Design, Development and Performance of a Composite Diesel Particulate Filter

A ceramic composite filter has been developed which uses depth filtration for particle capture. The advantages of composite fiber-based filtration are presented as part of an overview of filtration mechanisms. Next, base media and material issues are discussed along with materials development. Once a stable base media formulation was determined, robust design and statistical tolerancing methods were applied as part of a design for six sigma (DFSS) methodology to determine the optimal filter cell geometry. These methods were also used to assess the impact various component tolerances had on overall filter pressure drop and their potential impact to manufacturing. Next, the composite filter initial performance was compared to commercially available filters as part of a benchmarking study. Filter performance with respect to soot capacity, filtration efficiency, pressure drop, weight, catalyzation, and durability was evaluated.