Smart Idle Control - Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Overheat Protection

The current and upcoming internal combustion engine emission norms are very stringent. It is difficult to meet emission standards with just combustion optimization techniques, as a result post-treatment is required for Engine-out emissions/exhaust gas. Otherwise, these hazardous gases impact the ecosystem of living beings. Many technologies are implemented at the exhaust for reducing the emissions. Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) is one such technique to achieve lower PM and PN emission goals. In order to achieve the PM and PN emission reduction, the DPF undergoes periodic cleaning called regeneration. During regeneration, the exhaust systems (DPF) are maintained at elevated temperatures to achieve proper cleaning. When the vehicle is in regeneration, the sudden braking or accelerator pedal release leads to engine dropping to idle speeds (DTI), which sharply increases the temperature gradient inside the DPF which results to physical damage like cracks, melting, and fractures to the DPF substrate. In the occurrence of the above scenario, DPF replacement is the only option which will be an additional expense to the end user. This paper proposes a software solution to address the above issue.