Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaning Methods and their Effect on Fuel Consumption

The negative effects of long-term exposure to soot and particulate matter emissions from diesel exhaust on the human health have been widely acknowledged due to the harmful substances that exhaust gas contains. Regulators have established strict programs to determine the performance and reliability of emissions after-treatment systems and devices. Tests were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of three diesel particulate filter (DPF) cleaning methods: 1) thermal and pneumatic cleaning, 2) ultrasonic cleaning, and 3) aqueous cleaning methods. A novel non-destructive method to quantify soot and ash deposits in the filters was developed, validated and used to determine the effectiveness of the identified cleaning methods. Given the number of different cleaning methods available, testing against a set of standard parameters provided accurate comparative results. Test results showed at least satisfactory ratings for all cleaning systems that were evaluated, while two systems stood out with very good ratings, with up to 96% of deposits removed by one cleaning system. Fuel consumption tests based on SAE J1321 and TMC RP 1102A Fuel Consumption Test Procedure – Type II were also performed to determine the effect of diesel particulate filter cleaning methods on fuel consumption. The tests were conducted on a high-speed test track at a constant speed of 105 km/h (65 mph). Test results showed that excluding the fuel consumed during passive regeneration, the level of obstruction of the diesel particulate filter showed little impact on fuel consumption. Results comparing the fuel consumption of a cleaned DPF versus that of a used DPF ranged from 0.65% to 1.43%.