A Novel Method for the Experimental Evaluation of Fuel-Borne Catalyst Effect on the Soot Auto-Ignition

A novel method for the evaluation of fuel-borne catalysts effect on DPF regeneration temperature is presented. The method is simple and allows for the in-situ determination of the regeneration temperature. It consists of the engine and trap preconditioning, the trap loading cycle and the regeneration phase. The repeatability of the method is better than ±1% of average value measured. The method is capable of distinguishing very low concentrations of the metal catalyst. The application of the method with different concentrations of the same catalyst does not require the use of fresh traps. For the evaluation of different catalysts however it is recommended to use a fresh trap, since the prescribed preconditioning is not capable of eliminating the effects of the previous additive.