Thermal and Microwave Characteristics of Diesel Particulate in Relation to Microwave Regeneration of Traps

Abstract

Abstract The results of recent experiments on the thermal properties of diesel particulate matter (DPM) are reported. These data were collected in connection with the design of a microwave system for the regeneration of the diesel particulate traps for diesel engines, hoping for a selective heating of the DPM by microwaves. The DPM was collected from a Caterpillar 3304 diesel engine that was operated over a range of steady-state and transient duty cycles. The thermal parameters were determined from thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry experiments, carried out in air and argon, from room temperature to about 800°C. These experiments showed that the decomposition of the diesel particulate is an exothermic process beginning at about 350°C with an activation energy of about 30 kcal/mol. The residual matter left after the decomposition was analyzed using X-ray diffraction, its major components being CaSO4, α-Fe2O3, and CaC2. Because the rate of energy absorbed from the microwaves is proporti...