Regeneration control system for a diesel engine exhaust particulate filter

• US 4,462,208 A
• Filed: 09/23/1982
• Issued: 07/31/1984
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1982
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Budenaers, Roland J., Hicks, Robert H., Teno, Richard L., Senko, Steve M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hart, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US06/421,780
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 60/274, 60/286, 60/303, 60/297, 60/311, 73/38
• US Class Current: 60/286
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2430/04 by adding non-fuel substances to combustion air or fuel, e.g. additives
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2900/0422 measuring the elapsed time
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/023 using means for regenerating the filters, e.g. by burning trapped particles by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/032 during filter regeneration only
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 3/06 with compression ignition compression ignition engines using air or gas for blowing fuel into compressed air in cylinder F02B13/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An apparatus for igniting the particulates trapped in a particulate filter used with a diesel engine supplied with fuel with an agent for reducing the ignition temperature of the particulate when it is determined that a predetermined concentration of particulates at which the particulates will undergo self-sustained combustion have accumulated in the filter.

Claims

1. An exhaust purifying system in combination with a diesel engine having an exhaust conduit into which combustion byproducts including carbon particulates are discharged, the system comprising, in combination:

means effective to supply fuel to the engine to undergo combustion, the fuel including an agent effective to lower the combustion temperature of the carbon particulates in the combustion byproducts so that a concentrated deposit of the carbon particulates of a predetermined concentration will undergo self-sustained combustion after ignition;

a filter disposed in the exhaust conduit effective to collect the carbon particulates in the combustion byproducts, the pressure in the exhaust conduit upstream of the filter having a value related to the concentration of the carbon particulates collected by the filter and to the flow rate of the combustion byproducts;

circuit means responsive to a predetermined engine operating parameter representative of the flow rate of the combustion byproducts effective to provide a schedule of values of pressure in the exhaust conduit upstream of the filter that represents a collection of carbon particulates at the predtermined concentration;

means effective to measure the predetermined engine operating parameter;

means effective to measure the pressure in the exhaust conduit upstream of the filter;

ignition means effective to ignite the carbon particulates collected by the filter at least at one point on the filter when the measured pressure is equal to the scheduled pressure at the measured engine operating parameter to regenerate the filter through self-sustained combustion of the carbon particulates; and

means effective to inhibit the ignition means from igniting the carbon particulates for a predetermined time period following each ignition of the carbon particulates, the time period allowing the particulates to accumulate to the predetermined concentration in all areas of the filter in the event self-sustained combustion did not occur resulting in partial regeneration of the filter.