Exhaust gas purification device

• US 9,021,792 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Issued: 05/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: HINO Motors Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: HINO Motors Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Hosoya, Mitsuru, Kawada, Yoshihiro, Sato, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Bradley, Audrey K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Singh, Dapinder
• Application Number:
  US14/003,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20140000246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,155 Days
• Field of Search: 602/86, 602/95, 602/97, 602/99, 603/01, 603/11
• US Class Current: 60/295
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/104 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2251/2067 Urea
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2258/012 Diesel engines and lean burn gasoline engines
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/90 Injecting reactants
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/9418 for removing nitrogen oxides by selective catalytic reduction [SCR] using a reducing agent in a lean exhaust gas
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/9431 Processes characterised by a specific device
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/0251 by making use of membranes
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 13/11 by electric discharge
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/64 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 2201/66 Pretreatment of the feed
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 13/009 having two or more separate purifying devices arranged in series
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2240/38 an ozone (O3) generator, e.g. for adding ozone after generation of ozone from air
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/02 the substance being ammonia or urea
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 2610/06 the substance being in the gaseous form
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/08 for rendering innocuous using electric or electrostatic separators F01N3/01; chemical aspects B01D53/92
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/106 Auxiliary oxidation catalysts
• CPC Class Codes: F01N 3/2066 Selective catalytic reduction [SCR]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/12 Improving ICE efficiencies

Abstract

A selective catalytic reduction catalyst capable of reducing the NO_x in exhaust gas to N₂ is arranged in an exhaust pipe of an engine. Fluid feed has a fluid injecting nozzle facing the exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from the selective catalytic reduction catalyst. The fluid feed is configured such that a urea fluid that functions as a reducing agent is fed with the selective catalytic reduction catalyst from the fluid injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe. Ozone feed includes an ozone injecting nozzle that faces the exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from the selective catalytic reduction catalyst, and on the exhaust gas upstream side or the exhaust gas downstream side from the fluid injecting nozzle. The ozone feed is configured such that ozone is fed from the ozone injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe.

Claims

1. An exhaust gas purification device comprising:

a selective catalytic reduction catalyst capable of reducing NO_x in an exhaust gas to N₂ arranged in an exhaust pipe of an engine;

a fluid feed comprising;

a urea tank configured to store a urea fluid that functions as a reducing agent in said selective catalytic reduction catalyst;

a fluid injecting nozzle facing the exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from said selective catalytic reduction catalyst and feeds the urea fluid from the fluid injecting nozzle to said exhaust pipe;

a fluid feed pipe having a first end communicating with the fluid injecting nozzle, and further having a second end communicating with the urea tank;

a pump configured to pump the urea fluid through the fluid feed pipe from the urea tank to the fluid injecting nozzle;

a flow feed rate regulating valve configured to regulate the amount of the urea fluid fed from the fluid injecting nozzle to said exhaust pipe, the flow feed rate regulating valve comprising;

a fluid pressure regulating valve

configured to regulate the pressure of the urea fluid supplied to the fluid injecting nozzle; and

a fluid opening/closing valve configured to opening and closing a proximal end of the fluid injecting nozzle;

an ozone feed comprising;

an ozone injecting nozzle facing the exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from said selective catalytic reduction catalyst and on the exhaust gas upstream side from said fluid injecting nozzle and feeds an ozone capable of oxidizing NO in said exhaust gas to NO₂ from the ozone injecting nozzle to said exhaust pipe;

an ozone feed pipe having a tip end connected to the ozone injecting nozzle and having a proximal end open to the atmosphere;

a compressor configured to pump air to the ozone feed pipe;

an ozone converter configured to convert part of oxygen contained in the air into the ozone; and

an ozone feed rate regulating valve configured to regulate the volume of the ozone supplied from the ozone injecting nozzle; and

a controller configured to regulate the pump, the fluid pressure regulating valve, the fluid opening/closing valve, the compressor, the ozone convertor, and the ozone feed rate regulating valve in accordance with engine rotation speed, engine load, and exhaust gas temperature of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst inlet, wherein;

the controller drives the compressor, the ozone converter, and the ozone feed rate regulating valve so as to intermittently inject the ozone from the ozone injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, and drives the pump, the fluid pressure regulating valve, and the opening/closing valve so as to intermittently inject the urea fluid from the urea injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, when the exhaust gas temperature of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst inlet is 100 to 200°

C. and the engine is in a no-load operation, and

the controller stops driving the compressor, the ozone converter, and the ozone feed rate regulating valve so as to stop injecting the ozone from the ozone injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, and drives the pump, the fluid pressure regulating valve, and the opening/closing valve so as to intermittently inject the urea fluid from the urea injection nozzle to the exhaust pipe, when the exhaust gas temperature of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst inlet is 200°

C. or more.

2. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 1, wherein said urea fluid is any of an ammonia gas or a urea water.

3. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 1, wherein said selective catalytic reduction catalyst is configured by coating a honeycomb carrier with zeolite or zirconia.

4. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an ozone generator configured to generate the ozone by using oxygen in the air, the ozone generator comprising;

a compressor configured to pump the air to the ozone feed pipe; and

an ozone converter configured to convert part of the oxygen contained in the air into the ozone; and

an oxidation catalyst capable of oxidizing NO in said exhaust gas to NO₂ at the temperature which is a specific exhaust gas temperature or higher provided in an exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from said fluid injecting nozzle and said ozone injecting nozzle, wherein;

the controller drives the compressor, the ozone converter, and the ozone feed rate regulating valve so as to intermittently inject the ozone from the ozone injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, and drives the pump, the fluid pressure regulating valve, and the opening/closing valve so as to intermittently inject the urea fluid from the urea injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, when the exhaust gas temperature of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst inlet is under 180°

C. and the engine is in a no-load operation, and

the controller stops the drive of the compressor, the ozone converter, and the ozone feed rate regulating valve so as to stop injecting the ozone from the ozone injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, and drives the pump, the fluid pressure regulating valve, and the opening/closing valve so as to intermittently inject the urea fluid from the urea injecting nozzle to the exhaust pipe, when the exhaust gas temperature of the selective catalytic reduction catalyst inlet is 180°

C. or more.

5. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 4, wherein said urea fluid is any of an ammonia gas or a urea water.

6. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 4, wherein said selective catalytic reduction catalyst is configured by coating a honeycomb carrier with zeolite or zirconia.

7. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 4, wherein a particulate filter that is filtering a particulate in said exhaust gas is arranged in the exhaust pipe on the exhaust gas upstream side from said fluid injecting nozzle and said ozone injecting nozzle and on the exhaust gas downstream side from said oxidation catalyst.

8. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim claim 1, said ozone generator further comprising:

a drier that dries the compressed air compressed by the compressor; and

an air separator that separates the compressed air dried by said drier into an oxygen-enriched gas having a high oxygen concentration and a nitrogen-enriched gas having a high nitrogen concentration arranged between said drier and said ozone converter, wherein part of oxygen in the oxygen-enriched gas separated by said air separator is introduced into said ozone converter to be converted into ozone by said ozone converter, and the moisture in said drier is removed by the nitrogen-enriched gas separated by said air separator to recycle said drier.

9. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 8, wherein an air tank that stores the compressed air compressed by said compressor is arranged between said compressor and said drier.

10. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 8, wherein a nitrogen-enriched gas separated by said air separator passes through a purge pipe to be fed into said drier, and a nitrogen-enriched gas flow regulating valve that regulates the flow rate of said nitrogen-enriched gas passing through the purge pipe is arranged in said purge pipe.

11. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 10, wherein an air tank that stores the compressed air compressed by said compressor is arranged between said compressor and said drier.

12. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 8, wherein said air separator is composed of an oxygen-enriched membrane, said oxygen-enriched gas is generated when the compressed air dried by said drier passes through said oxygen-enriched membrane, and said nitrogen-enriched gas is generated when the compressed air dried by said drier does not pass through said oxygen-enriched membrane.

13. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 12, wherein an air tank that stores the compressed air compressed by said compressor is arranged between said compressor and said drier.

14. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 12, wherein a nitrogen-enriched gas separated by said air separator passes through a purge pipe to be fed into said drier, and a nitrogen-enriched gas flow regulating valve that regulates the flow rate of said nitrogen-enriched gas passing through the purge pipe is arranged in said purge pipe.

15. The exhaust gas purification device according to claim 14, wherein an air tank that stores the compressed air compressed by said compressor is arranged between said compressor and said drier.