Performance Evaluations of Aluminum Titanate Diesel Particulate Filters

Over the past decade, regulations for mobile source emissions have become more stringent thus, requiring advances in emissions systems to comply with the new standards. For the popular diesel powered passenger cars particularly in Europe, diesel particulate filters (DPFs) have been integrated to control particulate matter (PM) emissions. Corning Incorporated has developed a new proprietary aluminum titanate-based material for filter use in passenger car diesel applications. Aluminum titanate (hereafter referred to as AT) filters were launched commercially in the fall of 2005 and have been equipped on more than several hundred thousand European passenger vehicles. Due to their outstanding durability, filtration efficiency and pressure drop attributes, AT filters are an excellent fit for demanding applications in passenger cars.

Extensive testing was conducted on engine to evaluate the survivability and long-term thermo-mechanical durability of AT filters. Catalyzed filters were first tested to failure under severe uncontrolled regenerations to define filter survivability limits by means of filter maximum temperatures and thermal gradients. In the second phase filter durability was evaluated, exposing the AT filter to hundreds of high temperature regenerations. This paper demonstrates a broad window of operation for AT filters under extreme exposures. Furthermore the pressure drop as well as the filtration performance of the filters was investigated and compared to commercially available filter alternatives.