Systems and methods for estimating particulate load in a particulate filter

• US 8,161,738 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2008
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: He, Suhao, Heibel, Achim Karl-Erich, Tandon, Pushkar
• Primary Examiner(s): Denion, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shanske, Jason
• Application Number:
  US12/324,001
• Publication Number:
  US 20100126144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 602/95
• US Class Current: 60/296
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/0097 the purifying devices are arranged in a single housing
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/06 the means being a temperature sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/07 the means being an exhaust gas flow rate or velocity meter or sensor, intake flow meters only when exclusively used to determine exhaust gas parameters
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/08 the means being a pressure sensor
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2560/14 having more than one sensor of one kind
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/0253 adding fuel to exhaust gases
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/035 with catalytic reactors , e.g. catalysed diesel particulate filters
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/103 Oxidation catalysts for HC and CO only
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/106 Auxiliary oxidation catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 9/002 of filter regeneration, e.g. detection of clogging
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

A method for regenerating a particulate filter may comprise determining a temperature, a flow rate, and a total pressure drop of an exhaust gas flowing through a particulate filter, and determining a corrected soot layer permeability. The method may further comprise calculating an estimated soot load of the particulate filter based on the total pressure drop and the corrected soot layer permeability, and causing regeneration of the particulate filter when the estimated soot load is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

Claims

1. A method for regenerating a particulate filter, comprising:

determining a temperature, a flow rate, and a total pressure drop of an exhaust gas flowing through a particulate filter,

wherein the total pressure drop of the exhaust gas is determined by determining inlet contraction losses, outlet expansion losses, inlet channel losses, outlet channel losses and permeable layer losses of the exhaust gas through the particulate filter, and wherein at least one of the losses is determined based on the determined temperature;

determining an Euler number and a Reynolds number corresponding to the fluid flowing through the particulate filter;

determining a corrected soot layer permeability based on the temperature;

calculating an estimated soot load of the particulate filter based on the total pressure drop and the corrected soot layer permeability, wherein calculating the estimated soot load comprises;

determining a Stokes-Cunningham correction factor to the soot layer permeability, and

calculating the product of the Euler number, the Reynolds number, and the Stokes-Cunningham correction factor to the soot layer permeability; and

causing regeneration of the particulate filter when the estimated soot load is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising estimating an ash load of the particulate filter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein estimating the ash load comprises estimating the ash load based on at least one of oil consumption and engine operating time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the total pressure drop, the flow rate, and the temperature comprises one of estimating the total pressure drop, the flow rate, and the temperature and measuring the total pressure drop, the flow rate, and the temperature.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying at least one gate for estimating the soot load.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying at least one filter for estimating the soot load.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more gates and filters for estimating the soot load.