3D Simulation of Diesel Particulate Filter Regeneration with Supplementary Fuel Injection

To ensure reliable Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) regeneration, even in critical situations such as slow city driving, a fuel vaporizer can be used to introduce additional hydrocarbons directly into the Diesel aftertreatment system. The fuel vaporizer provides significantly shorter reaction times than possible with engine measures alone and also helps minimize the extensive engine measures normally required to achieve the DPF ignition temperatures. As with other components, correctly optimizing complex aftertreatment systems requires not simply characterizing and optimizing an individual component, but also understanding the interaction between components and the behaviour of the system as a whole. The value of a system simulation lies in rapid turnaround times combined with the ability to address three-dimensional phenomena, since they often have a decisive impact on the system performance (e.g., the hydrocarbon distribution and its associated catalytic heat release).

The presented three-dimensional simulation method incorporates fuel vapour mixing and the resulting catalytic heat release into complex Diesel systems. The simulation provides details, such as temperature levels and distributions that correlate well with experiment, without compromising its ability to characterize complete transient loading and regeneration cycles. The combined abilities of the simulation method provide an invaluable means for optimizing aftertreatment system layouts, especially with respect to the DPF utilization and regeneration.