Exhaust gas particulate measuring system

• US 7,243,559 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Issued: 07/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Caterpillar Incorporated
• Inventors: Graze, Russell R. Jr., Dickson, Richard R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Hezron
• Assistant Examiner(s): FAYYAZ, NASHMIYA SAQIB
• Application Number:
  US10/692,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20040118223A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 738/630.2, 738/630.1, 738/630.3, 73/233.1, 73/310.3, 738/638.1
• US Class Current: 73/863.01
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 15/102 by monitoring exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2202 involving separation of sample components during sampling
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/2252 in a vehicle exhaust
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/24 Suction devices G01N1/22 - G01N1/2294 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 15/0272 with screening; with classification by filtering B01D takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/2223 aerosol sampling devices

Abstract

A gas sampling system 36 capable of testing and certifying internal combustion engines 16 under transient conditions is provided and includes a partial flow dilution tunnel 38, master and slave mass flow controllers 80,60 and a transient dilution air flow controlling arrangement 110. The transient dilution air flow controlling arrangement 110 measures the transient changes in intake air and varies the flow of diluent air to the partial flow dilution tunnel 38. By controlling the diluent air in this manner ensures that a particle sample can be taken at any time that is at a constant proportion to the exhaust flow rate.

Claims

1. A gas sampling system for measuring particulate matter in an exhaust gas stream of an internal combustion engine comprising:

a partial flow dilution tunnel connected to the exhaust gas stream of the engine;

a first mass flow controller operatively connected an inlet of said partial flow dilution tunnel;

a second mass flow controller connected to an outlet end of said partial flow dilution tunnel;

a filter interposed said second mass flow controller and the outlet end of said partial flow dilution tunnel; and

a transient dilution air control arrangement being interposed the first mass flow controller and the inlet of said partial flow dilution tunnel, said transient dilution air control arrangement includes a constant mass flow stream and a variable mass flow stream non-collinearly connected with said constant mass flow stream prior to the inlet of the partial flow dilution tunnel for controlling a dilution air supply to said partial flow dilution tunnel.

2. The gas sampling system of claim 1, wherein said second mass flow controller is a master controller and the first mass controller is a slave controller.

3. The gas sampling system of claim 1, wherein said transient dilution air control arrangement is positioned in close proximity to said partial flow dilution tunnel.

4. The gas sampling system of claim 1, including a sampling probe being positioned in the exhaust gas stream and the partial flow dilution tunnel.

5. The gas sampling system of claim 1, including a supply of scrubbed and filtered air being connected to said first mass controller.

6. The gas sampling system of claim 1, including a flow measuring device adapted to measure a flow of intake air, said flow measuring device being positioned in a conduit of an air intake of the engine.

7. The gas sampling system of claim 6, wherein said flow measuring device being a laminar flow element, said laminar flow element is connected to a pressure differential transducer to convert pressure differential into an electrical signal.

8. The gas sampling system of claim 7, wherein said pressure differential transducer is connected to a selectable gain circuit.

9. The gas sampling system of claim 8, wherein said selectable gain circuit is switchable to handle one of a single channel input and a multiple channel input.

10. The gas sampling system of claim 8, wherein said selectable gain circuit is selectable between a plurality of coarse settings.

11. The gas sampling system of claim 1, including a vacuum pump connected to said second mass flow controller.

12. The gas sampling system of claim 1, including a solenoid valve connected in parallel with the partial flow dilution tunnel between said first mass flow controller and said partial flow dilution tunnel inlet and said partial flow dilution tunnel outlet and said second mass flow controller.

13. The gas sampling system of claim 1, wherein said constant mass flow stream includes a pressure regulating valve serially connected with a critical flow venturi.

14. The gas sampling system of claim 1, wherein said variable mass flow stream is connected in parallel with said constant mass flow stream.

15. The gas sampling system of claim 1, wherein said variable mass flow stream includes a first pressure regulating valve serially connected with a dome loaded pressure regulating valve and a mass flow transducer.

16. The gas sampling system of claim 15, including a pressure regulating valve serially connected to a voltage to pressure controller.

17. The gas sampling system of claim 16, wherein said voltage to pressure controller is connected to and receives electrical inputs from a flow measuring device and said mass flow transducer, said flow measuring device being adapted to measure a flow of intake air to the engine.

18. The gas sampling system of claim 17, wherein said voltage to pressure controller is connected to and sends pressure signals to said dome loaded pressure regulating valve.

19. The gas sampling system of claim 18, wherein an output from said dome loaded pressure regulating valve is connected down stream of a critical flow venturi of said constant mass flow stream to supply dilution air to said partial flow dilution tunnel.

20. A gas sampling system for measuring particulate matter in an exhaust gas stream of an internal combustion engine comprising:

a partial flow dilution tunnel connected to the exhaust gas stream of the engine;

a first mass flow controller operatively connected an inlet of said partial flow dilution tunnel;

a second mass flow controller connected to an outlet end of said partial flow dilution tunnel;

a filter interposed said second mass flow controller and the outlet end of said partial flow dilution tunnel; and

means for controlling dilution air to said partial flow dilution tunnel, said means being interposed the first mass flow controller and the inlet of said partial flow dilution tunnel, said means includes a constant mass flow stream and a variable mass flow stream non-collinearly connected with said constant mass flow stream prior to the inlet of the partial flow dilution tunnel.

21. The gas sampling system of claim 20, wherein said second mass flow controller is a master controller and the first mass controller is a slave controller.

22. The gas sampling system of claim 20, including a sampling probe being positioned in the exhaust gas stream and the partial flow dilution tunnel.

23. The gas sampling system of claim 22, wherein said sampling probe is a square root extractor.

24. The gas sampling system of claim 20, including a supply of scrubbed and filtered air being connected to said first mass controller.

25. The gas sampling system of claim 20, including a flow measuring device connected to said means for controlling dilution air, said flow measuring device being adapted to measure a flow of intake air, said flow measuring device being positioned in a conduit of an air intake of the engine.

26. The gas sampling system of claim 25, wherein said flow measuring device is a laminar flow element.

27. The gas sampling system of claim 26, wherein said laminar flow element is connected to a pressure differential transducer.

28. The gas sampling system of claim 27, wherein said pressure differential transducer is connected to a selectable gain circuit.

29. The gas sampling system of claim 28, wherein said selectable gain circuit is switchable to handle one of a single channel input and a multiple channel input.

30. The gas sampling system of claim 28, wherein said selectable gain circuit includes a selectable gain switch being selectable between a plurality of coarse voltage positions.

31. The gas sampling system of claim 20, wherein said constant mass flow stream includes a pressure regulating valve serially connected with a critical flow venturi.

32. The gas sampling system of claim 20, wherein said variable mass flow stream is connected in parallel with said constant mass flow stream.

33. The gas sampling system of claim 20, wherein said variable mass flow stream includes a first pressure regulating valve serially connected with a dome loaded pressure regulating valve and a mass flow transducer.

34. The gas sampling system of claim 33, including a pressure regulating valve serially connected to a voltage to pressure controller.

35. The gas sampling system of claim 34, wherein said voltage to pressure controller is connected to and receives electrical inputs from a flow measuring device and said mass flow transducer, said flow measuring device being adapted to measure a flow of intake air to the engine.

36. The gas sampling system of claim 35, wherein said voltage to pressure controller is connected to and sends pressure signals to said dome loaded pressure regulating valve.

37. The gas sampling system of claim 36, wherein an output from said dome loaded pressure regulating valve is connected down stream of a critical flow venturi of said constant mass flowstream to supply dilution air to said partial flow dilution tunnel.