deposition and oxidation in modern heavy duty vehicle diesel engine exhaust systems. The particulate traps are designed for low exhaust gas back pressures and to avoid the clogging effects observed in ceramic filters. In experiments under realistic flow conditions deposition efficiencies of up to 70% have been achieved for submicrometer particles in stacks of corrugated stainless steel foil with microsphere surface coating. The model catalytic converter system is also used to study the reaction kinetics of soot oxidation and volatilization by oxygen and nitrogen oxides under a wide range of reaction conditions, for real diesel engine soot, different model soot substances, and different types of converter surfaces.