Regeneration Capability of Wall-Flow Monolith Diesel Particulate Filter with Electric Heater

A regeneration of a wall-flow monolith filter with a heater unit was examined. In the preliminary test the regeneration showed unsatisfactory results, back pressure level increased and filter melting occured. Reversing the gas flow through the filter during the regeneration process and initiating particulate combustion from the outlet side of the filter was found to be a solution for the filter melting problem in particular. This “reverse regeneration” system, which we call RRG, compared with a conventional regeneration (CRG) was examined with a model reactor and applied on an actual vehicle on a chassis dynamometer. Tests confirmed that filter melting was prevented, however cracking of the filter could not be prevented with an RRG.