CFD Simulation of Flows in Air Cleaners with Transient Dust Loading of the Filter Element

As is well known, today's air cleaner systems have to fulfill air filtration and acoustical tasks without neglecting package and pressure loss restrictions. Simulation tools like CFD and FEM are intensively used to provide an optimum design for air cleaner systems with new - unloaded - filter elements. But, especially regarding fuel consumption and emission quality (OBD, air flow meter signal), it is becoming more and more important to predict the filtration and flow behavior over the life time of an air filter element. Here, a 3D CFD flow simulation approach is presented, which takes into account the influence of the increasing dust load on the filter element.