Effect of the amount of trapped particulate matter on diesel particulate filter regeneration performance using non-thermal plasma assisted by exhaust waste heat

Abstract

An experimental system of diesel particulate filter (DPF) regeneration using non-thermal plasma (NTP) technology assisted by exhaust waste heat was conducted and regeneration experiments of DPFs with different amounts of trapped particulate matter (PM) were conducted. The concentrations of the PM decomposition products (COx) and the internal temperature of the DPF were monitored to determine the performance of DPF regeneration and thermal safety of the NTP technology. The results showed that the concentrations of CO and CO2 and the mass of PM decomposition increased with the increase in the amount of captured PM, whereas the concentration of the NTP active substance (O3) escaping from the DPF decreased under the same working conditions of the NTP injection system. A higher amount of captured PM promoted the oxidative decomposition reaction between NTP and PM and improved the utilization rate of the NTP active substances. The peak temperature at the same measuring point inside the DPF generally increased and the phases of the peak temperature were delayed as the amount of captured PM increased. The temperature peaks and temperature gradients during the DPF regeneration process were far lower than the failure limit value, which indicates that NTP regeneration technology has good thermal durability and increases the service life of the DPF.