Soot deposition effects and microwave regeneration modelling of diesel particulate filtration system

Regeneration of accumulated soot particles in the substrate walls of the diesel particulate filtration system is one of the major challenges faced by the automotive industry. This study investigated the conversion efficiency and filtration behaviour of the after treatment system comprising of diesel oxidation catalysis (DOC) and diesel particulate filtration (DPF) system. The average conversion efficiency of hydrocarbons was close to 54% and filtration efficiency of the particle number emissions was around 92%. Characterization of the DOC and DPF substrate were conducted using microscopic imaging, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and particle size analysis (PSA). The results of FTIR study indicated the presence of carcinogenic agents trapped in the porous walls of the filter substrate. A model for microwave based regeneration system is proposed in this article and CFD analysis were conducted to determine the temperature and electric field distribution in the DPF substrate for a regeneration time of 180 s. Results of simulation showed that the microwave radiations raise the temperature close to soot oxidation temperature (873 K), ensuring effective regeneration. (C) 2019 Energy Institute. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.