To comply with the new regulations on particulate matter
emissions, the manufacturers of light-duty as well as heavy-duty
vehicles more commonly use diesel particulate filters (DPF). The
regeneration of DPF depends to a significant extent on the
properties of the soot stored.
Within the Cluster of Excellence "Tailor-Made Fuels from
Biomass (TMFB)" at RWTH Aachen University, the Institute for
Combustion Engines carried out a detailed investigation program to
explore the potential of future biofuel candidates for optimized
combustion systems. The experiments for particulate measurements
and analysis were conducted on a EURO 6-compliant High Efficiency
Diesel Combustion System (HECS) with petroleum-based diesel fuel as
reference and a today's commercial biofuel (i.e., FAME) as well
as a potential future biomass-derived fuel candidate (i.e.,
2-MTHF/DBE).
Thermo gravimetric analyzer (TGA) was used in this study to
evaluate the oxidative reactivity of the soot. A "Laboratory
Gas Test Bench (LGB)" was used to determine the kinetics of
soot oxidation mechanism considering impact of soot properties on
its burning behavior inside a DPF. The kinetics of soot oxidation
with O₂ was studied as well as the oxidation with NO₂ in order to
cover thermal filter regeneration as well as CRT® regeneration.
Experimental results from LGB and TGA suggest that the soot from
future biomass-derived fuel candidate has lower activation energy,
thereby; lower oxidation temperatures compared to petroleum-based
diesel fuel.