US20030200742A1 - Apparatus and method for regenerating a particulate filter of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine - Google Patents
Apparatus and method for regenerating a particulate filter of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine Download PDFInfo
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- US20030200742A1 US20030200742A1 US10/418,808 US41880803A US2003200742A1 US 20030200742 A1 US20030200742 A1 US 20030200742A1 US 41880803 A US41880803 A US 41880803A US 2003200742 A1 US2003200742 A1 US 2003200742A1
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- catalyst
- soot
- filter
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N9/00—Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus
- F01N9/002—Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
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- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B01—PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL
- B01D—SEPARATION
- B01D53/00—Separation of gases or vapours; Recovering vapours of volatile solvents from gases; Chemical or biological purification of waste gases, e.g. engine exhaust gases, smoke, fumes, flue gases, aerosols
- B01D53/34—Chemical or biological purification of waste gases
- B01D53/92—Chemical or biological purification of waste gases of engine exhaust gases
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N13/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features ; Exhaust or silencing apparatus, or parts thereof, having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01N1/00 - F01N5/00, F01N9/00, F01N11/00
- F01N13/009—Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features ; Exhaust or silencing apparatus, or parts thereof, having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01N1/00 - F01N5/00, F01N9/00, F01N11/00 having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series
- F01N13/0097—Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features ; Exhaust or silencing apparatus, or parts thereof, having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01N1/00 - F01N5/00, F01N9/00, F01N11/00 having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series the purifying devices are arranged in a single housing
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N13/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features ; Exhaust or silencing apparatus, or parts thereof, having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01N1/00 - F01N5/00, F01N9/00, F01N11/00
- F01N13/011—Exhaust or silencing apparatus characterised by constructional features ; Exhaust or silencing apparatus, or parts thereof, having pertinent characteristics not provided for in, or of interest apart from, groups F01N1/00 - F01N5/00, F01N9/00, F01N11/00 having two or more purifying devices arranged in parallel
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N3/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust
- F01N3/02—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust
- F01N3/021—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters
- F01N3/023—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles
- F01N3/025—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles using fuel burner or by adding fuel to exhaust
- F01N3/0253—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles using fuel burner or by adding fuel to exhaust adding fuel to exhaust gases
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N3/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust
- F01N3/02—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust
- F01N3/021—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters
- F01N3/033—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters in combination with other devices
- F01N3/035—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for cooling, or for removing solid constituents of, exhaust by means of filters in combination with other devices with catalytic reactors, e.g. catalysed diesel particulate filters
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N3/00—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust
- F01N3/08—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous
- F01N3/10—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust
- F01N3/18—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust characterised by methods of operation; Control
- F01N3/20—Exhaust or silencing apparatus having means for purifying, rendering innocuous, or otherwise treating exhaust for rendering innocuous by thermal or catalytic conversion of noxious components of exhaust characterised by methods of operation; Control specially adapted for catalytic conversion ; Methods of operation or control of catalytic converters
- F01N3/206—Adding periodically or continuously substances to exhaust gases for promoting purification, e.g. catalytic material in liquid form, NOx reducing agents
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N2240/00—Combination or association of two or more different exhaust treating devices, or of at least one such device with an auxiliary device, not covered by indexing codes F01N2230/00 or F01N2250/00, one of the devices being
- F01N2240/28—Combination or association of two or more different exhaust treating devices, or of at least one such device with an auxiliary device, not covered by indexing codes F01N2230/00 or F01N2250/00, one of the devices being a plasma reactor
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N2240/00—Combination or association of two or more different exhaust treating devices, or of at least one such device with an auxiliary device, not covered by indexing codes F01N2230/00 or F01N2250/00, one of the devices being
- F01N2240/30—Combination or association of two or more different exhaust treating devices, or of at least one such device with an auxiliary device, not covered by indexing codes F01N2230/00 or F01N2250/00, one of the devices being a fuel reformer
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N2610/00—Adding substances to exhaust gases
- F01N2610/04—Adding substances to exhaust gases the substance being hydrogen
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F01—MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; ENGINE PLANTS IN GENERAL; STEAM ENGINES
- F01N—GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
- F01N2610/00—Adding substances to exhaust gases
- F01N2610/06—Adding substances to exhaust gases the substance being in the gaseous form
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION
- Y02T10/00—Road transport of goods or passengers
- Y02T10/10—Internal combustion engine [ICE] based vehicles
- Y02T10/40—Engine management systems
Definitions
- the present disclosure relates generally to an emission abatement device, and more particularly to a particulate filter assembly for reducing soot emissions.
- Untreated internal combustion engine emissions include various effluents such as NO X (oxides of nitrogen), hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, for example.
- the untreated emissions from certain types of internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines also include particulate carbon-based soot.
- Federal regulations relating to soot emission standards are becoming more and more rigid thereby furthering the need for devices and/or methods which remove soot from engine emissions.
- the amount of soot produced and/or released by an engine system can be reduced by fuel injection rate shaping and/or by the use of an emission abatement device such as a filter or trap.
- a filter or trap is periodically regenerated in order to remove the soot therefrom.
- the filter or trap may be regenerated by use of a burner or electric heater to burn the soot off of the filter.
- an apparatus for removing particulate soot from an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine.
- the apparatus includes a particulate filter assembly having a catalyst and a soot filter positioned downstream of the catalyst for trapping soot particles therein.
- Hydrogen gas is introduced into the exhaust gas at a location upstream of the catalyst.
- the catalyst catalyzes an exothermic reaction between the hydrogen gas and a gas containing oxygen. Heat from this exothermic reaction is transferred to the filter thereby igniting the soot particles trapped therein.
- the source of hydrogen gas is embodied as a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen to be introduced into the exhaust gas prior to entering the particulate filter assembly.
- the fuel reformer is embodied as a plasmatron fuel reformer.
- a method for regenerating a soot filter includes generating a reformate gas and introducing the reformate gas into an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine.
- the exhaust gas and the reformats gas are advanced into contact with a catalyst that catalyzes an exothermic reaction between the reformate gas and the exhaust gas. Heat generated from the reaction of the reformate gas and exhaust gas with the catalyst ignites the soot present in the soot filter.
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a specific exemplary implementation of the concepts of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of a particulate filter assembly for use with the concepts disclosed herein;
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing the particulate filter assembly positioned downstream of a supplemental emission abatement device that partially treats exhaust gases prior to advancement of the gases through the particulate filter assembly;
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing a pair of particulate filter assemblies arranged in a parallel arrangement.
- the emission abatement device 10 for removing soot particles from the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine 12 .
- the emission abatement device 10 includes a catalyst 14 and a soot filter 16 .
- the oxidation catalyst 14 is positioned upstream of the soot filter 16 .
- the oxidation catalyst 14 may be spaced apart from the soot filter 16 by a predetermined distance, may be positioned in contact with the soot filter 16 , or may even be fabricated as a common structure with the soot filter 16 (e.g., a common structure having a catalyst portion positioned upstream of a filter portion).
- This oxidation reaction is highly exothermic, and, as a result, produces heat that is transferred to the downstream-positioned soot filter 16 .
- the heat which may illustratively be in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius, raises the temperature of the soot particles trapped in the filter 16 to a temperature sufficient to ignite the particles thereby regenerating the filter 16 . It should be appreciated that such regeneration of the soot filter 16 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by the oxidation catalyst 14 .
- soot filter 16 is heated to a temperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite, the ignition of an initial portion of soot particles trapped therein can cause the ignition of the remaining soot particles much in the same way a cigar slowly burns from one end to the other.
- soot particles “burn,” an amount of heat is released in the “burn zone.”
- the soot layer in the burn zone
- the energy transferred may be sufficient to initiate oxidation reactions that raise the un-ignited soot to a temperature above its ignition temperature.
- heat from the oxidation catalyst 14 may only be required to commence the regeneration process of the soot filter 16 (i.e., begin the ignition process of the soot particles trapped therein).
- the soot filter 16 may have a catalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material, disposed on the surfaces thereof.
- the amount of catalytic material disposed on the filter 16 may be varied to fit the needs of a given system design.
- the soot filter 16 may only use about 3% of the amount of catalytic material (e.g., precious metals) that is present on a typical oxidation catalyst. In such a configuration (i.e., use of a catalyzed filter 16 ), the ignition temperature of the soot particles trapped in the filter 16 is reduced.
- the ignition temperature of the soot particles may be lowered to an ignition temperature of between 300-600 degrees Celsius.
- the soot ignition temperature may be lowered to a temperature in the range of 300-550 degrees Celsius, more particularly in the range of 300-450 degrees Celsius, and even more particularly in the range of 300-350 degrees Celsius.
- the oxidation catalyst 14 may also function as an oxidation catalyst for removing certain compounds from the exhaust gases of the engine 12 .
- the oxidation catalyst 14 may be configured to catalyze, in the presence of heat supplied by the exhaust gasses (e.g., 250 degrees Celsius), an oxidation reaction which converts, for example, hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases.
- the emission abatement device 10 may be used to not only remove soot from the engine's exhaust gases, but also other compounds as well (e.g., HC, CO).
- an oxidation catalyst 14 As with conventional aftertreatment configurations, such functionality of an oxidation catalyst 14 is generally not achieved until the exhaust gases produced by the engine 12 become hot enough to heat the oxidation catalyst 14 to its light off temperature (e.g., approximately 250 degrees Celsius). Hence, during startup, emissions of such compounds can reach undesirable levels since compounds can pass untreated through the oxidation catalyst 14 prior to the catalyst 14 reaching its light off temperature.
- hydrogen gas may be supplied to the oxidation catalyst 14 during startup to instantaneously, or near instantaneously, light off the oxidation catalyst 14 .
- hydrogen gas may be advanced to the face of the oxidation catalyst 14 thereby quickly lighting off the catalyst 14 in a much shorter period of time than if the catalyst 14 had to be lighted off by heat from the engine's exhaust gases passing therethrough.
- instantaneous, or near instantaneous, light off of the catalyst 14 prevents the release of untreated compounds during engine startup that the catalyst 14 is otherwise designed to treat.
- the oxidation catalyst 14 catalyzes an exothermic reaction between a gaseous component containing oxygen and hydrogen.
- exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine 12 may function as the source of oxygen.
- suitable amounts of oxygen for sustaining such an oxidation reaction exist in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine without the introduction of additional oxygen.
- supplemental oxygen may be introduced into the engine's exhaust gases prior to advancement thereof into the emission abatement device 10 .
- an air inlet (not shown) positioned upstream of the oxidation catalyst 14 for introducing a desired amount of air into the engine's exhaust gases prior to advancement thereof into contact with the oxidation catalyst 14 .
- hydrogen gas is supplied from a source of hydrogen gas 18 .
- the source of hydrogen gas 18 may be embodied as a number of different types of devices.
- the source of hydrogen gas may be embodied as tank of hydrogen gas (i.e., “bottled” hydrogen gas).
- the source of hydrogen gas 18 may be embodied as a hydrogen generator that generates hydrogen from other compounds.
- a hydrogen generator is a device that produces hydrogen gas via electrolysis.
- Other examples of a hydrogen generator include fuel reformers that reform (i.e., convert) hydrocarbon fuels into a reformate gas that includes, amongst other things, hydrogen gas. Examples of such fuel reformers include, amongst other types, catalytic fuel reformers and thermal fuel reformers.
- a plasmatron uses plasma to convert hydrocarbon fuel into a reformate gas which is rich in, amongst other things, hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide.
- Systems including plasmatrons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,332 issued to Rabinovich et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,250 issued to Rabinovich et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,784 issued to Bromberg et al.; and U.S. Pat. No.
- a plasmatron may be operated to reform the same hydrocarbon fuel being combusted by the engine 12 (such as gasoline or diesel fuel, for example).
- a plasmatron may be operated to reform a type of hydrocarbon fuel that is distinct from the engine's fuel.
- a plasmatron may be operated to produce only the amount of hydrogen-rich reformate gas that is needed by the emission abatement device 10 thereby eliminating the need to store additional quantities of hydrogen gas.
- a plasmatron may be operated to produce hydrogen-rich reformate gas “on demand”.
- FIGS. 2 - 5 More specific exemplary embodiments of the concepts of the present disclosure will now be described in regard to FIGS. 2 - 5 .
- the exemplary embodiments hereinafter described in regard to FIGS. 2 - 5 relate to the use of a specific fuel reformer, a plasmatron, along with a specific type of internal combustion engine, a diesel engine. It should be appreciated that while the specific exemplary embodiments described in regard FIGS. 2 - 5 have significant advantages, such embodiments are merely descriptive in nature, and should not be construed as limiting to the claims in any way absent specific language in the claims to the contrary.
- FIG. 2 there is shown an emission abatement system for use in conjunction with a diesel engine 50 .
- the system includes an emission abatement device 52 and a plasmatron 54 .
- the plasmatron 54 converts hydrocarbon fuel 60 into a reformate gas 58 that is rich in, amongst other things, hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
- the hydrocarbon fuel 60 is supplied by a fuel tank 62 to both the engine 50 and the plasmatron 54 .
- air 64 is also input into the plasmatron 54 .
- a fuel input mechanism such as a fuel injector, injects hydrocarbon fuel 60 and air 64 into a plasma arc created by the plasmatron 54 .
- the fuel injector may be any type of fuel injection mechanism that produces a desired mixture of fuel 60 and air 64 and thereafter injects such a mixture into the plasma-generating portion of the plasmatron 54 .
- Such fuel injector assemblies i.e., injectors which atomize the fuel mixture
- additional amounts of air 64 may also be input into the plasmatron 54 by use of, for example, an air inlet valve (not shown) to allow for the creation of a desired air-to-fuel ratio within the plasmatron 54 .
- the hydrocarbon fuel 60 supplied to the plasmatron 54 is generally the same hydrocarbon fuel being combusted by the diesel engine 50 (i.e., diesel fuel).
- the hydrocarbon fuel 60 supplied to the plasmatron 54 may be a type of hydrocarbon fuel that is distinct from the engine's fuel.
- the hydrogen-rich reformate gas 58 generated by the plasmatron 54 is supplied to the emission abatement device 52 to regenerate the device 52 .
- the emission abatement device 52 may be configured as a particulate filter assembly 72 having a catalyst 74 and a soot particulate filter 76 positioned downstream from catalyst 74 .
- the catalyst 74 may be spaced apart from the soot filter 16 by a predetermined distance (as shown in FIG. 3), may be positioned in contact with the soot particulate filter 76 , or may even be fabricated as a common structure with the soot particulate filter 76 (e.g., a common structure having a catalyst portion positioned upstream of a filter portion).
- the catalyst 74 may be embodied as any type of catalyst that is configured to catalyze the herein described reactions.
- the catalyst 74 is embodied as substrate having a precious metal or other type of catalytic material disposed thereon.
- a substrate may be constructed of ceramic, metal, or other suitable material.
- the catalytic material may be, for example, embodied as platinum, rhodium, palladium, including combinations thereof, along with any other similar catalytic materials.
- the soot particulate filter 76 traps soot or other particulates present in the untreated exhaust gases 66 from the diesel engine 50 .
- the soot particulate filter 76 may be embodied as any known exhaust particulate filter such as a “deep bed” or “wall flow” filter. Deep bed filters may be embodied as metallic mesh filters, metallic or ceramic foam filters, ceramic fiber mesh filters, and the like.
- Wall flow filters on the other hand, may be embodied as a cordierite or silicon carbide ceramic filter with alternating channels plugged at the front and rear of the filter thereby forcing the gas advancing therethrough into one channel, through the walls, and out another channel.
- the soot particulate filter 76 may also be impregnated with a catalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material.
- a catalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material.
- the ignition temperature of the soot trapped in the filter 76 may be significantly lowered thereby lowering the amount of heat that is required from the exothermic reactions at the face of the catalyst 74 .
- the amount of catalytic material disposed on the soot particulate filter 76 may be varied to fit the needs of a given system design.
- the soot particulate filter 76 may only use about 3% of the amount of catalytic material (e.g., precious metals) that is present on a typical oxidation catalyst.
- the ignition temperature of the soot particles trapped in the filter 76 is reduced.
- the ignition temperature of the soot particles may be lowered to an ignition temperature of between 300-600 degrees Celsius.
- the soot ignition temperature may be lowered to a temperature in the range of 300-550 degrees Celsius, more particularly in the range of 300-450 degrees Celsius, and even more particularly in the range of 300-350 degrees Celsius.
- Reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 54 is advanced into contact with the catalyst 74 to catalyze an oxidation reaction between the oxygen in the exhaust gas 66 of the engine 50 and the reformate gas 58 .
- the catalyst 74 catalyzes an oxidation reaction which converts the hydrogen gas present in the reformate gas 58 and the oxygen present in the exhaust gases 66 into, amongst other things, water.
- the catalyst 74 catalyzes an oxidation reaction which converts the carbon monoxide present in the reformate gas 58 and the oxygen present in the exhaust gases 66 into carbon dioxide.
- Both of these oxidation reactions are highly exothermic, and, as a result, produce heat that is transferred to the downstream-positioned soot particulate filter 76 .
- the heat which may illustratively be in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius, ignites soot particles trapped in the particulate filter 76 thereby regenerating the filter 76 .
- the amount of heat required from the exothermic reactions catalyzed by the catalyst 74 is reduced.
- the amount of heat required from the upstream oxidation reactions at the catalyst 74 is likewise reduced.
- the design of the catalyst 74 may be varied (e.g., use of different, perhaps less expensive, catalyst materials) to produce only the amount of heat needed to ignite the soot particles trapped in the catalyzed filter 76 .
- the amount or type of reformate gas may also be varied to produce only the amount of heat needed to ignite the soot particles trapped in the catalyzed filer 76 .
- soot filter 76 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by the catalyst 74 .
- soot particulate filter 76 is heated to a temperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite, the ignition of an initial portion of soot particles trapped therein can sustain the ignition of the remaining soot particles much in the same way a cigar slowly burns from one end to the other.
- the plasmatron 74 may be operated to supply a predetermined amount of reformate gas 58 to the catalyst 74 to ignite an initial portion of the soot particulate trapped in the soot particulate filter 76 , and thereafter cease generation of the reformate gas 58 once the regeneration process within the soot particulate filter 76 becomes self-sustaining.
- the catalyst 74 may also function as an oxidation catalyst for removing certain compounds from the exhaust gases 66 of the diesel engine 50 .
- the catalyst 74 may be configured to catalyze, in the presence of heat supplied by the exhaust gasses (e.g., approximately 250 degrees Celsius), an oxidation reaction which converts, for example, hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases.
- the plasmatron 54 may be operated to provide reformate gas 58 to the catalyst 74 thereby quickly lighting off the catalyst 74 in a much shorter period of time than if the catalyst 74 had to be lighted off by heat from the exhaust gases 66 passing therethrough.
- Such instantaneous, or near instantaneous, light off of the catalyst prevents the release of untreated compounds during engine startup that the catalyst is otherwise designed to treat.
- the particulate filter assembly 72 is shown in greater detail.
- the catalyst 74 and the filter 76 of the particulate filter assembly 72 are housed in an interior chamber 96 of a housing 78 .
- the housing 78 has a first end 80 coupled to an exhaust pipe 82 , and a second end 84 coupled to either another exhaust pipe 86 that is open to the atmosphere or coupled to an additional exhaust system component (not shown) positioned downstream of the particulate filter assembly 72 .
- the first end 80 of the housing 78 defines an exhaust gas inlet 90
- the second end 84 of the housing 78 defines an exhaust gas outlet 92 .
- exhaust gases 66 from the diesel engine 50 enter the housing 78 through the exhaust gas inlet 90 , are advanced through the catalyst 74 and the soot particulate filter 76 , and then are exhausted from the housing 78 via the exhaust gas outlet 92 .
- the particulate filter assembly 72 has an inlet 88 for receiving reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 14 .
- the inlet may be configured as an orifice that is defined in the walls of the housing 78 , or, alternatively, may include a tube, coupling assembly, or other structure which extends through the wall of the housing 78 .
- the exhaust gas inlet 90 of the housing 78 functions as the reformate gas inlet of the particulate filter assembly 72 .
- the plasmatron 54 is fluidly coupled to the reformate gas inlet associated with the particulate filter assembly 72 .
- a first end of a fluid line 94 is coupled to the outlet of the plasmatron 54
- a second end of the fluid line 94 extends through, or is coupled to, the gas inlet 88 such that reformate gas 58 may be advanced into the chamber 96 of the housing 78 .
- reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 54 may be introduced into the exhaust gases of the engine 50 prior to advancement thereof into contact with the catalyst 74 .
- a control valve 98 is utilized to control the flow of reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 54 to the particulate filter assembly 72 .
- the control valve 98 is under the control of a controller 100 .
- the controller 100 also controls the operation of the plasmatron 54 .
- the controller 100 is coupled to the plasmatron 54 via a signal line 102 to selectively actuate and deactuate the plasmatron 54 thereby selectively controlling the production of reformate gas 58 .
- the controller 100 may control the flow of reformate gas 58 to the particulate filter assembly 72 without the use of the control valve 98 .
- one particularly useful feature of the plasmatron 54 is its relatively rapid response to requests for changes in the production of reformate gas. Indeed, unlike other types of fuel reformers (e.g., catalytic fuel reformers or thermal fuel reformers), the amount of reformate gas produced by the plasmatron 54 may be quickly increased or decreased to fit the needs of a given situation.
- the algorithms executed by the controller 100 may provide for relatively fast actuation and deactuation of the plasmatron 54 thereby eliminating the need for the control valve 98 .
- the controller 100 is also electrically coupled to a pair of pressure sensors 104 via a signal line 106 .
- the pressure sensors 106 may be utilized to sense the pressure difference across the particulate filter assembly 72 in order to determine when the filter assembly 72 requires regeneration. Specifically, when the pressure drop across the particulate filter assembly 72 increases to a predetermined value, the controller 100 commences the filter regeneration process. It should be appreciated that while shown in FIG. 3 as utilizing two pressure sensors, a single pressure sensor on either side of filter assembly 72 may be utilized, if desired. In such a configuration, the controller 100 would monitor when the pressure sensed by the single pressure sensor exceeded a predetermined upper threshold or was below a predetermined lower threshold, as opposed to monitoring the pressure drop across the filter assembly 72 .
- reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 14 is introduced into the exhaust gases 66 from the diesel engine 50 at a location upstream of the catalyst 74 .
- the gaseous compound containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide e.g., reformate gas from the plasmatron 14
- oxygen e.g., exhaust gas
- exhaust gases 66 from the diesel engine 50 are advanced through the particulate filter assembly 72 .
- the catalyst 74 catalyzes a reaction which removes the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from the exhaust gases 66 by converting such hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases.
- the controller 100 may actuate the plasmatron 54 (and open the flow valve 98 , if such a valve is used) to generate and deliver reformats gas 58 to the catalyst 74 so as to light off the catalyst 74 contemporaneously with startup of the engine 50 thereby preventing the escape of certain untreated emissions through the catalyst 74 prior to light off of the catalyst 74 by the heat from the exhaust gases 66 .
- the controller 100 deactuates the plasmatron 54 (and closes the flow valve 98 , if such a valve is used) such that no additional reformate gas 58 is produced and delivered to the catalyst 74 .
- the controller 100 determines that the soot particulate filter 76 is in need of regeneration, the controller actuates the plasmatron 54 (and opens the flow valve 98 , if such a valve is used) so as to generate and deliver reformate gas 58 into contact with the catalyst 74 to catalyze oxidation reactions between the oxygen in the exhaust gas 66 and the hydrogen and carbon monoxide in the reformate gas 58 . These highly exothermic oxidation reactions produce heat that is transferred to the downstream-positioned soot particulate filter 76 .
- This heat which may be illustratively in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius (or less in the case of use of a catalyzed soot particulate filter 76 ), ignites soot particles trapped in the particulate filter 76 thereby regenerating the filter 76 .
- regeneration of the soot filter 76 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by the catalyst 74 .
- the controller 100 deactuates the plasmatron 54 (and closes the flow valve 98 , if such a valve is used) such that no additional reformate gas 58 is produced and delivered to the catalyst 74 .
- the controller 100 then monitors the output from the pressure sensors 104 to determine when the particulate filter assembly 72 is again in need of regeneration.
- particulate filter assembly 72 may be configured to burn (i.e., convert) hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and thus operates as a catalytic converter to remove such effluents from exhaust gases 66 (in addition to functioning as a trap to trap soot particles in filter 76 ).
- particulate filter assembly 72 may be used in, for example, a series arrangement with another emission abatement device 108 , as shown in FIG. 4.
- exhaust gases 66 from the engine 50 may be passed through the emission abatement device 108 to remove, for example, hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NO X ), oxides of sulfur (SO X ), and/or carbon monoxide (CO) from the exhaust gases 66 .
- the emission abatement device 108 may be embodied as a catalytic converter or a trap or other similar device which removes desired compounds from the engine's exhaust gases 66 .
- the catalyst 74 may still be configured to remove certain compounds from the engine's exhaust gases 66 .
- the emission abatement device 108 may be used to remove a first number of compounds from the engine's exhaust gases 66
- the catalyst 74 is configured to remove a second number of compounds from the exhaust gases 66 .
- the catalyst 74 may be configured to perform only the function of catalyzing the reactions necessary to regenerate the soot filter 76 with all other emission abatement functions being performed by the emission abatement device 108 or other devices.
- reformate gas from the plasmatron 54 may also be used to light off the catalysts (not shown) associated with the emission abatement device 108 during startup in a similar manner to as described herein in regard to the catalyst 74 .
- the plasmatron 54 would be fluidly coupled to an inlet (not shown) associated with emission abatement device 108 via a fluid line (not shown) to provide for the advancement of reformate gas 58 from the plasmatron 54 to the device 108 .
- a diverter valve 112 which is under the control of the controller 100 , selectively diverts the flow of exhaust gases 66 between the two particulate filter assemblies 72 .
- exhaust gases 66 from the engine 50 may be routed through one of the particulate filter assemblies 72 while the other assembly 72 is maintained “offline.”
- the offline particulate filter assembly 72 may then be regenerated by use of the plasmatron 54 as described above.
- the position of the diverter valve 112 may be switched such that exhaust gases 66 from the engine 50 are routed through the newly regenerated particulate filter assembly 72 , while the other particulate filter assembly 72 is offline for soot filter regeneration.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/375,134 entitled “Apparatus and Method for Regenerating a Particulate Filter of an Exhaust System of an Internal Combustion Engine” filed on Apr. 24, 2002 by Rudolf M. Smaling, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
- The present disclosure relates generally to an emission abatement device, and more particularly to a particulate filter assembly for reducing soot emissions.
- Untreated internal combustion engine emissions include various effluents such as NOX (oxides of nitrogen), hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide, for example. Moreover, the untreated emissions from certain types of internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, also include particulate carbon-based soot. Federal regulations relating to soot emission standards are becoming more and more rigid thereby furthering the need for devices and/or methods which remove soot from engine emissions. For example, the amount of soot produced and/or released by an engine system can be reduced by fuel injection rate shaping and/or by the use of an emission abatement device such as a filter or trap. Such a filter or trap is periodically regenerated in order to remove the soot therefrom. The filter or trap may be regenerated by use of a burner or electric heater to burn the soot off of the filter.
- According to the present disclosure, an apparatus is provided for removing particulate soot from an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes a particulate filter assembly having a catalyst and a soot filter positioned downstream of the catalyst for trapping soot particles therein. Hydrogen gas is introduced into the exhaust gas at a location upstream of the catalyst. The catalyst catalyzes an exothermic reaction between the hydrogen gas and a gas containing oxygen. Heat from this exothermic reaction is transferred to the filter thereby igniting the soot particles trapped therein.
- In one exemplary embodiment, the source of hydrogen gas is embodied as a hydrogen generator for generating hydrogen to be introduced into the exhaust gas prior to entering the particulate filter assembly.
- In one implementation of this exemplary embodiment, the hydrogen generator is embodied as a fuel reformer which reforms a hydrocarbon fuel into a hydrogen-rich gas.
- In another implementation of this exemplary embodiment, the fuel reformer is embodied as a plasmatron fuel reformer.
- Further according to the present disclosure, a method for regenerating a soot filter is provided. The method includes generating a reformate gas and introducing the reformate gas into an exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine. The exhaust gas and the reformats gas are advanced into contact with a catalyst that catalyzes an exothermic reaction between the reformate gas and the exhaust gas. Heat generated from the reaction of the reformate gas and exhaust gas with the catalyst ignites the soot present in the soot filter.
- The detailed description particularly refers to the accompanying figures in which:
- FIG. 1 is a block diagram which demonstrates the concepts of the present disclosure for treating exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine;
- FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a specific exemplary implementation of the concepts of FIG. 1;
- FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view of a particulate filter assembly for use with the concepts disclosed herein;
- FIG. 4 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing the particulate filter assembly positioned downstream of a supplemental emission abatement device that partially treats exhaust gases prior to advancement of the gases through the particulate filter assembly; and
- FIG. 5 is a block diagram similar to FIG. 2, but showing a pair of particulate filter assemblies arranged in a parallel arrangement.
- Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an
emission abatement device 10 for removing soot particles from the exhaust gases of aninternal combustion engine 12. Theemission abatement device 10 includes acatalyst 14 and asoot filter 16. Theoxidation catalyst 14 is positioned upstream of thesoot filter 16. Theoxidation catalyst 14 may be spaced apart from thesoot filter 16 by a predetermined distance, may be positioned in contact with thesoot filter 16, or may even be fabricated as a common structure with the soot filter 16 (e.g., a common structure having a catalyst portion positioned upstream of a filter portion). - The
oxidation catalyst 14 is configured to catalyze an oxidation reaction between a gaseous component containing oxygen and hydrogen gas. Specifically, when hydrogen gas is advanced into contact with theoxidation catalyst 14 in the presence of a gaseous component containing oxygen, the oxidation catalyst catalyzes an oxidation reaction which converts the hydrogen gas and a portion of the oxygen into, amongst other things, water. - This oxidation reaction is highly exothermic, and, as a result, produces heat that is transferred to the downstream-positioned
soot filter 16. The heat, which may illustratively be in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius, raises the temperature of the soot particles trapped in thefilter 16 to a temperature sufficient to ignite the particles thereby regenerating thefilter 16. It should be appreciated that such regeneration of thesoot filter 16 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by theoxidation catalyst 14. Specifically, once thesoot filter 16 is heated to a temperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite, the ignition of an initial portion of soot particles trapped therein can cause the ignition of the remaining soot particles much in the same way a cigar slowly burns from one end to the other. In essence, as the soot particles “burn,” an amount of heat is released in the “burn zone.” Locally, the soot layer (in the burn zone) is now much hotter than the immediate surroundings. As such, heat is transferred to the as yet un-ignited soot layer downstream of the burn zone. The energy transferred may be sufficient to initiate oxidation reactions that raise the un-ignited soot to a temperature above its ignition temperature. As a result of this, heat from theoxidation catalyst 14 may only be required to commence the regeneration process of the soot filter 16 (i.e., begin the ignition process of the soot particles trapped therein). - In an illustrative embodiment, the
soot filter 16 may have a catalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material, disposed on the surfaces thereof. The amount of catalytic material disposed on thefilter 16 may be varied to fit the needs of a given system design. In one illustrative implementation, thesoot filter 16 may only use about 3% of the amount of catalytic material (e.g., precious metals) that is present on a typical oxidation catalyst. In such a configuration (i.e., use of a catalyzed filter 16), the ignition temperature of the soot particles trapped in thefilter 16 is reduced. Indeed, depending on, amongst other things, the amount of catalytic material disposed on thefilter 16 and the amount of accumulated soot particles, the ignition temperature of the soot particles may be lowered to an ignition temperature of between 300-600 degrees Celsius. In other exemplary implementations, the soot ignition temperature may be lowered to a temperature in the range of 300-550 degrees Celsius, more particularly in the range of 300-450 degrees Celsius, and even more particularly in the range of 300-350 degrees Celsius. - It should be appreciated that in addition to the aforedescribed use of the
oxidation catalyst 14 to regenerate thesoot filter 16, theoxidation catalyst 14 may also function as an oxidation catalyst for removing certain compounds from the exhaust gases of theengine 12. In particular, theoxidation catalyst 14 may be configured to catalyze, in the presence of heat supplied by the exhaust gasses (e.g., 250 degrees Celsius), an oxidation reaction which converts, for example, hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases. Hence, theemission abatement device 10 may be used to not only remove soot from the engine's exhaust gases, but also other compounds as well (e.g., HC, CO). - As with conventional aftertreatment configurations, such functionality of an
oxidation catalyst 14 is generally not achieved until the exhaust gases produced by theengine 12 become hot enough to heat theoxidation catalyst 14 to its light off temperature (e.g., approximately 250 degrees Celsius). Hence, during startup, emissions of such compounds can reach undesirable levels since compounds can pass untreated through theoxidation catalyst 14 prior to thecatalyst 14 reaching its light off temperature. However, hydrogen gas may be supplied to theoxidation catalyst 14 during startup to instantaneously, or near instantaneously, light off theoxidation catalyst 14. Specifically, during startup of theengine 12, hydrogen gas may be advanced to the face of theoxidation catalyst 14 thereby quickly lighting off thecatalyst 14 in a much shorter period of time than if thecatalyst 14 had to be lighted off by heat from the engine's exhaust gases passing therethrough. Such instantaneous, or near instantaneous, light off of thecatalyst 14 prevents the release of untreated compounds during engine startup that thecatalyst 14 is otherwise designed to treat. - As described above, the
oxidation catalyst 14 catalyzes an exothermic reaction between a gaseous component containing oxygen and hydrogen. Generally, exhaust gases from theinternal combustion engine 12 may function as the source of oxygen. In particular, suitable amounts of oxygen for sustaining such an oxidation reaction exist in the exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine without the introduction of additional oxygen. However, to fit the needs of a given design or implementation, supplemental oxygen may be introduced into the engine's exhaust gases prior to advancement thereof into theemission abatement device 10. One way to do this is by use of an air inlet (not shown) positioned upstream of theoxidation catalyst 14 for introducing a desired amount of air into the engine's exhaust gases prior to advancement thereof into contact with theoxidation catalyst 14. - As shown in FIG. 1, hydrogen gas is supplied from a source of
hydrogen gas 18. The source ofhydrogen gas 18 may be embodied as a number of different types of devices. For example, the source of hydrogen gas may be embodied as tank of hydrogen gas (i.e., “bottled” hydrogen gas). Alternatively, the source ofhydrogen gas 18 may be embodied as a hydrogen generator that generates hydrogen from other compounds. One example of a hydrogen generator is a device that produces hydrogen gas via electrolysis. Other examples of a hydrogen generator include fuel reformers that reform (i.e., convert) hydrocarbon fuels into a reformate gas that includes, amongst other things, hydrogen gas. Examples of such fuel reformers include, amongst other types, catalytic fuel reformers and thermal fuel reformers. - One additional type of fuel reformer, which is particularly useful as the source of
hydrogen gas 18, is a plasma-fuel reformer, or “plasmatron”. A plasmatron uses plasma to convert hydrocarbon fuel into a reformate gas which is rich in, amongst other things, hydrogen gas and carbon monoxide. Systems including plasmatrons are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,332 issued to Rabinovich et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,250 issued to Rabinovich et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,784 issued to Bromberg et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,554 issued to Cohn, et al., the disclosures of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. Additional examples of systems including plasmatrons are disclosed in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/158,615 entitled “Low Current Plasmatron Fuel Converter Having Enlarged Volume Discharges” which was filed on May 30, 2002 by A. Rabinovich, N. Alexeev, L. Bromberg, D. Cohn, and A. Samokhin, along with copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ entitled “Plasmatron Fuel Converter Having Decoupled Air Flow Control” which was filed on Apr. 11, 2003 by A. Rabinovich, N. Alexeev, L. Bromberg, D. Cohn, and A. Samokhin, the disclosures of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference. - In such an exemplary implementation, a plasmatron may be operated to reform the same hydrocarbon fuel being combusted by the engine12 (such as gasoline or diesel fuel, for example). Alternatively, a plasmatron may be operated to reform a type of hydrocarbon fuel that is distinct from the engine's fuel. In either case, a plasmatron may be operated to produce only the amount of hydrogen-rich reformate gas that is needed by the
emission abatement device 10 thereby eliminating the need to store additional quantities of hydrogen gas. As such, a plasmatron may be operated to produce hydrogen-rich reformate gas “on demand”. - More specific exemplary embodiments of the concepts of the present disclosure will now be described in regard to FIGS.2-5. The exemplary embodiments hereinafter described in regard to FIGS. 2-5 relate to the use of a specific fuel reformer, a plasmatron, along with a specific type of internal combustion engine, a diesel engine. It should be appreciated that while the specific exemplary embodiments described in regard FIGS. 2-5 have significant advantages, such embodiments are merely descriptive in nature, and should not be construed as limiting to the claims in any way absent specific language in the claims to the contrary.
- Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown an emission abatement system for use in conjunction with a
diesel engine 50. The system includes anemission abatement device 52 and aplasmatron 54. Theplasmatron 54 convertshydrocarbon fuel 60 into areformate gas 58 that is rich in, amongst other things, hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Thehydrocarbon fuel 60 is supplied by afuel tank 62 to both theengine 50 and theplasmatron 54. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,air 64 is also input into theplasmatron 54. A fuel input mechanism, such as a fuel injector, injectshydrocarbon fuel 60 andair 64 into a plasma arc created by theplasmatron 54. The fuel injector may be any type of fuel injection mechanism that produces a desired mixture offuel 60 andair 64 and thereafter injects such a mixture into the plasma-generating portion of theplasmatron 54. In certain configurations, it may be desirable to atomize the fuel-air mixture prior to, or during, injection of the mixture into the plasma-generating portion of theplasmatron 54. Such fuel injector assemblies (i.e., injectors which atomize the fuel mixture) are commercially available. Moreover, additional amounts ofair 64 may also be input into theplasmatron 54 by use of, for example, an air inlet valve (not shown) to allow for the creation of a desired air-to-fuel ratio within theplasmatron 54. - As shown in FIG. 2, the
hydrocarbon fuel 60 supplied to theplasmatron 54 is generally the same hydrocarbon fuel being combusted by the diesel engine 50 (i.e., diesel fuel). Alternatively, thehydrocarbon fuel 60 supplied to theplasmatron 54 may be a type of hydrocarbon fuel that is distinct from the engine's fuel. - The hydrogen-
rich reformate gas 58 generated by theplasmatron 54 is supplied to theemission abatement device 52 to regenerate thedevice 52. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, theemission abatement device 52 may be configured as aparticulate filter assembly 72 having acatalyst 74 and asoot particulate filter 76 positioned downstream fromcatalyst 74. Thecatalyst 74 may be spaced apart from thesoot filter 16 by a predetermined distance (as shown in FIG. 3), may be positioned in contact with thesoot particulate filter 76, or may even be fabricated as a common structure with the soot particulate filter 76 (e.g., a common structure having a catalyst portion positioned upstream of a filter portion). - The
catalyst 74 may be embodied as any type of catalyst that is configured to catalyze the herein described reactions. In one exemplary embodiment, thecatalyst 74 is embodied as substrate having a precious metal or other type of catalytic material disposed thereon. Such a substrate may be constructed of ceramic, metal, or other suitable material. The catalytic material may be, for example, embodied as platinum, rhodium, palladium, including combinations thereof, along with any other similar catalytic materials. - The
soot particulate filter 76, on the other hand, traps soot or other particulates present in the untreatedexhaust gases 66 from thediesel engine 50. Thesoot particulate filter 76 may be embodied as any known exhaust particulate filter such as a “deep bed” or “wall flow” filter. Deep bed filters may be embodied as metallic mesh filters, metallic or ceramic foam filters, ceramic fiber mesh filters, and the like. Wall flow filters, on the other hand, may be embodied as a cordierite or silicon carbide ceramic filter with alternating channels plugged at the front and rear of the filter thereby forcing the gas advancing therethrough into one channel, through the walls, and out another channel. - Similarly to as described above in regard to the
soot filter 16, thesoot particulate filter 76 may also be impregnated with a catalytic material such as, for example, a precious metal catalytic material. In such a configuration, the ignition temperature of the soot trapped in thefilter 76 may be significantly lowered thereby lowering the amount of heat that is required from the exothermic reactions at the face of thecatalyst 74. The amount of catalytic material disposed on thesoot particulate filter 76 may be varied to fit the needs of a given system design. For example, in one illustrative implementation, thesoot particulate filter 76 may only use about 3% of the amount of catalytic material (e.g., precious metals) that is present on a typical oxidation catalyst. In such a configuration (i.e., use of a catalyzed filter 76), the ignition temperature of the soot particles trapped in thefilter 76 is reduced. Indeed, depending on, amongst other things, the amount of catalytic material disposed on thefilter 76 and the amount of accumulated soot particles, the ignition temperature of the soot particles may be lowered to an ignition temperature of between 300-600 degrees Celsius. In other exemplary implementations, the soot ignition temperature may be lowered to a temperature in the range of 300-550 degrees Celsius, more particularly in the range of 300-450 degrees Celsius, and even more particularly in the range of 300-350 degrees Celsius. -
Reformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 54 is advanced into contact with thecatalyst 74 to catalyze an oxidation reaction between the oxygen in theexhaust gas 66 of theengine 50 and thereformate gas 58. Specifically, when thereformate gas 58 is advanced into contact with thecatalyst 74 in the presence ofexhaust gas 66, thecatalyst 74 catalyzes an oxidation reaction which converts the hydrogen gas present in thereformate gas 58 and the oxygen present in theexhaust gases 66 into, amongst other things, water. Moreover, thecatalyst 74 catalyzes an oxidation reaction which converts the carbon monoxide present in thereformate gas 58 and the oxygen present in theexhaust gases 66 into carbon dioxide. Both of these oxidation reactions are highly exothermic, and, as a result, produce heat that is transferred to the downstream-positionedsoot particulate filter 76. The heat, which may illustratively be in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius, ignites soot particles trapped in theparticulate filter 76 thereby regenerating thefilter 76. - It should be appreciated that in the case of lowering the ignition temperature of the soot particles by use of a catalyzed
soot filter 76, the amount of heat required from the exothermic reactions catalyzed by thecatalyst 74 is reduced. In particular, if the ignition temperature of the soot particles trapped in thefilter 76 is reduced by use of a catalytic filter design, the amount of heat required from the upstream oxidation reactions at thecatalyst 74 is likewise reduced. As such, the design of thecatalyst 74 may be varied (e.g., use of different, perhaps less expensive, catalyst materials) to produce only the amount of heat needed to ignite the soot particles trapped in the catalyzedfilter 76. Alternatively, the amount or type of reformate gas may also be varied to produce only the amount of heat needed to ignite the soot particles trapped in the catalyzedfiler 76. - It should be appreciated that such regeneration of the
soot filter 76 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by thecatalyst 74. Specifically, once thesoot particulate filter 76 is heated to a temperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite, the ignition of an initial portion of soot particles trapped therein can sustain the ignition of the remaining soot particles much in the same way a cigar slowly burns from one end to the other. In particular, similarly to as described herein in regard to thesoot filter 16 of FIG. 1, as the soot particles trapped in thefilter 76 “burn,” an amount of heat is released in the “burn zone.” Locally, the soot layer (in the burn zone) is now much hotter than the immediate surroundings. As such, heat is transferred to the as yet un-ignited soot layer downstream of the burn zone. The energy transferred may be sufficient to initiate oxidation reactions that raise the un-ignited soot to a temperature above its ignition temperature. As a result of this, heat from thecatalyst 74 may only be required to commence the regeneration process of the soot particulate filter 76 (i.e., begin the ignition process of the soot particles trapped therein). Hence, during regeneration of thefilter 76, theplasmatron 74 may be operated to supply a predetermined amount ofreformate gas 58 to thecatalyst 74 to ignite an initial portion of the soot particulate trapped in thesoot particulate filter 76, and thereafter cease generation of thereformate gas 58 once the regeneration process within thesoot particulate filter 76 becomes self-sustaining. - It should be appreciated that in addition to the aforedescribed use of the
catalyst 74 to regenerate thesoot particulate filter 76, thecatalyst 74 may also function as an oxidation catalyst for removing certain compounds from theexhaust gases 66 of thediesel engine 50. In particular, thecatalyst 74 may be configured to catalyze, in the presence of heat supplied by the exhaust gasses (e.g., approximately 250 degrees Celsius), an oxidation reaction which converts, for example, hydrocarbons (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases. - As with conventional aftertreatment configurations, such functionality of an oxidation catalyst is generally not achieved until the exhaust gases produced by the
engine 50 become hot enough to heat the catalyst to its light off temperature (e.g., approximately 250 degrees Celsius). Hence, during engine startup, emissions of such compounds can reach undesirable levels since such compounds can pass untreated through the catalyst prior to the catalyst reaching its light off temperature. However, theplasmatron 54 may be operated during engine startup to instantaneously, or near instantaneously, light off thecatalyst 74. Specifically, during startup of theengine 50, theplasmatron 54 may be operated to providereformate gas 58 to thecatalyst 74 thereby quickly lighting off thecatalyst 74 in a much shorter period of time than if thecatalyst 74 had to be lighted off by heat from theexhaust gases 66 passing therethrough. Such instantaneous, or near instantaneous, light off of the catalyst prevents the release of untreated compounds during engine startup that the catalyst is otherwise designed to treat. - Referring now to FIG. 3, the
particulate filter assembly 72 is shown in greater detail. Thecatalyst 74 and thefilter 76 of theparticulate filter assembly 72 are housed in aninterior chamber 96 of ahousing 78. Thehousing 78 has afirst end 80 coupled to anexhaust pipe 82, and asecond end 84 coupled to either anotherexhaust pipe 86 that is open to the atmosphere or coupled to an additional exhaust system component (not shown) positioned downstream of theparticulate filter assembly 72. Thefirst end 80 of thehousing 78 defines anexhaust gas inlet 90, whereas thesecond end 84 of thehousing 78 defines anexhaust gas outlet 92. Hence,exhaust gases 66 from thediesel engine 50 enter thehousing 78 through theexhaust gas inlet 90, are advanced through thecatalyst 74 and thesoot particulate filter 76, and then are exhausted from thehousing 78 via theexhaust gas outlet 92. - The
particulate filter assembly 72 has aninlet 88 for receivingreformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 14. The inlet may be configured as an orifice that is defined in the walls of thehousing 78, or, alternatively, may include a tube, coupling assembly, or other structure which extends through the wall of thehousing 78. In addition, if thereformate gas 58 is introduced upstream of thefirst end 80 of thehousing 78, theexhaust gas inlet 90 of thehousing 78 functions as the reformate gas inlet of theparticulate filter assembly 72. - The
plasmatron 54 is fluidly coupled to the reformate gas inlet associated with theparticulate filter assembly 72. In particular, a first end of afluid line 94 is coupled to the outlet of theplasmatron 54, whereas a second end of thefluid line 94 extends through, or is coupled to, thegas inlet 88 such thatreformate gas 58 may be advanced into thechamber 96 of thehousing 78. In such a manner,reformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 54 may be introduced into the exhaust gases of theengine 50 prior to advancement thereof into contact with thecatalyst 74. - A
control valve 98 is utilized to control the flow ofreformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 54 to theparticulate filter assembly 72. Thecontrol valve 98 is under the control of acontroller 100. Thecontroller 100 also controls the operation of theplasmatron 54. Specifically, thecontroller 100 is coupled to theplasmatron 54 via asignal line 102 to selectively actuate and deactuate theplasmatron 54 thereby selectively controlling the production ofreformate gas 58. - It should be appreciated that in certain design configurations, the
controller 100 may control the flow ofreformate gas 58 to theparticulate filter assembly 72 without the use of thecontrol valve 98. Specifically, one particularly useful feature of theplasmatron 54 is its relatively rapid response to requests for changes in the production of reformate gas. Indeed, unlike other types of fuel reformers (e.g., catalytic fuel reformers or thermal fuel reformers), the amount of reformate gas produced by theplasmatron 54 may be quickly increased or decreased to fit the needs of a given situation. As such, in lieu of thecontrol valve 98, the algorithms executed by thecontroller 100 may provide for relatively fast actuation and deactuation of theplasmatron 54 thereby eliminating the need for thecontrol valve 98. - As shown in FIG. 3, the
controller 100 is also electrically coupled to a pair ofpressure sensors 104 via asignal line 106. Thepressure sensors 106 may be utilized to sense the pressure difference across theparticulate filter assembly 72 in order to determine when thefilter assembly 72 requires regeneration. Specifically, when the pressure drop across theparticulate filter assembly 72 increases to a predetermined value, thecontroller 100 commences the filter regeneration process. It should be appreciated that while shown in FIG. 3 as utilizing two pressure sensors, a single pressure sensor on either side offilter assembly 72 may be utilized, if desired. In such a configuration, thecontroller 100 would monitor when the pressure sensed by the single pressure sensor exceeded a predetermined upper threshold or was below a predetermined lower threshold, as opposed to monitoring the pressure drop across thefilter assembly 72. - As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3,
reformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 14 is introduced into theexhaust gases 66 from thediesel engine 50 at a location upstream of thecatalyst 74. In this way, the gaseous compound containing hydrogen and carbon monoxide (e.g., reformate gas from the plasmatron 14) is introduced into the gaseous compound containing oxygen (e.g., exhaust gas) prior to advancement thereof into contact with thecatalyst 74. As such, when the gases contact the catalytic substrate, an exothermic reaction hot enough to light off thesoot particulate filter 76 is initiated. - In operation,
exhaust gases 66 from thediesel engine 50 are advanced through theparticulate filter assembly 72. As described above, during such advancement ofexhaust gases 66 through theparticulate filter assembly 72, thecatalyst 74 catalyzes a reaction which removes the hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide from theexhaust gases 66 by converting such hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other less toxic gases. During startup of theengine 50, thecontroller 100 may actuate the plasmatron 54 (and open theflow valve 98, if such a valve is used) to generate and deliverreformats gas 58 to thecatalyst 74 so as to light off thecatalyst 74 contemporaneously with startup of theengine 50 thereby preventing the escape of certain untreated emissions through thecatalyst 74 prior to light off of thecatalyst 74 by the heat from theexhaust gases 66. However, once thecatalyst 74 has achieved its light off temperature (e.g., 250 degrees Celsius), thecontroller 100 deactuates the plasmatron 54 (and closes theflow valve 98, if such a valve is used) such that no additionalreformate gas 58 is produced and delivered to thecatalyst 74. - During advancement of the
exhaust gases 66 from theengine 50 through theparticulate filter assembly 72, soot particles present in theexhaust gases 66 are trapped by thesoot particulate filter 76. Thecontroller 100 maintains theplasmatron 54 in its deactuated mode of operation (i.e., such that noreformate gas 58 is produced) until thecontroller 100 determines that theparticulate filter assembly 72 needs to be regenerated. Specifically, thecontroller 100 monitors the output signals from thepressure sensors 104 on thesignal line 106 to determine if the buildup of soot in thesoot particulate filter 76 has reached a predetermined level. Once thecontroller 100 determines that thesoot particulate filter 76 is in need of regeneration, the controller actuates the plasmatron 54 (and opens theflow valve 98, if such a valve is used) so as to generate and deliverreformate gas 58 into contact with thecatalyst 74 to catalyze oxidation reactions between the oxygen in theexhaust gas 66 and the hydrogen and carbon monoxide in thereformate gas 58. These highly exothermic oxidation reactions produce heat that is transferred to the downstream-positionedsoot particulate filter 76. This heat, which may be illustratively in the range of 600-650 degrees Celsius (or less in the case of use of a catalyzed soot particulate filter 76), ignites soot particles trapped in theparticulate filter 76 thereby regenerating thefilter 76. - As described herein, regeneration of the
soot filter 76 may be self-sustaining once initiated by heat from the exothermic reaction catalyzed by thecatalyst 74. Hence, once thesoot particulate filter 76 is heated to its a temperature at which the soot particles trapped therein begin to ignite, and the soot ignition process is self-sustained in thefilter 76, thecontroller 100 deactuates the plasmatron 54 (and closes theflow valve 98, if such a valve is used) such that no additionalreformate gas 58 is produced and delivered to thecatalyst 74. Thecontroller 100 then monitors the output from thepressure sensors 104 to determine when theparticulate filter assembly 72 is again in need of regeneration. - As described herein, the
catalyst 74 ofparticulate filter assembly 72 may be configured to burn (i.e., convert) hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide and thus operates as a catalytic converter to remove such effluents from exhaust gases 66 (in addition to functioning as a trap to trap soot particles in filter 76). However, it should be appreciated thatparticulate filter assembly 72 may be used in, for example, a series arrangement with anotheremission abatement device 108, as shown in FIG. 4. In such a manner,exhaust gases 66 from theengine 50 may be passed through theemission abatement device 108 to remove, for example, hydrocarbons (HC), oxides of nitrogen (NOX), oxides of sulfur (SOX), and/or carbon monoxide (CO) from theexhaust gases 66. To do so, theemission abatement device 108 may be embodied as a catalytic converter or a trap or other similar device which removes desired compounds from the engine'sexhaust gases 66. - Soot particles in the partially treated
exhaust gases 110 which exit theemission abatement device 108 are then trapped by thefilter 76 of theparticulate filter assembly 72 as described above. When thefilter 76 needs to be regenerated, theplasmatron 54 may be actuated to producereformate gas 58 in the manner described above. - It should be appreciated that when the
particulate filter assembly 72 is used in conjunction with an additionalemission abatement device 108, thecatalyst 74 may still be configured to remove certain compounds from the engine'sexhaust gases 66. In particular, theemission abatement device 108 may be used to remove a first number of compounds from the engine'sexhaust gases 66, whereas thecatalyst 74 is configured to remove a second number of compounds from theexhaust gases 66. Alternatively, thecatalyst 74 may be configured to perform only the function of catalyzing the reactions necessary to regenerate thesoot filter 76 with all other emission abatement functions being performed by theemission abatement device 108 or other devices. - It should be appreciated that reformate gas from the
plasmatron 54 may also be used to light off the catalysts (not shown) associated with theemission abatement device 108 during startup in a similar manner to as described herein in regard to thecatalyst 74. In such a case, theplasmatron 54 would be fluidly coupled to an inlet (not shown) associated withemission abatement device 108 via a fluid line (not shown) to provide for the advancement ofreformate gas 58 from theplasmatron 54 to thedevice 108. - As shown in FIG. 5, it is also within the scope of this disclosure for a pair of
particulate filter assemblies 72 to be used in a parallel arrangement. Adiverter valve 112, which is under the control of thecontroller 100, selectively diverts the flow ofexhaust gases 66 between the twoparticulate filter assemblies 72. For example,exhaust gases 66 from theengine 50 may be routed through one of theparticulate filter assemblies 72 while theother assembly 72 is maintained “offline.” The offlineparticulate filter assembly 72 may then be regenerated by use of theplasmatron 54 as described above. Once thesoot filter 76 of the offlineparticulate filter assembly 72 has been regenerated, the position of thediverter valve 112 may be switched such thatexhaust gases 66 from theengine 50 are routed through the newly regeneratedparticulate filter assembly 72, while the otherparticulate filter assembly 72 is offline for soot filter regeneration. - While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific exemplary embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and has herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
- There are a plurality of advantages of the present disclosure arising from the various features of the apparatus and methods described herein. It will be noted that alternative embodiments of the apparatus and methods of the present disclosure may not include all of the features described yet still benefit from at least some of the advantages of such features. Those of ordinary skill in the art may readily devise their own implementations of an apparatus and method that incorporate one or more of the features of the present disclosure and fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.
Claims (45)
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US10/418,808 US20030200742A1 (en) | 2002-04-24 | 2003-04-18 | Apparatus and method for regenerating a particulate filter of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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US37513402P | 2002-04-24 | 2002-04-24 | |
US10/418,808 US20030200742A1 (en) | 2002-04-24 | 2003-04-18 | Apparatus and method for regenerating a particulate filter of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine |
Publications (1)
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US20030200742A1 true US20030200742A1 (en) | 2003-10-30 |
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ID=29270596
Family Applications (1)
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US10/418,808 Abandoned US20030200742A1 (en) | 2002-04-24 | 2003-04-18 | Apparatus and method for regenerating a particulate filter of an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine |
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US (1) | US20030200742A1 (en) |
AU (1) | AU2003228608A1 (en) |
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