Measurement of soot oxidation with No2-O2-H2O in a flow reactor simulating diesel engine DPF

Abstract

Understanding the mechanism of carbon oxidation is important for the successful modeling of diesel particulate filter regeneration. Characteristics of soot oxidation were investigated with carbon black (Printex-U). A flow reactor system that could simulate the condition of a diesel particulate filter and diesel exhaust gas was designed. Kinetic constants were derived and the reaction mechanisms were proposed using the experimental results and a simple reaction scheme, which approximated the overall oxidation process in TPO as well as CTO. From the experiments, the apparent activation energy for carbon oxidation with NO2-O2-H2O was determined to be 40±2 kJ/mol, with the first order of carbon in the range of 10∼90% oxidation and a temperature range of 250∼500°C. This value was exceedingly lower than the activation energy of NO2-O2 oxidation, which was 60±3 kJ/mol. When NO2 exists with O2 and H2O, the reaction rate increases in proportion to NO2. It increases nonlinearly with O2 or H2O concentration when the other two oxidants are fixed.